Welcome to the launch of The 4th Annual Sore Eye Cup, an award for the best regularly produced craft beer in San Diego! Last year was a resounding success, Speedway Stout from AleSmith won for the second time in three years and is now the only member of the Sore Eye Cup Hall of Fame! While Speedway will not be eligible for the Cup moving forward, it will always hold the esteem of being the first multi winner and the first member of the Hall. The reward of dominance, this honor is bestowed upon AleSmith, for perpetuity, without the possibility denial!

We will honor the winning craft beer with an actual cup (over 64oz capacity)! At the announcement party we’ll fill it up with the winning beer and the winning brewery will drink from the cup right then, as is tradition! The winners can then bask in the glory of victory and have bragging rights for an entire year!

Here are the rules: Beers nominated must be brewed here in San Diego County by a licensed, independent, craft brewery (If you’re a homebrewer I’m more than willing to try your beer, anytime, maybe even trade for some of mine). They must be beers the brewery makes year round; seasonal, special versions, one offs and casks are not allowed. The beers do not need to be packaged (cans or bottles), just made all year long and available for growler fills (so we can get some to judge). We’re looking for superior craft beers that are available to everyone in SD.

Nominate your favorite beer(s) by emailing me at SoreEyeCup@gmail.com, tweet me (@SoreEyeSuds) , tag your nomination #SoreEyeCup in Twitter, comment on the post in Facebook, or comment right here on this post. Nominations are open until the end of June, and then we will move into the voting round. Voting will run form July 1st – 16th.

The top ten beers, as voted by you, the best followers on earth, will be blind tasted/judged by our panel of 10. The judges range from craft beer enthusiasts to certified beer judges and cicerones. We are truly looking for the best, regularly produced craft beer San Diego has to offer. The best craft beer, as chosen by us, will be awarded the esteemed Sore Eye Cup and receive all the prestige and glory one blog can bestow upon a brewery! There will be an awesome party on August 6th, 2pm, at the legendary Toronado to celebrate the amazing craft beer culture we have in San Diego and announce the 2016 winner of the Sore Eye Cup!

Current Nominations:

Hop Boxed, Duet, Nelson, Hoppy Birthday and Captain Stout from Alpine Beer Co.

.394, X Extra Pale and Nut Brown from AleSmith

Mosaic Session Ale, Red Trolley & Aurora Hoppyalis from Karl Strauss

Plenty for All, Green Hat, Magical & Delicious Beer Named Sue, Mittens & 2am Bike Ride from Fall

Brewer’s Special Brown, Pure & Simple, Explorer, and Zumbar from New English

Blazing World & City of the Dead from Modern Times

The Cake is a Lie from Intergalactic

Lupulin Lust from Rip Current

Grapefruit Solis, Habitus, My Other Vise, and Claritas from Hess

Harlot, Pupil, Publican, Apprentice & Coachman from Societe

Boo Koo from Mother Earth

Octo Rye from Pacific Brewing

West Coast IPA, Tangerine Soul Style, and Passion Fruit Kicker from Green Flash

Swami’s, Kook and Ponto from Pizza Port

Arrogant Bastard from Stone Brewing

Stingray IPA and Islander from Coronado

Tabula Rasa and Seize the IPA from Second Chance

Dark Seas and Plunder from Mission

Bear Cookie from Bear Roots

Table Beer, IPA, Brown Ale, and Oatmeal Stout from Benchmark

Gavel Drop and Bully Pulpit from Council

Dankness Visible, Holy the Voyd, Banksy, Circle of Hops, & Hopmata from Burning Beard

Weiss from ChuckAlek

Fenris IPA from Barrel Harbor

Three Beagles and Stout Your Engines from Bagby

5pm Session from Abnormal

Sour Superintendent from Division 23

Vanilla Porter and Blood Orange IPA from Latitude 33

Elemental Pilsner from Lightning

Devotion, Inferno, and Judgement Day from Lost Abbey

Board Meeting, Mongo, and Shark Attack from Port Brewing

Infinitude from San Diego Brewing

OG HighPA from Thorn Street

San Diego Pale from Bay City

Cucumberliner and Purple Drink from Toolbox