Photo courtesy StudioSchulz.com The OAKED Arrogant Bastard Ale had me mesmerized – I could actually taste the wood’s trademark vanilla tones kicked with citrus, somehow like a chardonnay.

I sat on an upright keg topped with a grain sack, savoring a Veritas, a name that designates an Abbey pilot project. This Veritas 005 was fashioned with a small batch of wild grapes brought in by a friend of the brewery, resulting in 20 gallons of oddly appealing sour, raisin-y beer.

Even better was Avant Garde, a crisp, highly carbonated brew with hints of biscuits, caramel and fresh baked bread from malt that is toasted in the Abbey’s pizza ovens. It had the elegance of wine, the buzz of beer, and the flavors of food.

“We’re leading a charge,” Arthur said. “It’s a completely different look at beer.”

If wine bars are in their heyday nationwide, in San Diego it’s the dawn of the craft beer club. Witness 30th Street, a stretch in the heart of the North Park neighborhood that boasts so many independent, beer-themed restaurants and bars that it has its own Website, 30thstreet.org.

Here, coined the Beer Boulevard, a flurry of eateries emphasize local microbrews, from Crazee Burger (get a craft draft sampler with your kangaroo burger), to Ritual Tavern (brewmaster-hosted beer pairing dinners, including vegan specialties).

The Linkery is a must visit. With a theme of housemade sausages and house-cured meats, the only things more impressive than the expansive charcuterie displays are the uncommon recipes, such as an ice cream sandwich of hazelnut-Taza chocolate chunk cookies, lardo (pure pig fat) ice cream, and candied bacon.

There are more than 60 cask, draft and bottled boutique beers, including a vertical flight tasting of beers vintage 2006 through 2010 for a cool $200. My server knew his brews, too, blurting out his beer pairing answers as I questioned my way through the menu like a contestant on Jeopardy.

Photo courtesy Urban Solace Wild Alaskan sockeye salmon, cheese biscuits (back) and Belgian Ale at Urban Solace

For a higher end but no less brew-centric meal, Urban Solace is marvelous. A bevy of craft beers like Airdale Dark and Stormy Imperial Stout match up against full-bodied plates like crispy frog legs rolled in biscuit bread crumbs, peppery arugula and spiced remoulade; or braised Brandt Farms beef cheeks slathered in smoked tomato jam and grain mustard-garlic jus over sweet potato mash.

It didn’t take much past my first few bites to see that food-brew pairing makes absolute sense. With craft beer having so many different potential ingredients, it naturally offers an enormous range of flavors to complement dishes, be it the light, lemony lilt of Lost Abbey’s Inferno Ale to the chocolaty depths of Green Flash Double Stout. Cicerones will suggest that beer is actually better than wine, since the carbonation scrubs the palate, lifting away oils and fats and resetting taste buds for the next bite. 

As I explored more San Diego craft restaurants, my appreciation for the complex quaff grew. Blind Lady Ale House in the Normal Heights neighborhood served basic pizzas with dozens of local drafts plus beers like Russian River Consecration, a barrel-aged sour ale with currants. Restaurant at the Pearl, a chic hotel operation, had heritage duck breast with foie gras and apple compote, but also artisan drafts from many local purveyors like Alesmith Brewing Co. And with its retro-fab décor and hip vibe, the boutique hotel (just 23 rooms) was a delightful place to lay my brew-baked brain; rock-bottom rates make it a Champagne experience on a beer budget.

On another evening, I made the happy discovery that the high-fashion W Hotel is just next door to the downtown location of the famous Karl Strauss Brewing Co., a high-energy pub that stays open until midnight Fridays and Saturdays.

After a weekend soaking up the suds, I was a convert. As Stone Brewing tour guide Ken Wright had quipped, “The more craft beer you have, the less crap beer you have.”

SLEEP & STAY
The Pearl: 1410 Rosecrans St.;
619-226-6100,
thepearlsd.com

W Hotel San Diego: 421 W. B St.,
619-398-3100,
thewsandiegohotel.com

ACTIVITIES
Brew Hop: 858-361-8457,
brewhop.com

BREWERIES
1430 Vantage Court, Vista;
760-597-9012, greenflashbrew.com

Karl Strauss Brewing Co.:
1157 Columbia St.; 619-234-2739, karlstrauss.com

Lost Abbey & Port Brewing:
155 Mata Way, San Marcos;
760-920-6121, lostabbey.com

Stone Brewing Co.: 1999 Citracado Pkwy., Escondido; 760-471-4999, stonebrew.com

DINING
Blind Lady Ale House:
3416 Adams Ave.; 619-255-2491, blindladyalehouse.com

Crazee Burger: 4201 30th St.;
619-282-6044, crazeeburger.com

The Linkery: 3794 30th St.;
619-255-8778, thelinkery.com

Restaurant at The Pearl:
1410 Rosecrans St.; 619-226-6100, thepearlsd.com

Ritual Tavern: 4095 30th St.;
619-283-1720, ritualtavern.com

Stone Brewing Co.: 1999 Citracado Pkwy., Escondido; 760-471-4999, stonebrew.com

Urban Solace: 3823 30th St.;
619-295-6464, urbansolace.net