Beer of the Week: Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Picture it – a hot summer day on the open-air patio of Weir Beer Co. in the North County inland community of Vista. There I am, my forehead coated in a film of sweat as I consume pint after pint of…porter?! Had you been there, like the many beer fans and industry friends who I was chatting with that day, you’d likely have asked why I was drinking a dark beer at a brewery where there were plenty of refreshing lagers and IPAs on the beer board. And I’ll tell you what I told them: For my tastes, it was the best beer available. And I wasn’t surprised, I’ve always been partial to malt-driven beers from Hayden Weir. Before he opened his namesake concern, he earned a reputation for ales and lagers of all stripes at Dos Desperados Brewery, but my favorite from that San Marcos concern was his award-winning Belgian-style quadrupel. The bready, caramely malt bill he developed for that beer dovetailed nicely with its floral yeast esters and booziness. Meanwhile, balanced chocolate and coffee notes are the hallmarks of the aforementioned porter. So that must be this week’s featured beer, right? Cue the classic gameshow buzzer sound, because that is incorrect. Today, we’re spotlighting a Munich-style dunkel called Are You Afraid of the Dark? Developed as a special celebratory offering that’s the centerpiece of Weir Beer’s upcoming weekend-long one-year anniversary festivities, this dark lager is another masterful malt-forward creation that, despite being light in body and low in alcohol, is packed with flavor. Soothing caramel overtones are tempered by notes of toasted biscuit and hazelnut, all of which lends to – versus taking away from – the beer’s amiable quaffability. Weir could have easily brewed another hoppy ale or en vogue style of lager. The brewery’s fans are extremely fond of them, after all. But I’m glad he deviated from most modern brewers’ standard operating procedure (almost exclusive adherence to two-row and Pilsner malts), and instead showed off what I believe is one of his finest skill sets: deft manipulation of specialty malts.

Our first anniversary beer is Are You Afraid of the Dark? This is our first malt-forward lager. It’s brewed in the style of a German Dunkel, and has notes of caramel and roasted malt while remaining crisp and drinkable. It’s the perfect San Diego winter lager. Dark lagers are one of my favorite styles to brew, because it allows me to play with darker specialty malts to add complexity to the beer, while keeping them drinkable, refreshing and lower in alcohol. We’ll be celebrating our anniversary all weekend long, starting with a 21-and-up Halloween costume party Friday, October 31, followed by an all-day anniversary bash on Saturday, and a cornhole tournament on Sunday. There will be games, prizes, new beers and seltzers, and even chances to win memberships to our yearly WEIRDOS mug club. We’re so excited to celebrate with everyone and kickstart another awesome year of Weir Beer!”

Hayden Weir, Co-owner & Head Brewer, Weir Beer Co.

Weir Beer Co. is located at 1250 Keystone Way in Vista