San Diego, CA
Sour power: Brewers embrace outlandishly herbaceous pickle-inspired beers
It’s early morning at Kearny Mesa’s Kilowatt Brewing. As usual, beermaking is underway, but head brewer Brian Crecely is multitasking, applying focus to a side project that has him adding a bucket of pickles – brine and all – to one of his brewery’s light-bodied beers. The resultant “Pickle Ale” offers flavors of dill, garlic, coriander, mustard seed, black peppercorns, bay leaf and sea salt, all against a mildly acidity backdrop. It may seem outlandish, but it’s right on trend.
Over the past two years, brewers across the U.S. have begun crafting such sour, saline creations. The primary inspiration is the success of Donna’s Pickle Beer, which debuted in 2023 and has been on a tear ever since.
“It’s no surprise that pickles have moved to the forefront of food and drink of late. There are pickle potato chips, slushies with pickle boba, pickle fries, pickle de gallo, pickle martinis, and, of course, pickle beer,” says Crecely. He jokes that he really “relished” the idea of making a pickle beer, also noting Kilowatt’s Pickle Ale makes a great base for micheladas.
When asked why cured cukes are suddenly enjoying a moment in the sun, he says he can’t quite put his finger on it. “Pickling has been around for thousands of years and was a necessary way to preserve food, but people are rediscovering some of these old processes and bringing them back into the mainstream. People have also been into bigger and bolder flavors lately. This may be part of that trend.”
Then there are people who simply harbor a deep affinity for pickles. Count Hayden and Kyndall Weir as part of that faction. Last year, when the married couple debuted Weir Beer Co. in south Vista, their opening-day lineup included a dill-flavored hard seltzer called “Tommy Pickles.”
“We have always loved pickles, and the idea of making a pickle beverage had been on my mind for years,” says Hayden. The head brewer for his eponymous operation, he flexed the freedom that comes with owning one’s own business and got straight to work on that long-contemplated project. In doing so, he eschewed the pickle-brine route, instead experimenting with dill and dill-pickle extracts, then requesting feedback from customers on several early iterations. The process worked. The Weirs say new customers come in asking for Tommy Pickles, while regulars return to enjoy the alcoholic anomaly.
“It’s more on the fresh dill and cucumber side, flavor-wise; something you can drink more than one of,” says Hayden. “We also keep a pitcher of pickle juice behind the bar for the real pickle-lovers who want to add a pickle-back to their pint, or as we say, ‘upgrade your pickle.’ Funnily enough, this has led to customers adding pickle juice to our other flavored seltzers and even a few of our beers.”
Last month, Weir Beer hosted a “pickle party” event, complete with a pickle-eating contest, pickle-brine water balloon toss, and specialty pickle pizzas from their mobile food vendor. It turned out to be one of the business’s largest ever events and will now be an annual tradition.
Modern craft beer is also trending in a direction suited for cocktail fans, with the advent of beverages mimicking the flavor profiles of island-style tipples. These fruity, oftentimes colorful offerings can be found in beer, seltzer and even slushie form. In fact, many breweries’ first attempts at recreating tropical poolside concoctions were beer- and seltzer-based slushies served as limited-edition or special-event beverages.
It’s only in recent years that brewers have taken the ice and granita machines out of the equation, bringing the entire process into the brewhouse to create products that can be packaged in kegs and cans. No local brewing company has embraced this trend with the vigor or prolificness of Scripps Ranch-based Harland Brewing.
“As much as our team loves drinking beer, we also love grabbing a nice cocktail off-the-clock, so we have tried to replicate cocktails into beers,” says Cody Morris, director of brewing operations. “We have been lucky to really strike a chord with a fanbase that likes these tropical-inspired beers, so we’ve been able to really lean into it.”
Pricier to produce, mostly due to the large amount of fruit that is utilized, Harland’s cocktail beers replicate summery drinks like the piña colada and painkiller, with the latter incorporating orange, pineapple, coconut, nutmeg and pandan syrup. They have even taken on the Blue Hawaiian, right down to its trademark azure hue. The result was a “super-fruited” sour ale made with pineapple, coconut cream and blue curaçao.
Like the Weirs, Harland has developed Aloha Friday events around their popular beverages. And like their Vista colleagues, they have also discovered what a great base hard seltzers can provide in this area. The company will soon have two canned cocktail seltzers in distribution: a take on a paloma made with grapefruit, lime, and agave, and a pineapple margarita concoction called “Matador.”
Such tiki inspiration isn’t limited to alcoholic beverage producers. The country’s largest producer of non-alcoholic beer, Miramar-based Athletic Brewing, is also getting in the mix, having recently introduced a cocktail-inspired non-alcoholic beer called “Tropical Reset.”
“Our challenge was to capture all the hallmarks of a piña colada in the form of a non-alcoholic sour brew,” says Cody Rice, director of brewing process improvement and R&D. “To replicate its signature mouthfeel, we used a heavy dose of wheat, oats and lactose. We also incorporated raw coconut, which adds texture, and luscious pineapple to keep the flavor fresh and vibrant. The result is a brew that doesn’t just nod to the classic cocktail – it delivers a full tropical experience in every sip.”
With the exception of the aforementioned Donna’s Pickle Beer, cans of which can be found at liquor store chains such as Total Wine & More and BevMo!, craft breweries’ pickle-inspired beverages typically fall under the small-batch specialty category. Unlike flagship IPAs and lagers, they are intended to be limited in availability and sold at brewery tasting rooms, where customers’ thirst for experimentation and profit margins are both greatest.
Ditto for cocktail-inspired beers, which help draw increased patronage due to their avant garde, special-edition status. Unlike pickle beers, which Crecely readily admits are “love it or hate it,” beers and hard seltzers emulating cocktails are largely embraced by the general public. This is particularly helpful in providing options or gateway products for consumers who say they don’t like beer or crave a non-beer option, such as wine or spirits.
Brandon Hernández is founder of San Diego Beer News (www.sandiegobeer.news), a site providing daily coverage of the county’s brewing industry, a beat he’s covered for 18 years. Follow him @sdbeernews or contact him at brandon@sandiegobeer.news
Originally Published:
San Diego, CA
Sir Mohamed Mansour brought a global movement to San Diego, and nearly won MLS Cup in Year 1
As Sir Mohamed Mansour was finalizing a deal with the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation to invest in San Diego FC in 2022, he reflected on their combined history. The Sycuan said they’d lived in the San Diego region for 12,000 years. Mansour looked to his own Egyptian culture’s 7,000-year existence.
“If we have 19,000 years of history we can’t lose,” said the 78-year-old.
When San Diego FC finally lost in the 2025 MLS Cup playoffs, it was in the Western Conference finals, capping the best debut season in the league’s history. Mansour spoke about the experience Thursday morning during the Business of Soccer conference at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“The first game, to me, meant everything. That night was a sleepless night because I’m very passionate about soccer,” he said.
Mansour would have settled for a respectable loss; they were playing defending MLS Cup champs L.A. Galaxy. But San Diego FC scored twice unanswered, winning the opener. And another sleepless night ensued.
Mansour discussed early life health issues, including being hit by a car when he was 10 years old, which left him bed-ridden for three years. He read American comic books and studied. His family’s wealth was confiscated by the Egyptian government during a 1965 revolution, and he later beat cancer as a 20-year-old while studying in the U.S.
Now the billionaire chairman of Mansour Group, an Egyptian conglomerate owned by his family, Mansour is also chairman of the Right To Dream Academy, which has made San Diego its fifth outpost. San Diego FC’s $150M Sharp HealthCare Performance Center includes residences and a school for Right To Dream participants in the club’s academy system. Mansour mentioned his plans to construct 100 pitches for underprivileged kids in San Diego.
“We are more than a football academy. We’re a global movement, built upon the belief that everyone has the right to dream,” said Mansour. “We’ve been rewriting the rules of talent development for over 20 years, guided by our core belief that excellence can be found anywhere.”
While creating hundreds of opportunities for children in underdeveloped countries, Right to Dream has generated tens of millions of euros in transfer fees for clubs within the network.
Mansour, who graduated from N.C. State in 1968 with an engineering degree and then earned a Masters’ from Auburn, differs from many MLS owners because he is a native soccer fan, he had extensive soccer business experience, and even an idea of how he’d like his team to play (possession-based).
Asked which he’d prefer — for Egypt to win the World Cup or San Diego FC to win MLS Cup — Mansour answered the United States (to win the World Cup) and San Diego FC to win MLS Cup.
“I tell you why. I’m a businessman too,” he said, grinning. “And if the US does well in this World Cup, soccer is going to grow.”
Rapid fire with Sir Mohamed Mansour
Comic book hero: Superman
Kryptonite: Worrying
Favorite athlete: Michael Jordan
Favorite soccer player: Mohamed Salah
Childhood hero: His father
The San Diego State Aztecs are bracing for some possible serious turnover this offseason and it’s not all going to be via the transfer portal.
Leading scorer Reese Dixon-Waters is out of eligibility, as are Jeremiah Oden and Sean Newman Jr. Newman can petition for another season based on his junior college years, but it’s anyone’s guess if he’d get it.
Obviously, San Diego State’s roster movement is far from complete and the transfer portal doesn’t even open until April 7, the day after the national championship game.
The Aztecs’ once-promising season ended when they were left out of the NCAA Tournament following their loss to Utah State in the Mountain West Tournament championship game.
There are some players we know will not be on the squad next season, which will be the Aztecs’ first in the new-look Pac-12:
Guard Reese Dixon-Waters
After missing all of the 2024-25 season with a broken foot, Dixon-Waters returned for his final season of eligibility and led the Aztecs in scoring at 13.1 points per game. He was a second-team All-Mountain West pick. He scored his 1,000th career point at UNLV on Jan. 24 and finished his career with 1,220 points.
Dixon-Waters played his first three seasons at USC before transferring to SDSU, where he started 23 of 37 games in 2023-24. He was a preseason All-Mountain West pick the next season before breaking a foot. He was so highly regarded that, despite missing all of last season, he was named to the preseason All-MW team in October.
One of his notable accomplishments was attempting more free throws (43) without a miss to start the 2023-24 season than any player in the country.
Forward Jeremiah Oden
Oden started 15 games and played in 30 of 33 games in his final season of eligibility after transferring from Charlotte, where he redshirted in 2024-25. He averaged 4.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 13.8 minutes.
Oden scored his 1,000th career point on Feb. 3 against Wyoming, where he played his first three college seasons. He finished his career with 1,024 points and 495 rebounds.
Oden didn’t play at all in a blowout home win against Utah State on Feb. 25, when Dutcher shortened his rotation from 11 to nine players. He had started the previous nine games.
Oden also played one season at DePaul.
Guard Sean Newman Jr.
The transfer from Louisiana Tech played in all 33 games and made four starts, including Senior Night in the regular-season finale against UNLV and all three games in the MW tournament, when freshman Elzie Harrington was out with an injury.
Newman averaged 3.3 points, 2.4 assists and 15.4 minutes.
Here is what you need to know in the March 25, 2026, Streamline newsletter:
This morning, we’re tracking San Diego Unified School District’s decision to rename Cesar Chavez Elementary School in the wake of serious allegations against the civil rights icon.
We’re also following the City of San Diego’s search for a new operator to reopen Tecolote Canyon Golf Course — and the neighbors pushing to safeguard and restore the surrounding natural space.
Plus, consumer reporter Marie Coronel shows why brand loyalty might be costing you more on your cell phone bill.
THE STREAMLINE
WATCH — ABC 10News brings you The Streamline for Wednesday, March 25 — everything you need to know in under 10 minutes:
The Streamline: Wednesday, March 25
TOP STORY
The San Diego Unified School District board voted Tuesday night to begin renaming Cesar Chavez Elementary School following allegations of sexual abuse against the labor leader.
The process will start with school leaders meeting with parents, teachers, students, and community members to select a new name.
While renaming a school typically takes several months, district officials said the timeline could be expedited in this case.
San Diego Unified usually limits itself to one school name change per year — in February, Clairemont High School’s mascot was changed from the Chieftains to the Captains.
However, board members said they would make an exception for this situation.
San Diego Unified initiates renaming process for Cesar Chavez Elementary over abuse allegations
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BREAKING OVERNIGHT
(AP) — Iran received a 15-point proposal from the U.S. to reach a ceasefire in the war, two Pakistani officials said Wednesday.
The Pakistani officials described the proposal broadly as touching on sanctions relief, civilian nuclear cooperation, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, missile limits and access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.
The Trump administration reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the U.S. appears to seek an end to the war even while more troops head to the Middle East.
The plan was submitted to Iran by intermediaries from the government of Pakistan, which has offered to host renewed negotiations between Washington and Tehran, a person briefed on the plan’s contours but who was not authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The U.S. military is preparing to deploy at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, according to three people with knowledge of the move who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.
Any talks between the U.S. and Iran would face monumental challenges. Many of Washington’s shifting objectives, particularly over Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs, remain difficult to achieve, and it is not clear who in Iran’s government has the authority or would be willing to negotiate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he has been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, but Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s Parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks and an Iranian military spokesperson declared that the fighting would go on.
Alluding to progress in talks, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Iran shared an oil- and gas-related “present,” a day after telling reporters that the Middle Eastern nation is eager for a deal to end the war.
Story by The Associated Press
CONSUMER
While loyalty is usually a good thing, it’s possible it could be costing you money when it comes to your cell phone bill.
WATCH — Consumer reporter Marie Coronel goes over the simple checks you can do right now to make sure you’re not overpaying:
Comparing cell phone plans to save money on your bill
WE FOLLOW THROUGH
The City of San Diego is seeking proposals from companies to lease and reopen the Tecolote Canyon Golf Course. While golfers welcome the move, some nearby residents argue it could harm the environment.
WATCH — Reporter Dani Miskell spoke to some neighbors about their expectations for whoever comes in to run the golf course:
Concerns grow over future of Tecolote Canyon Golf Course
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