Death Row favors Second Chance

Second Chance Beer Company has always had an affinity for dogs, with a portion of all brewery sales benefitting dog shelters in San Diego and Arizona. As Virginia Morrison, CEO of Second Chance, explains, “We have had a long-standing relationship with Second Chance Dog Rescue. A dog adoption and fundraiser with SCDR was the second event we ever hosted at the brewery. The Animal Pad (TAP), while a newer partner, has been amazing to work with — and that acronym resonates with us.”

However, Second Chance’s latest collaboration sees the brewery joining forces with a different breed of dog: Death Row Records, and its new owner Snoop Dogg. “As someone who grew up loving, listening, and dancing to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, this is a dream come true for me as CEO of Second Chance Beer Company,” enthuses Morrison. “It’s even more meaningful, because I believe passionately that craft beer can and should be more inclusive, and the Death Row Records 30th Anniversary beer reaches fans historically excluded from the industry.”

Second Chance was selected as the exclusive California brewer of Death Row West Coast IPA, a 7% ABV concoction which features a malty honey nut flavor up front and finishes with a hoppy bitterness and lingering notes of pine and grapefruit. The recipe, which uses only the bare basics (malt, yeast, water, and hops) was developed by Edgar Preciado of Beer Thug Life and Daniel Phoenix of Hip Hop Craft. Morrison explains that the collaboration with Phoenix and Preciado came about due to a mutual friend, David Favela of Border X Brewing. When asked for a referral to help brew Death Row, Favela recommended Second Chance, and although this would be the brewery’s first attempt at contract brewing, Morrison jumped at the opportunity.

Preciado gained prominence as a beer influencer by chugging craft beer on Instagram before eventually being invited to collaborate with breweries, while Phoenix is a former hip-hop manager who began creating content that melded the worlds of craft beer and hip hop before joining forces with Preciado. The two have since collaborated on a variety of beers that further forge a connection between hip-hop and craft beer by providing purchasers of their beer with links to free music. In addition to developing the Death Row West Coast IPA, Preciado and Phoenix, under their Beer Tape moniker, helped design the packaging, which includes a scannable QR code that accesses exclusive downloadable content and music related to the legendary hip-hop label.

Death Row West Coast IPA is available at Second Chance’s Carmel Mountain and North Park locations, with plans for wider retail availability in the works. A release party was originally planned for August 7 at the Carmel Mountain location, but demand has been so great that the party is being postponed until September to give the brewery time to brew enough beer for the event.