It’s impressive that Pizza Port’s annual ode to high-octane beers, the Strong Ale Festival, has been going for 27 years…especially since many a fest-goer probably have trouble remembering much about those soirees. Stouts, barleywines, IPAs and other brews coming in at or well above 8% alcohol-by-volume (ABV) will have that effect on one’s recall. For those whose memories of past Strong Ale Festivals are steadfast yet vague – All I know is I had a blast! – but lack detail or the ability to compare previous years’ beer lists to what Pizza Port has lined up for the 2025 event, rest assured that the 27th running of this fest, which will take place over two days at the company’s Carlsbad Village brewpub on December 5 and 6, will contend for best-ever status thanks to the efforts of the company’s brewers. Not only have they poured their skill and ingenuity into brewing specialty beers for the fest, they’ve also reached out to contemporaries from other breweries to create collaboration beers to grace the event’s 60-plus taps, and combed their contact lists to invite scores of other brewing operations (including several rarely seen in San Diego County such as 3 Floyds Brewing, Ghost Town Brewing, ISM Brewing, Urban Roots Brewery, Westbound & Down Brewing, Wild Fields Brewhouse) to share some of their brawniest offerings. It takes a village to convert Carlsbad Village into a high-alcohol haven, but that’s just what they’ve done. In preparation for the Strong Ale Festival, we reached out to Pizza Port’s pub brewers for the skinny on some of this year’s collaboratively conceived specialty beers.
Pizza Port Imperial Beach / Farland Aleworks – Jawa Double Juice: I met the owner of Farland Aleworks, Gerry Grijalva, about a year ago when he stopped in for a pint. He expressed interest in doing a collab with me, and I thought brewing a beer for the Strong Ale Festival would be perfect. We both wanted to make a big, hoppy double IPA. Gerry and his crew are big fans of Star Wars, so we named the 9.3% beer after an alcoholic beverage from the movie. Jawa Double Juice has a Maris Otter base complemented by Pilsner malt, white wheat, malted oats, flaked barley and a small amount of honey malt, and is hopped with Chinook, Superdelic, Strata and Krush. It has a full body with aromas of tropical fruit and raspberries, and flavors of strawberry, guava and pine. – Tom Finney, Head Brewer, Pizza Port Imperial Beach
Pizza Port San Clemente / Los Molinos Beer Co. – Triple IPA: I chose to brew with Los Molinos because Head Brewer Jon Eckelberger has always been a great friend, and over the last two years in San Clemente I have also become great friends with the company’s owners. We chose to brew a triple IPA, because what says strong ale more than a 10.5% triple IPA. Heavy with hops! Wapow! The beer was brewed with mostly 2 row, a tad bit of flaked oats and some dextrose to boost the ABV. The hops we used were Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Columbus and Krush, utilizing T-90 pellets and Cryo Hops. We expect the beer to be a double-overhead barrel of dankness. – Josh Schaner, Head Brewer, Pizza Port San Clemente
Pizza Port Solana Beach / Solaris Beer & Blending – Rum Barrel-aged Ambient Pairing: The guys from Solaris talked to me about doing another collaboration last year. The timing seemed perfect to brew a beer at Solana Beach specifically for the Strong Ale Festival, so we decided on a pastry stout. We wanted to barrel-age some of it, and figured it would be ready for this year’s festival. The original beer had maple syrup and vanilla added to it, but those flavors mellowed out and were replaced by the flavors from the rum barrel over the course of the last year. Now, the beer gives off a lot of great rum flavors and aroma, which pair really nicely with the chocolate and roasty notes coming through from the base beer. – Mike Havens, Head Brewer, Pizza Port Solana Beach
The 27th annual Strong Ale Festival will take place at Pizza Port’s Carlsbad brewpub, which is located at 571 Carlsbad Village Drive. Tickets are available online.