Ballast Point / Kelsey McNair / Stone San Diego County Session Ale

When I first tasted Kelsey McNair’s homebrew at our 2010 AHA (American Homebrewers Association) Rally, it really knocked my socks off. Citrusy, spicy, piney. Bitter. Complex. And Kelsey was able to carry all these intense hop flavors in a session beer! Now that’s the work of a skilled brewer.

This is the first beer in the two years of our collaboration series to feature San Diego brewers exclusively. It’s a true San Diego County beer. Our team here at Stone was excited to brew this one—we had been talking about brewing a golden session ale for a long time. And to bring Colby Chandler on board from Ballast Point made the project extra special, as his Even Keel was the inspiration for Kelsey, and Ballast Point is one of our favorite San Diego breweries.

We used lots of hops. Lots. The dry hop alone was over 200 pounds per brew, and consisted of a great blend of some of our favorites, like Centennial, Amarillo, Simcoe and Citra.

When you taste this beer, please give thanks, like I will, to Kelsey McNair for first brewing this great recipe; to Colby Chandler for providing Kelsey’s inspiration; to the Stone Brew Crew who brewed, fermented and packaged it; and to all of Team Stone, who work so hard to get these collaborations to you. 

Mitch Steele, Head Brewer
Stone Brewing Co.