The heart, and chicken parm, of Sister’s Pizza
A beloved sibling memorialized at Hillcrest eatery
Ian Anderson 11 a.m., Dec. 9
Booze News
Who are Kings & Convicts Brewing, and what are their plans for Ballast Point?
A look at the surprising new players in local beer, and a reaction from the San Diego Brewers Guild
How did a suburban Chicago nanobrewery wind up buying San Diego’s famous billion dollar craft beer icon? That’s the question that crashed the website of Kings & Convicts Brewing when news broke Tuesday the little ...
Novo Brazil is huge in Otay Ranch
Beer, seltzer, and kombucha flow at Chula brewer's new brewpub
Already the county’s southeasternmost brewery, Novo Brazil Brewing has opened a second location somehow even farther southeast. And it’s not small. The roughly 14-thousand-square-foot brewery and restaurant occupies a corner spot at the upscale Otay ...
Calico Cidery returns with organic natural ciders, and a barn
Julian ranch concocts booze from its own apple, pear, and quince orchards
For several years, the opportunity to sit in a barn drinking hard cider made from locally grown apples has been a charming draw to the little mountain town of Julian. When Julian Ciderworks abruptly announced ...
Harland Brewing brings familiar faces back to San Diego Beer
Saint Archer team returns with two new taprooms and a distribution company
A little over a year ago, a new San Diego-focused alcohol distributor announced its launch. Scout Distribution boasted a small portfolio of known and emerging local brands including Abnormal Beer, Bivouac Cider, and Juneshine hard ...
The character driven wines of Charlie & Echo
From sparkling naturals to wet hopped whites, sour reds, and hard spritzers
San Diego’s larger-than-you-think wine industry has emerged from the shadow of craft beer, and it’s primarily thanks to a growing national reputation among fans of natural wines. Among the local wine labels getting notice is ...
Belgian Beer and Waffles (and fries)
Sweet, savory, vegan, gluten-free, and twice fried
As I approach what used to be a Starbucks on University Avenue, a corner unit of the historic North Park Theatre building, a sign written in large letters announces a welcome change: it’s now a ...
Kilowatt brews quirky tiki cocktails for Forbidden Cove
Undistilled spirits fuel a glowing Kearny Mesa speakeasy
To access Forbidden Cove, you’ll need a carved wooden idol that unlocks a secret doorway leading into a narrow hallway where your own mirror reflection echoes before and behind you into infinity. It’s a simple ...
Meadiocrity Mead's honeycomb hideout
Beekeeping mead makers now serving in San Marcos
Slowly but surely, San Diego’s mead industry is growing. The latest example: Meadiocrity Mead, a brand that, now a little over three years since contract brewing its first mead, has finally opened its own meadery ...
San Diego drinking without IPAs
Porters, lagers, pilsners, bocks, ales, bitters, grisettes, sours, ciders, meads, natural wine, kombuchas, beerwhiskey, upcycled vodka, sakes, San Diego gin
Nobody’s knocking IPAs. The hoppy pale ale style that built San Diego’s beer reputation is alive and well. We have hundreds to choose from every single day. We are spoiled with IPA options. But sometimes, ...
Eppig Brewing grows up, moves to North County
The popular North Park brewer got its own place in Vista
Three years almost to the day after brewing its first beer in North Park, Eppig Brewing officially became a North County brewery this month, producing the first batch at its new brewhouse and headquarters in ...
Jason Mraz and the million dollar cup of coffee
This is only the beginning for San Diego-grown coffee beans
As promised in March, premium San Diego-grown coffee beans were served for the first time by Bird Rock Coffee Roasters last weekend. The surprise is whose farm grew them: two-time Grammy-winning local musician Jason Mraz. ...
California Spirits pivots into packaging
San Marcos distillery out, Poway bottling and canning plant in
Over the past couple of years, when I’ve asked local spirit startups where they produce their alcohol, I’ve quite often been met with the same answer: San Marcos. Specifically, at the small batch distillery home ...
Pure Project's environmental approach to beer
New packaging solutions extend the brand's plastic-free lifestyle
Since Pure Project launched in early 2016, a significant part of its impact on local craft beer has been seen in its canned special release beers. Fans routinely line up for these limited batch releases, ...
Fruitcraft makes just about everything but beer
The fruit wine specialist now ferments grapes, apples, honey, and teas
When Fruitcraft Fermentery and Distillery dropped anchor in Hillcrest two years ago, it primarily carried on the work of its original brand iteration, California Fruit Wine. That is, it fermented wine from virtually every type ...
Revolt Wine Co. targets a different kind of wine drinker
The keg-only local wine label wants its wine where there’s live music
No adult beverage is more closely tied to a sense of geography than wine. Names of wine growing regions are used as shorthand for quality, attributed to an appellation’s terroir. In other words, the flavor ...
