South Bay Takes on Most Bitter Bar 2013 Challenge Plus a Bitter Beer Crawl

Stone Brewing Company’s Most Bitter Bar Challenge has started on June 21 and will continue until June 30. Beer bars throughout the country are competing to see who can serve the most hop-centric Stone beers, including:

• IPA
• Cali-Belgique IPA
• Ruination IPA
• Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
• RuinTen, Ruination Tropical Heat, or Double Dry Hopped IPA

Not surprisingly as the South Bay beer scene continues its growth, there are more places taking part in the challenge this year than in the previous year, when it seemed as if Harry’s Hofbrau in San Jose was the only one participating.

Per the Most Bitter Bar Challenge website, joining San Jose’s Harry’s Hofbrau this year are the following establishments:

• SmokeEaters in Cupertino
• Double D’s Sports Grille in Los Gatos
• O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub in downtown San Jose
• Good Karma Vegan Cafe in downtown San Jose
• Britannia Arms in downtown San Jose
• San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose
• The Farmers Union in downtown San Jose

On Friday, June 28, there is a downtown San Jose beer crawl taking place starting at 7 p.m. at the Market Beer Company inside the San Pedro Square Market. Beer crawl participants can expect to receive wrist bands good for free appetizers courtesy of The Brit towards the end of the beer crawl.

This beer crawl is the brainchild of Greg Sonick, the craft/specialty brand manager for DBI Beverage in Santa Clara County. He recently shared the beer crawl schedule:

• 1st stop: Meet at Market Beer Company at 7:00 p.m. (192 W. Saint John St., San Jose, CA)
• 2nd stop: O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub with 56 taps (25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose, CA )
• 3rd stop: The Farmers Union with 50+ taps – grand opening (151 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose, CA)
• 4th stop: The Brit with 40+ taps – free appetizers for beer crawl participants only (173 W Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA)
• Last stop: Good Karma with 18+ taps (37 S. 1st St., San Jose, CA)

Interestingly, though The Farmers Union is listed on the Stone Brewing challenge website and included on the above schedule, they stated just hours ago on their Facebook page of a hopeful July 12 opening date. It remains to be seen if The Farmers Union will indeed participate on this particular beer crawl.

[Update received 6/22/13: It is confirmed that The Farmers Union will not open in time for the beer crawl.]

Sonick shares, “We are always thinking of ways to get the craft beer community together and continue to raise awareness of better beer!” Regarding the beer crawl, he says, “I would like to invite you and your groups to come and see what is going on in downtown San Jose when it comes to craft beer.”

[This post was shared on Examiner.com.]