Beth Demmon

Growing trend makes its way to San Diego with announcement of four more openings in the next year

Paganism. The Left Hand Path. The Right Hand Path. Wicca. The occult. It goes by many names, but whatever term is used, witchiness is en vogue right now. From Sephora selling beginner "Witch Kits" to Lana del Ray announcing that she tried to hex President Trump, this magical trend is part feminist empowerment movement, part goth aesthetic, and part commodified consumerism. But despite the trend, these often misunderstood practices have much deeper roots than mere fashion statements.

Frühlingsfest is Oktoberfest's spring festival, and Eppig Brewing is throwing the first one ever seen in San Diego.

Like beer, thrash metal can be an acquired taste. But when two giants of each genre combine forces and turn things up to 11, the end result tends to be a headbanging collaboration worth trying.
That’s the goal of Stone Brewing’s latest band-fused beer release with legendary power metal group Metallica. (Technically the brewery group is Arrogant Consortia, formerly known as Arrogant Brewing and a sub-brand of Stone, but let’s keep things simple.)
Enter Night Pilsner is a 5.7% ABV pilsner, a hi...

Celebrating women in craft beer can be a delicate dance. Breweries run the risk of seeming “too” girly (remember glitter beer?) or alternatively, not focusing enough on inclusivity to appeal to a growing (but still minority) demographic.
But every March 8 for International Women’s Day (IWD), breweries from across the country participate in a slew of women-centric beer events to promote the increasing roles of women in the industry. Two of the biggest movements include International Women’s Co...

San Diegans pride themselves on exemplifying the entrepreneurial spirit. The city’s startup culture excels in industries ranging from biotech to beer, making the region a hotspot for innovation and collaboration.
Sometimes those collaborations bring together unexpected partners. Most recently, it’s Stone Brewing and Homegrown Meats joining forces.
The local artisan beef jerky producer, co-founded by San Diego native Thad Benshoof with longtime ranchers the Mendenhall family, ...

San Diego’s a craft beer town, but that may be changing.
Boochcraft, a high ABV kombucha company, released its first products to the public in March 2016. In the time since, they went from brewing 1,000 barrels a year to just over 9,000 by the end of 2018. With their latest expansion into an 18,000-square-foot brewery in Chula Vista, Boochcraft is now poised to produce 70,000–80,000 barrels per year, according to Todd Kent, one of the co-founders and CEO.
“We made a big bet on the future. We’...

Bathrooms aren’t just for doing your business anymore. Sure, they’re a place to go #1, but they’re also great for pulling a #7 — or what we like to call “taking a break from my group for a minute to catch up on social media without seeming rude.” Restaurants and bars are starting to pay attention to the multipurpose appeal of washrooms and San Diego is no exception. When the urge strikes, here are 11 (in no particular order) of the funkiest, fanciest and altogether most fabulous facilities around town.

Profile of Shawn Walchef of Cali Comfort BBQ and Derek Marso of Valley Farm Market, the duo behind Behind the Smoke Media.