Congratulations to Pizza Port and Jeff Bagby

Take that Colorado! B-Daddy here. I wanted to show off some hometown pride on a blog whose first name starts with beer. Jeff Bagby's Pizza Ports (of Solana Beach, Carlsbad and San Clemente) took home 9 medals from the Great American Beer Festival held in Denver over the weekend. Highlights of San Diego county's awesome performance can be found in the local fishwrap.

Our intrepid traveler and alleged vacationer from blogging, Dean, has some serious 'splainin to do. He was in the Denver area over the weekend and nary a peep about this extravaganza. Especially considering the fact that Dean was the one who took us to Pizza Port in the first place. B-Daddy especially enjoyed the double fermented Hefeweizen and was glad of having the youngsters available to drive home. Dean even bragged to me on the phone how he threw down on some hapless package store dude who had the temerity to try bragging about Colorado microbrews to our erstwhile blogger. That phone call was the first time I had heard the term hop-head used to describe IBU lovin' beer swillers, not that other thing.

Some highlights. Besides winning for various varieties of it's beers, Pizza Port won the "Large Brewpub of the Year." San Diego County is making a name for itself in brewing, as Dean has previously posted, winning 14 medals overall. That is more than all but three other states.

The county's gold medal winners, for you shopping or dining pleasure:

Breakwater Brewing, Oceanside: Raspberry Creek, fruit or field beer.

Lost Abbey, San Marcos: Carnevale, Belgian and French-style ale; and Duck Duck Gooze, Belgian-style lambic or sour ale.

Pizza Port Carlsbad: Beech Street Bitter, English-style India pale ale; Revelations, Belgian-style strong specialty beer; Cow Stout, sweet stout; and Reed's Wee Heavy, Scotch ale.

Pizza Port Solana Beach: Shark Attack, imperial red ale.

Rock Bottom, La Jolla: Longboard Brown, English-style brown ale.

Bottoms up San Diego.