San Diego Stories: Coronado Brewing Company

Located within walking distance of my hotel, the Coronado Marriot, on the peninsula of Coronado across San Diego Bay from the city proper is the Coronado Brewing Company.  As I walked down the street this charming restaurant caught my eye and I decided to take a gander at its menu before I made my choice of where to eat on my first day in southern California.  A glimpse at the menu was not necessary; however, as the restaurant has posted a sign on their host desk detailing that a $10 gratuity charge would be added to the bill of any rude or obnoxious customers.  I immediately knew that this was the laid back place I wanted to spend my evening.  The smile on my face continued to grow as I was ushered by the fireplaces that gave off just enough heat to take away the chill from the evening breeze that crept through the open windows, allowing one to be warm and comfortable but still enjoy the fresh air and scent of flowers from the gardens outside.  As any brewing company should, the Coronado has a couple of nice flat screen TVs mounted on their walls, but instead of playing the regular old sport mélange I’m used to they had a hockey game on, which piqued my interest more than any dribbled orange ball could ever hope to. 

The menu at the Coronado Brewing Company is full of the expected pub food with the addition of some Mexican dishes and freshly made pizzas.  They have a full selection of beer, ranging from your pale ale to a robust oatmeal stout.  I choose the French onion soup, my general soup of choice when available, and some artichoke spinach dip for starters.  My mother and I then split a BBQ chicken pizza to complete our meal.  To quench my thirst I paired my meal with the brewing company’s own Red Mermaid Ale and my mother chose, as is her want, their Elizabeth Stout. 

Most unfortunately for the Coronado Brewing Company their Red Mermaid Ale was just not up to snuff.  I found the body of the beer to be all too light; I would go as far as to say watery.  I was also distressed to find that the carbonation disappeared all too rapidly, leaving my brew flat and dull.  The restaurant’s French onion soup was watery as well, “was this going to be trend?” I thought to myself with dread.  The soup tasted as if they had used chicken stock instead of beef, an unforgivable flaw and flagrant abuse of the culinary world.    The artichoke spinach dip did raise the level of the meal slightly, possessing quite a fine flavor; however, I cannot say with certainty that it had not been frozen and then warmed up as opposed to mixed fresh.  I was hoping for more when the pizza arrived, but was instantly disappointed as I could see that not all of the mozzarella was completely melted.  It was evident there were several strands of shredded cheese that had not garnered enough heat to meld into what should have been a delicious dairy sea.  The BBQ sauce on the chicken was also lacking, in both spice and body; I would go so far as to say it was a watery BBQ sauce, keeping with my theme from earlier in the meal.  The Brew House’s one redeeming quality came when my mother decided she could not finish her pint of beer and passed it over to me.  Though we had been through the entire meal, the head on the stout still had a thin layer of deliciously tan colored foam.  The beer had a full and round body that had some hints of both chocolate and wood smoke.  All-together a very pleasing brew.

And so follows my recommendation to all of you who find yourselves near the Coronado Brewing Company in San Diego.  Park yourself at the bar, enjoy the calm atmosphere, order whatever stout they have on the menu, and take in some hockey.  Stay away from the food and the rest of the beers on their list and you should have a very pleasant experience.