Expertise: food & drink (especially beer & cider) and travel. Bylines: Washington Post, National Geographic, Food & Wine, Condé Nast Traveler, Saveur, Playboy, Bon Appétit, Civil Eats, Good Beer Hunting, San Diego Magazine & more
Deck the Food Halls
Growing trend makes its way to San Diego with announcement of four more openings in the next year
Stay witchy, San Diego
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.
Museum of Beer promises to be a “Welcome Center” for beer tourism
San Diego has long battled for craft beer supremacy against cities like Portland and Denver. But America’s Finest City is about to add another notch to its belt in its quest to bear the undisputed title “Capital of Craft” by adding a forthcoming Museum of Beer.
The Museum’s name is a bit misleading, as it will solely focus on the San Diego beer scene. But it’s an ambitious project nonetheless, tentatively slated to open sometime in 2020 and somewhere in the East Village neighborhood. (Concret...
Eppig Brewing set for a Bavarian bacchanal
Frühlingsfest is Oktoberfest's spring festival, and Eppig Brewing is throwing the first one ever seen in San Diego.
Drink ‘em all: Stone Brewing rocks a new collaboration with Metallica
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...
We can brew it!
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...
Art meets ales at Coronado Brewing Company
Beer can art is the single fastest way to turn a beer browser into a beer buyer. Over the past few years, digital and hand-drawn illustrations, as well as typography, have been the de facto design choices for breweries looking to make their labels stand out.
But Coronado Brewing Company is trying something new — turning to fan-submitted photography for their ART SERIES of quarterly can releases.
“Cosmic Ocean” was 2019’s first ART SERIES release from Coronado. The 7% ABV Brut IPA debuted in F...
Stone collaborates with local beef jerky company Homegrown
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, ...
Boochcraft celebrates three years by expanding, launching two new flavors
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’...
Style à la (com)mode
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.
Looking 'Behind the Smoke'
Profile of Shawn Walchef of Cali Comfort BBQ and Derek Marso of Valley Farm Market, the duo behind Behind the Smoke Media.