THE BREWSPAPER / No. 1 SAN DIEGO HOME BREW SHOP

GUEST BLOG / By Mike Shess, Publisher, West Coaster craft beer website and print magazine.

Once a year, usually in the Fall, as in 2016, West Coaster craft beer website and print magazine publishes the results of its Readers’ Poll.  Publisher Mike Shess and Editor Ryan Lamb ask readers to vote for their favorites among the following categories:

         Best San Diego Beer

         Best San Diego Brewery

         Best Brewmaster

         Best Brew Pub

         Best Homebrewer

         Best Tasting Room

         Best New Beer Spot

         Best Beer Bar

         Best Beer Restaurant

         Best San Diego IPA

         Best Home Brew Shop

         Best Beer Region within San Diego County

         Best Beer Festival

         Best Bottleshop

         Best Beer Selection

         Most Underrated Brewery

For the next few weeks, PillartoPost.org daily online magazine in its weekly The Brewspaper column will profile on “Best of” from West Coaster’s annual poll. 

This week Part 10:

BEST HOME BREW SHOP

The Homebrewer/ North Park

The Homebrewer proprietor George Thornton worked at Home Brews & Gardens (located in what is now Thorn St. Brewery) before deciding to open his own shop and brewery. In 2012, The Homebrewer debuted in its current location at 2911 El Cajon Boulevard in North Park.

The store is as much for homebrew supplies as it is for fermentation education: February classes include “Intro to Homebrewing” on 2/11 and “Cider Making” on 2/13. The on-site brewery Home Brewing Co. opened in 2015, with tasters, pints and growlers now available.

If you need ingredients for your next brew, go see why our readers voted The Homebrewer as Best Homebrew Shop two years in a row.

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THE BEACHES OF SAN SEBASTIAN

Despite missing the package holiday market, Spain’s sun also rises northern coast is where you will find some of the most breathtaking beaches in the country.

San Sebastian Beaches:

A gem of the mountainous Basque Country, San Sebastian is on the Bay of Biscay between Bayonne in France and Bilbao, Spain.  San Sebastian’s trio of beaches will please any serious sun/fun afficiando. The most-visited beach is La Concha, with 1.5km of fine, white sand and turquoise waters. La Concha is one of the most famous urban beaches in the whole of Europe.  La Concha offers terrific people watching from the cement railings of the embarcadero.  Beach shrinks considerably during high tides.

La Concha at low tide

The liveliest beach in San Sebastian is Zurriola, which tends to attract a younger crowd thanks to the excellent surfing opportunities on offer.

Surfing and other scenery on Zurriola Beach

Ondarreta Beach is another of the city’s popular beaches, and here you will find plenty of people playing beach tennis, volleyball and football — Ondarreta is a great beach to visit if you like to keep active while soaking up the sun.  Also is a better bet to find a spot on the beach during high tide.

Ondarreta Beach (below) is better reached from La Concha Beach at low tide

Old Town:

San Sebastián has a reputation for world-renowned restaurants helmed by innovative chefs. In its cobblestoned old town (Parte Vieja), upscale shops neighbor vibrant pintxo bars pairing local wines with bite-size regional specialties.

Old Europe in San Sebastian, Spain