O’Brien’s Pub has been a beloved beer bastion since 1994 and was one of the very first San Diego establishments to make craft ales and lagers – or “microbrews” as they were referred to then – a foremost focus. Lovingly referred to as “the hoppiest place on Earth”, the Kearny Mesa mainstay is a staunch supporter of San Diego brewing companies, torch-holder for Belgian breweries and the site of countless beer-and-food-pairing extravaganzas. It’s arguably the best craft-beer bar in San Diego County, but as of today it’s indisputably the best beer bar in the nation according to USA Today.
For the second year in a row, O’Brien’s vied for the title as part of the news outlet’s annual fan-voted competition. From January 30 through February 26, individuals were allowed to cast one vote per-day online. For the first three weeks of the competition, USA Today posted up-to-the-moment rankings for the poll, but froze the results with one week to go. At that point, O’Brien’s was in third place, leaving owners Tom Nickel and Tyson Blake in a state of limbo. Still, they charged forward, encouraging their fans to vote while regulars and others in the local craft-beer community did the same.
Voting came to an unceremonious close and was followed by three days of silence and wondering. Then Blake’s phone rang and instantaneous elation erupted among the partners and their staff. The pub’s fans had come through and ratcheted O’Brien’s to the top spot.
“To know how many people must have voted to support us during that final week, enough for us to move up to first place, makes for an overwhelming feeling of gratitude,” says Nickel (pictured below, at right). “We’d just like to say ‘thank you’ to them. I have always said that there are a lot of great places to drink beer, but the customers and the sense of pub community at O’Brien’s has always made it a very special place. The staff, the customers, everyone just feels like family.”
Nickel says the friendly, communal feeling exhibited not only by the pub’s staff, but also its patrons, has always been its finest attribute, but a business doesn’t win Best Beer Bar without taking the beer part of the equation into consideration.
Our strength on the beer side is twofold. We work to be very supportive of local beer and local brewers, and have been the first draft account for many of the county’s breweries including Pizza Port, AleSmith and Societe. We also have great connections to out-of-town breweries that allow us to do some really outstanding events like our annual Russian River Brewing TION Weekend. And I personally have a very soft spot for our yearly Wet Hop Festival, as those beers are very near and dear to me.”
Tom Nickel, Co-owner, O’Brien’s Pub
Twenty-one years after being taken over by Nickel – long enough for one to reach legal drinking age – the venerable institution still bears the name of founder, Jim O’Brien. In 2002, looking to move on and pass the pub to someone he felt understood its ethos, significance and role in San Diego’s early but impressive craft-beer movement, O’Brien reached out to Nickel directly. Back then, Nickel was directing brewery operations for Oggi’s (where he went on to earn Brewery and Brewmaster of the Year at the 2004 World Beer Cup competition), but jumped at the opportunity to take over the pub he so adored.
In 2009, Nickel hired Blake (pictured above, second from left) to manage O’Brien’s. That move not only brought structure and an enhanced service component to the bar, but also advanced the menu and kitchen operations. Prior to O’Brien’s, Blake and his colleague-turned-wife, Kristina, had spent years putting on grand-scale beer-and-food pairing banquets centered around the ales and lagers of numerous breweries. That long-running event series was reinstated at the pub and has been a cult-favorite cornerstone of the business ever since, coalescing with numerous other assets and differentiators to earn O’Brien’s the type of solid reputation and fans which led to this latest honor.
Over the years, Nickel and the Blakes have become partners in other San Diego County beer businesses (West Coast Smoke & Tap House, The Pub at Lake Cuyamaca), but at the heart of it all is their illustrious flagship, O’Brien’s
Eager to thank those who voted for them, Nickel and the Blakes have a special event planned to celebrate their new title. Tomorrow from 4 to 9 p.m., O’Brien’s will offer $5 pours of everything on the pub’s draft-beer list. Nickel says there will also be “some killer bottles and fantastic pub food to nosh on”. It’s the makings of a memorable occasion for the 30-year-old communal craft hub…maybe even the best.
O’Brien’s Pub is located at 4646 Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa