Pure Project Brewing Review – San Diego, California

I reside in the state of Michigan, a State surrounded by water and full of hundreds of craft breweries. For me I generally prefer to drink local when it comes to beer. However sometimes it is nice to travel outside of the local distribution and try some brew from another region. Recently I had the opportunity to sample a selection of beers from Pure Project Brewing in San Diego, California. Pure Project is a brewery that instantly fascinated me. After following them on Facebook and Instagram it became abundantly clear that this was a brewery that was focused on culture and quality of their product. I also took some time to read up on the story behind Pure Project on their website. The company has taken a fascinating journey from laying brewing roots in the jungle of Costa Rica, and transitioning to a business located within the United States. Since opening up in San Diego Pure Project has expanded to include 3 taprooms with a 4th planned to open in 2020. After reading up on the brewery I started chatting with one of my beer buddies that makes frequent trips to San Diego. I asked if he was familiar with Pure Project. His eyes lit up with excitement, he joyously shared the praises of Pure Project Brewing for the better part of a half hour. I was told about how beautiful their taproom is and how genuinely awesome every person he met at that brewery was. To say the least, my expectations were sky high to check out this beer. When my shipment of beer arrived I opened up the box and found within 5 different beers, a Hazy IPA, 2 Sasions, an Imperial Sour, and a Bourbon Barrel Aged stout.



I’m going to start with Log Cabin, a Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout with Coffee. Everything about that description makes me happy. This is the kind of beer that is directly in my wheelhouse and Pure Project hit a home-run right out the gate with this stout. Log Cabin is basically breakfast in a bottle. The beer pours black and meets your nose with a maple sweetness that is extremely inviting. Log Cabin has a viscous and almost sticky mouthfeel which, in my opinion, is welcome on a big burly stout. That maple flavor is prominent in the beer as well and is backed with a mellow roastyness. A beautifully well balanced coffee flavor is on the back end and is incredibly satisfying. Log Cabin is an all around excellent beer and would easily hold its own against any other barrel aged stout in the country. If you are the kind of beer drinker that likes to hunt down bottles add this to your beer list. It’s magnificent.

Following one coffee beer with another, Tuanis was next up. Tuanis is an imperial sour with Costa Rican coffee and hibiscus. This beer takes you on a journey, and really does a good job of showcasing the brewers Costa Rican roots. The beer pours with a darker pink color with a delicate floral nose paired with coffee up front. This beer basically broke my brain. It took every preconceived notion I had about what a sour beer tasted like and redefined what the style can be. Tuanis is super refreshing and is loaded with tropical fruits but finishes with coffee big time. It almost comes off like a piece of chocolate covered fruit. Normally when I try a sour I am overwhelmed by tartness and sugary flavors in beer, they’re typically not my thing. This beer is not only fantastic, it’s something I could easily see myself ordering again. If you like sours this beer is a no brainer. If you are like me and normally avoid sour beer give this one a try. It’s a remarkably solid beer and will make you second guess what sour beer is all about.



More Pink beer! La Vie En Rosé a hibiscus and honey saison is next up and has by far the most entertaining name of the beer I tried! This beer was a bit more tart, but like Tuanis features hibiscus and has a very inviting floral nose, while still pouring a beautiful pink color. Any sour funkyness of this beer is kept in check though, like any beer balance is key and Pure Project did a great job crafting a beer that finds itself deeper in the spectrum of sour but balanced out with a sweet honey and extremely enjoyable. La Vie En Rosé has a light and crisp body that finishes dry similar to a dessert wine. Honestly, La Vie En Rosé is the kind of beer that converts people to craft beer drinkers. It showcases a complex flavor profile that is appealing to basically anyone who likes adult beverages while avoiding some of the things that generally intimidate people about craft beer. Every brewery should strive to have a beer that achieves this.

Madeline was the beer for me that really brought the funk and sour flavor. This is not in any way a negative; Madeline is a farmhouse saison that pours with a nice golden color with a pearly white head that is truly a thing of beauty. The beer itself is definitely tart, but it’s not out of control. It’s a very drinkable and approachable saison that finishes with a slightly sticky mouthfeel and a fruitiness that lingers nicely. This would be a great way to introduce someone to the saison style of beer while still demonstrating an extremely well crafted beverage. It’s a truly exceptional beer that simply needs to be experienced.

The last beer I got to sample was Murk of the Beast, a New England Style IPA that was a perfect palate cleanser to wrap on. Murk of the Beast is a hazy and mellow IPA that pours with an orange color and a white head. The nose of this beer is fresh, citrusy, and loaded with tropical notes. This beer is super easy to drink, it’s almost dangerously easy to put down. Murk is loaded with tropical fruit flavors and never really overruns you with hops. Like any great IPA this beer is balanced out flawlessly. It doesn’t toss you around the room and leave you with hop mouth for the rest of the day, but it doesn’t fall flat on flavor either. Murk of the Beast is fantastic, and if your a hop-head to any extent it’s a beer that you should make an effort to hunt down and give a try.



What makes a brewery great? That is a question that both David (the founder of Sommbeer) and myself ponder pretty regularly. Most of the time when we debate this topic the things that really stick out to us and make a brewery great involves the culture around a brewery as much as it does the beers that they produce. Breweries that help their local communities and contribute to a positive culture more often than not will really get our attention. Looking at the brewery from afar Pure Project seems to understand and embrace this. The company has a focus on sustainability and gives back to the community as well. Pure Project Brewing will be celebrating it’s 4th anniversary in January of 2020. If you reside in the San Diego area attending this event seems like a really good decision. Undoubtedly the party that will be spectacular. For those of us in Michigan, like myself, San Diego in January sounds like a nice break from the ice and snow of mid-west winters. Visiting a fantastic brewery sounds like a good reason to make the pilgrimage west to me.



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