Duck Foot Brewing Co – 8920 Kenamar Drive, Suite #210 – 92121

Continuing in my role as official bottleneck around here, I’m a little behind in the “First Flight” series. In my own defense, I am working A LOT of taps back here and when something suffers a temporary setback, it’s only because substantial gains were made elsewhere. Case in point– I give you the Inside The Craft web site… We’ve got ‘er up and running but are still on the fence about the size of the background video on the homepage. It can be a little cumbersome on slower connections so if you have a bad experience with it, please let us know.

“Official business” concluded, the drink carts are rolling and we’re next in line for take-off as we a plot a course to our next San Diego craft beer destination: Duck Foot Brewing in the heart of Beeramar…

First Impressions:

Would I go back? (I was flyin’ solo on this one). In all honesty, probably not but it has nothing to do with the beer, the staff or the facilities, and everything to do with the clientele. Call me old fashioned but when I see children in strollers in extremely close proximity with folks enjoying their beverages in a loud and profane manner, it makes me uncomfortable.

Pure speculation, but it looks to me as if Duck Foot set out to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible and they just may have hit the mark too well. I’m just not okay with exposing such young children to the kind of behavior one sometimes experiences in establishments serving alcohol. Toys and taps just shouldn’t occupy the same sentence, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

The Beer

A brief background, self-proclaimed “Head Quack” Matt DelVecchio was diagnosed with celiac disease which, oversimplified, is like an autoimmune version of lactose intolerance with gluten replacing lactose as the offending agent.

Unwilling to give up his beer, he soon discovered how to, “make beer with a natural enzyme that does nothing more than remove gluten from beer.”…

Score!

The First Flight

These were all great beers and I enjoyed every one of them. Starting from the left:

California Blond Ale – 5.8% ABV – 16 IBU – This is a nice, well balanced example of an American Blonde Ale. From the Duck Foot website, “Brewed with combination of pale and caramelized malts, this beer finishes light and refreshing yet is full in flavor. The use of Citra hops gives it a light floral citrus aroma to complement the crisp and refreshing taste.” If I could have said it better, I would have 🙂

Duck Foot Saison – 6.3% ABV – 18 IBU – This is a style I can sometimes be a little sketchy on but I think they hit this one out of the park. “A base recipe that is true to the Belgian farmhouse Saison style with a Southern California flare. Notes of bread and biscuit combine with Belgian yeast which imparts a slightly fruity aroma.” I think the addition of “locally sourced raspberries” to the equation is what made it for me. Not sweet, but nicely tart. Spring and summer only on this one 😉

California Honey Ale – 6.0% ABV – 16 IBU – BOOM! Loved this one. Generally a fan of the genre but some folks don’t pull it off this well. The honey-orange burst on the front is well pronounced yet it finishes nicely dry on the back. Another one you’re only going to get during the spring and summer months, no doubt due in part to the availability of locally sourced ingredients.

West Coast IPA – 6.8% ABV – 68 IBU – The West Coast IPA is practically a dynasty at this point and this is a strong representation in such a large field. After fermentation they, “… blast it with a generous amount of Simcoe hops (in the dry hop) to give it a combination of citrus and pine aroma and flavor.” Bigger and bolder than it’s predecessors, it still finishes light and fresh. Sessionable to the palate but maybe a little sketchy at 6.8% unless you’re a pro 😉

Double White IPA – 8.6% ABV – 80 IBU – If you like an IPA you can chew on, this is it. From the Duck Foot website: “A hybrid of a White Ale and West Coast IPA and super-sized for your drinking pleasure. This Double IPA is brewed with Wheat to give it a pale white color and a slight sweetness in the finish. At its core this is a hop forward beer, bitter and heavily dry-hopped with a combination of Centennial, Cascade, and Simcoe hops. This blend of hops imparts notes of Spice, Citrus, and Pine in the aroma. A deceivingly drinkable beer despite its high alcohol content.” I feel like I’m cheating by using their own description, but it’s too legit not to. This is a really good beer 😉

The Food

Like many San Diego craft beer tasting rooms, Duck Foot Brewing Co. enlists the help of local food trucks to handle bar nomz. The schedule can be found here.

The Accommodations

The place is bright with a lot of natural light, polished cement floors (dog friendly) with minimalist furniture and decor, except for the the giant, odd boxers who habitate one wall. The main bar features a nice, heavy stone surface and there are additional, smaller bar surfaces around the perimeter and individual tables scattered throughout.

The Staff

We try to be as conversational as possible because we’re always on the lookout for tapnicians who have real passion for what they do but unfortunately, it’s not always possible. Duck Foot was pretty busy on this particular Saturday afternoon and while the staff was cordial and effective, there wasn’t any real opportunity to socialize.

Oh and yeah… The Rock’em Sock’em Robots were there for anyone who wanted to play with them 😀

Na zdrowie!

~BB