Entertainment & Events

Take An Oktoberfest Outing at Hamilton’s Tavern

By  | 

<div xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" about="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pesotum/312072257/"><a rel="cc:attributionURL" href=

With the smell of Fall in the air and Oktoberfest on the horizon, nothing comes to mind more than beer, bratwurst, sauerkraut and more beer!

We’re not talking Pabst Blue Ribbon (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but rather all-over-the-world-beer including 27 permanent tap handles rotating daily and over 200 bottles imported from all over the world; and no it’s not a pretentious place where you have to get dressed up. As a matter of fact you don’t even need to be a guy or know a ton about beer to thoroughly enjoy yourself at this fine, local neighborhood establishment.

Hidden in the quaint and eclectic neighborhood of South Park, you’ll find Hamilton’s. Often compared to that which you may find in Seattle, Portland or Massachusetts, Hamilton’s is a gold mine of a tavern, tucked away at 1521 30th street.

Prost to Oktoberfest in San Diego (Photo from Wikimedia)

Prost to Oktoberfest in San Diego (Photo from Wikimedia)

Owner Scot Blair, never having worked in a restaurant or bar “knew what he wanted, he wanted to build a bar that he would want to drink at, somewhere he could go and just hang out and feel comfortable” and he has been extremely successful at doing just that. “We live to educate people who don’t know about beer…. We want people to leave here feeling like ‘wow I just had the most wonderful beer.’”

“San Diego has over 50 breweries, and we really want to facilitate that…. We highlight local breweries like Green Flash, Stone and Karl Strauss just to name a few…When one keg blows, we usually put a totally different beer on. We also keep our tap lines dedicated to a certain style so that it doesn’t contaminate, to ensure that no off flavors come through. While on average most taverns clean their lines once a month, we clean ours once a week and keep them style-specific so with 27 taps, we have the ability to go through many different styles.”

While the beer selection is vast, no one will debate the fact that nothing compliments a great beer better than awesome food. “While beer in food is not our original idea, it just makes sense. It goes hand in hand, and beer is a fabulous ingredient. We make brownies for ‘2nd Saturday’ (an event hosted every second Saturday of the month by Hamilton’s as a way to give back. It’s amazing, and no one else has committed to doing it!) and we always incorporate a stout or an imperial stout or a porter in our cheese soup. We use [beer] in a lot of different things here.”

“We also make our own sausages. I’ve done them with black current, raisin, and different citrus fruits. They all have whole hop flowers in them. Hence the name hop sausages — and that, I don’t know that anyone else is doing.”

Not a meat eater? Well don’t let that discourage you from opening a menu. With a variety of Vegan options, you won’t be disappointed!

From the pool tables, a jukebox filled with Blues and Classic Rock, shuffle board, a website that is updated at least once daily, great food, monthly events like the upcoming Oktoberfest bus tour benefit on October 13th, it’s hard to go wrong making it a frequent stop.

“We’re not out to just make a buck, but we’re out to help, we’re out to do something, we’re out to create a culture of people that appreciate beer.  It’s a neighborhood bar and we make it a point to make the place really comfortable, it has a really good vibe and everyone’s welcome.”

Hamilton’s has a ton to offer that makes it unique, a stand apart, much of which is going unsaid.  But know this, it is definitely the place to become an educated beer drinker and have a great time doing it. For all of you already avid beer drinkers, well, may Hamilton’s, if new found to you, be the silver lining to your day.

For details log on to www.hamiltonstavern.com

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *