I Like Beer the Podcast

The I Like Beer crew is celebrating seven years of beer, stories, field trips, and plenty of strange Toast, Roast, and Pour One Out moments.

Jeff and Jeff are joined by founding member and sound guy Tom for a look back at the early days of the podcast, from backyard recordings and first brewery visits to the friendships, stories, and local beer community that helped shape the show.

Then Esthela Davila returns for a summer 2026 Capital of Craft Check-In, talking about the current state of San Diego beer, new breweries in the works, regional highlights, San Diego Beer Week, Battle of the Guilds, and why the local craft beer scene is still in a strong place.

Plus, the crew cracks into regional San Diego Beer News Awards beers, talks summer drinking, Fieldwork, Stone, Chula Vista breweries, North County growth, and why there is always another local beer story worth sharing.

Cheers to seven years, and cheers to San Diego beer. 🍻

Paul Segura returns to the I Like Beer podcast for part two. This episode continues the conversation with the longtime Karl Strauss brewmaster, getting into classic Karl Strauss beers, San Diego beer history, old favorites like Endless Summer Light and Pintail Pale, and the memories that still make those beers stand out.

Paul also shares more from his journey in beer, his perspective on the San Diego brewing community, and one of his favorite moments from a career spent helping shape #sdbeer.

Watch the full episode now and subscribe for more beer stories, brewery conversations, and Capital of Craft check-ins.

This week, I Like Beer hits the road for a field trip to Inzane Brewing in downtown Vista.

The guys talk about nearly seven years of the podcast, the stories, breweries, and friendships that have shaped the show, and why supporting local beer has become such a big part of what they do.

Then they sit down with Mike from Inzane Brewing to talk about turning the brewery into a true community hub, with great beer, comedy nights, line dancing, salsa nights, and a whole lot of downtown Vista energy.

Full episode out now on YouTube and your preferred podcast platform.

This week on I Like Beer, the podcast welcomes Paul Segura, Brewmaster at Karl Strauss, alongside San Diego Brewers Guild President Esthela Davila.

Paul shares stories from the early days of San Diego craft beer, including his homebrewing roots, his time at Hops and Hang Ten, and the path that eventually led him to Karl Strauss. The conversation also gets into beer judging, World Beer Cup medals, collaboration across the local beer scene, and why San Diego continues to stand out as one of the most respected beer communities in the world.

It’s a great conversation with one of the people who helped shape San Diego beer into what it is today.

Check it out!

The guys recap their Denver beer trip, including Coors, Prost, Bierstadt Lagerhaus, Left Hand, and a few memorable side quests.

Then Tori Bleher joins the show to talk about Burgeon’s origin story, their commitment to community and sustainability since 2016, their growing list of collaborations and partnerships, and how they keep releasing so many fresh beers without losing their identity.

The episode also covers Burgeon’s Pink Boots collaboration, The Audacity, their Carlsbad Firefighters Association beer, Stay Stoked, and the rotating Adventure Series IPA, Mountain Mode.

Plus, Tori takes on the ILB lightning round!

Barley and Sword Brewing has officially made its way to North County.

In this episode of I Like Beer, the crew sits down with Mike Howell of Barley and Sword and Esthela Davila to talk about the new Escondido tavern, old-world beer styles, cask ale, and the stories behind the beers.

Mike shares the origin of Barley and Sword, from Viking-age living history and Dungeons & Dragons to traditional brewing, European beer styles, and the challenge of creating a true tavern experience in San Diego.

The crew also talks about their recent Denver beer adventures, including Coors, Left Hand, and a bittersweet stop at Casa Agria before its closure.

Plus, Esthela takes on the ILB lightning round.

Pour yourself a beer, pull up a bar stool, and join us.

Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Visit ilikebeerthepodcast.com.

We crack open the Rauchbier brewed with Blue Fire Brewing, talk about the kinds of breweries and taprooms that keep people coming back, and get into what makes San Diego beer culture feel more like a community than an industry.

Brandon joins us once again to share more of his own journey into craft beer and beer writing, plus his thoughts on why passionate people are still opening breweries, building taprooms, and creating places that feel like home.

Plus, we hit Toast, Roast & Pour One Out, then put Brandon through the I Like Beer lightning round for one of the most revealing segments yet. It’s beer, media, community, and a little chaos.

Exactly how it should be.

In this episode of I Like Beer, we break in the new studio bar, crack open a few local beers, and welcome Brandon Hernández of San Diego Beer News.

We talk about the upcoming San Diego Beer News Awards, what makes the event special, new categories for this year, and the people helping shape San Diego’s beer community. Along the way, we get into everything from great beer writing and local brewery culture to some truly strange beer-related headlines.

Then we take the show on the road for a field trip to Inzane Brewing in Downtown Vista, one of our longtime favorite spots, to share a look at the beer, the atmosphere, and why this place keeps us coming back.

It’s beer, community, field trips, and San Diego stories, exactly the way we like it.

It’s another round of great beer, good company, and stories that only happen when the mics are on. This episode of I Like Beer covers everything from new brewery openings and dependable “safe beers” to community, collaboration, and the culture that makes San Diego craft beer special.

And thanks again to Esthela, President of the San Diego Brewers Guild, for joining us on the Capital of Craft segment.

Plus: Toasts, roasts, a questionable quicksand warning, and a competitive round of Beer or Not a Beer.

Pull up a barstool and join us.

This episode is a full-on 2025 Untappd Year-in-Review with Jeff, Jeff, and Doc: unique beer counts, top styles, favorite venues, and the bottles/pours that defined the year.

Spoiler: when you combine the totals… it’s basically 110 gallons of “research.”

We also bring on San Diego Brewers Guild President Esthela Davila for our new ILB x Capital of Craft segment to talk all things #sdbeer.