Beer of the Week: Hoban House

From the Beer Writer: In 2015, the family behind the venerable Gaslamp Quarter watering hole, The Field, took over a two-story house in the East Village. In it they installed a rather unique multi-level brewhouse while preserving the structure’s homey, inviting feel. Not surprisingly, that business, Half Door Brewing, has become a popular spot among locals and visitors to the East Village, particularly Padres fans who can enjoy a few pints and some lip-smackingly good pub food before walking the short block south to Petco Park. With founders who hail from the Emerald Isle and brought hospitality experience gleaned from years spent at San Diego’s foremost Irish pub, it would be easy to assume Half Door is some one-trick pony mostly known for its red ales and dry stouts, but it’s made a name for itself with styles hailing from the U.K., Belgium and Germany, along with modern and hop-forward American ales. One of the latter is Hoban House IPA, a “house IPA” that’s also an IPA named for a house. I’ll let co-founder and Head Brewer Daniel Drayne explain that while I delve into sensory notes on this unfiltered West Coast IPA. While considerably opaque, this body sits firmly in the mid-range with zero residual sweetness. Aromas of peach and pot give way to a grapefruit-heavy palate that’s underscored by delightful dankness and extended care of a pithily bitter finish. Hoban House is super-savory, abundantly hoppy and a nice foundation for a house-at-home brewpub that continues to bring it where character and quality are concerned.

From the Brewer: “We do not filter this hazy IPA and leave the protein and hops in-solution. The result is a full-bodied, slightly bitter and juicy beer with lots of hop flavor. The base is made with pilsner malt, wheat and flaked oats to provide a light, soft base the hops can shine against. Hopped with Nelson, Amarillo and Azacca provides intense grapefruit character with undertones of white wine, gooseberry and stone fruit. Fun fact: The beer is named for James Hoban, who was the architect that designed the White House. He was an Irish carpenter from County Kildare in Ireland, who moved to Dublin to attend the Drawing School. In 1785, he emigrated to Philadelphia to become an architect, and after just a few years in America, he was the winner of the design bid for the White House. When we were working on the building for Half Door, we were asked when the ‘white house’ we were building our brewpub in would be opening. Even when describing Half Door today, we all say ‘the white house on the corner of Ninth and Island,’ so when coming up with beer names, we wanted to use something about the “white house”. After some late-night internet wandering we came across James Hoban, and that’s when we decided to name one of our house beers after him.”—Daniel Drayne, Co-founder & Head Brewer, Half Door Brewing