The 2014 Beer Bloggers Conference starts tomorrow (Friday), but we arrived in San Diego today—via car, after a good long day of driving. After checking in to the hotel, we headed over to the Blind Lady Ale House for dinner and a quick pre-BBC excursion (since we’d missed the other actual excursions because of the drive).

The Blind Lady was established in 2009 by former Stone Brewing brewmaster Lee Chase, and focuses not only on craft beer (of course) but also on craft pizza. They additionally house a small brewhouse, Automatic Brewing, releasing unique-small batch beers like the Golden Ticket I enjoyed this evening, a strong golden ale infused with vanilla and oak.

Gorgonzola and fig pizza with prosciutto added.

Apologies for the blurry photos! I have a brand-new phone and am still tweaking settings, particularly for low-light photos.

The Blind Lady has an impressive beer list and an eclectic style that includes unfinished wood, community tables, a wall of beer cans, and several walls in one half of the bar sport a collection of older(?) skateboards, all wooden from what I could tell. Oh, and a giant Hamms beer mural and other breweriana decorating the place. Kind of a retro, throwback skater-hipster vibe by my reckoning, with lots to look at.

Even though it’s only been around five years, the Blind Lady has cemented itself as one of San Diego’s iconic beer bars and it was impressively busy for a Thursday night. They even have a doorman who stamps your hand and explains how things work if you haven’t been before (you order at the bar, find whatever (communal) seating you can, etc.). Fortunately we were able to get in, order and find a seat without too much trouble or time.

One note, however, is that you might have trouble parking as there is no lot parking next door which means you’ll need to find street parking—so you could end up walking several blocks.

The pizza was really good as were the beers—I started with a Benchmark Table Beer and finished with the Automatic Golden Ticket. Service was quick, friendly, and helpful. I would recommend a visit—particularly to any fellow conference-goers who have time this weekend!

Blind Lady Ale House
3416 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
619-255-2491