Coronado should be applauded for setting us up with two beers from there crown series. They have obviously done their homework and know SAVOR attendees demand more than what one might see a summer beer festival.

The San Diego beer scene is both intense and saturated with fine craft breweries.  Breaking news, right? My point is that while this landscape is so massive, there are a handful of established breweries sustaining slow and steady growth while continuing to innovate. Coronado Brewing is just that kind of brewery. Founded in 1996 as a brew pub, the response to their beers has been so great that they now have to fight to keep up with distribution. They now distribute to ten states and brew over 4,500 barrels of beer a year.

Type: Production brewery

Available in DC Market: Yes

SAVOR Offerings:

Idiot IPA (Imperial IPA)

Sponsorship

Beer Advocate: A- (189 Reviews)
Rate Beer: 98 Overall, 85 Style
Notes: Think big and bold imperial IPA with loads of piney and citrusy hops. To balance that out is a generous, but not overbearing, amount of sweet and caramel notes rounding out this DIPA. Coming in at 8.5%, this one can put a hurting on you pretty quick.

Red Devil (American Strong Ale)

Beer Advocate: B+ (88 Reviews)
Rate Beer: 97 Overall, 81 Style
Notes: To simplify this style, it’s best to think of this one as an imperial amber ale with a bit more sweetness. The malt is the star of the show here, but it is balanced nicely with a decent amount of hoppiness. For me, nailing these styles can be difficult because it is all about finding balance. Be sure to admire the color of Red Devil when tasting. It should be a nice bright and intense red color.

What you need to know:

Coronado should be applauded for setting us up with two beers from their crown series. They have obviously done their homework and know SAVOR attendees demand more than what one might see at a summer beer festival.

This profile is a part of the DCBEER.COM SAVOR Brewery Profile series. For more information, follow the link to see profiles of all 2011 SAVOR participants.

Beer Review Disclaimer: The beer reviews found on Beer Advocate and Rate Beer do not represent the opinions of this site. We provide these in the hope that they will serve as a resource showing what some craft beer fans have thought of the beers. These reviews can be a helpful guideline, but are not the be-all end-all about a beer’s strengths or weaknesses.