Sake, cider, and organic beer coming to Miralani

"San Diego's firstst Organic Brewery" hopes to open by the end of the year. Founded by former Navy SEALs, including president Sean Haggerty, Protector Brewery is under application for a license to produce beer in a business park suite at 8680 Miralani Drive in Miramar. According to posts on the brewery's Facebook page, Protector has been under development for three years (for a time under the name Warrior Brewery) and will be working on a four-barrel brewhouse. It's also shared bottle label designs for four planned beers: an American wheat, pale ale, American strong ale, and triple hopped West Coast IPA.

Protector adds to a flurry of brewery activity on Miralani. 2Kids Brewing has been making beer in that same business park since 2013 and now look like pioneers to the boozy pocket developing there. Until recently, Pacific Brewing had also been in business in a neighboring suite. In July, West Coaster reported the two-year-old nano brewery had closed following dissolution of the partnership between brewers Andrew Heino and Chris Chalmers.

However, Heino has kept Pacific Brewing's location, and has begun the application process to start a new brewing entity there. He has yet to announce the name of the project but says he'll be brewing on a larger system that will ultimately allow him to produce a greater variety of beers. Heino estimates the new brewery will launch once all its licensing has been processed, most likely early next year.

Elsewhere within the same business park, Setting Sun Sake held its grand opening on August 13. The sake brewery is the work of beer industry vets Josh Hembree and Keldon Warwick Premuda, and they bring craft beer sensibility to the creative process, including dry-hopping and barrel-aging. While they keep their day jobs at other breweries, Setting Sun will be open limited hours — Friday nights and Saturdays.

Meanwhile, across the street at 8675 Miralani, the duo behind Thunderhawk Alements have license in hand and have started brewing beer. Working on a one-barrel eclectic brewing system, Brewers Bill Lindsay and Jonathan Barbarin are readying between 6 and 8 beers for a soft opening sometime in September, including a small beer garden.

Sharing a business park with Thunderhawk is a new cidery. Serpentine Cider currently awaits permits, and Sean Harris refining his 30 different cider recipes, hoping to launch as soon as November with 8 to 10 offerings. Using pressed apples sourced from the Pacific Northwest, Harris will serve dry ciders and anticipates incorporating hops, fruits, peppers, spices, and barrel-aging process. Since cideries operate on a winemaker's license, Serpentine will be able to prepare and serve food, as well as offer guest taps of beer.