Beer of the Week: Padre Pils

Admit it. After a relatively uneventful offseason (by A.J. Preller standards, anyway) marked more by ownership infighting than blockbuster trades and free-agent signings, you were at least a little concerned about our Padres. OK, maybe you knew all along that they would get out to a historically fast start, but I’m bold enough to confess that I was a tad worried. I mean, it wasn’t like the days of old when I dared not entertain any hopes beyond eking into the playoffs with a wild-card berth, much less a shot at a World Series crown. Even after losing so many of the arms and bats we picked up for last season’s postseason run, we still have plenty of talent. But we also had plenty of question marks, which would be totally fine…if we weren’t in the same flingin’ flangin’ division as the Rockefellers of the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team they’ve built (read: paid through the nose for) is outstanding, and it seems no matter who they lose, who they add or what combination of players they toss out on the field, they work well together. That level of efficiency leaves little room for the Friars to falter. They essentially have to be perfect. That’s the tallest of orders and, honestly, I wasn’t sure they were up for it. But it would appear they aren’t as intimidated by their NL West rivals as I am. The Pads shot out of Spring Training and into the regular season like 25 guys on a mission (nice Padres pun, right?) and it’s been an absolute joy to watch. Of course, I – and most likely you – wouldn’t spectate without gameday-appropriate suds. How’s that for a segue to this week’s featured beer, Padre Pils. Brewed specifically for baseball season and named for the home team, Blue Fire Brewing’s hoppy Pilsner comes across like a West Coast mascot. A citrusy nose gives way to a balanced, incredibly dry lager with a snappy, palate-cleansing finish. At just 5.3% (alcohol-by-volume) it’s the type of beer you can go three or four deep with over nine innings. Here’s hoping some of this Friar water gets spilled by fans jubilated over the success of our boys in brown and gold!

Padre Pils is a hoppy yet easy drinking beer made with premium German-grown barley and West Coast hops, then fermented cool with German lager yeast. We took our love of lager and the exciting trend of West Coast Pils, and made it our own. For this batch we sourced Cascade hops from Coleman Agriculture to use on the hot-side (boil and whirlpool), which provides tangerine-like citrus undertones and a great mouthfeel. Mosaic hops added at the tail end of fermentation bring in subtle stone-fruit character. My favorite aspect of this beer is that each of the components between barley malt, hops and fermentation character, play off of one another well and create a beer that is harmonious and easy gulping. We’d love to pour you a pint at our tasting room in San Marcos while cheering on the Padres!”

Tommy Gordon, Co-founder & Head Brewer, Blue Fire Brewing

Blue Fire Brewing is located at 2892 South Santa Fe Avenue in San Marcos