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:
National City’s Pepper Park can soon expand in size by nearly 50%, thanks to a ruling this week by the California Coastal Commission to approve the National City Balanced Plan.
The approval of the plan at the CCC’s Wednesday meeting, developed by the Port of San Diego, means that not only will the popular park have the ability to increase in size, big changes are coming for commercial, recreation and maritime uses on the National City bayfront.
“We are grateful to the California Coastal Commission for its support of the National City Balanced Plan,” said Danielle Moore, chair of the Board of Port Commissioners. “The progress we have made has been anchored in tireless collaboration with the community, business leaders and, of course, the city of National City. It’s about bringing more recreational opportunities to the bayfront while also streamlining and strengthening maritime operations, and we are eager to bring these projects to life.”
Other components of the balanced plan include:
- Realigning Marina Way to serve as the buffer area between commercial recreation and maritime uses
- The closure of Tidelands Avenue between Bay Marina Drive and West 32nd Street, and West 28th Street between Tidelands Avenue and Quay Avenue, around six acres, to increase terminal efficiency by eliminating redundancies
- The development of a recreational vehicle park, tent sites, cabins and the “ultimate development of up to two hotels with up to 365 rooms, as well as dry boat storage,” a port statement read
- A connector rail project to connect the existing rail and loop track located on the National City Marine Terminal to additional rail car storage spots at the existing Burlington Northern Santa Fe National City Yard east of the National Distribution Center
The Board of Port Commissioners must accept the CCC’s certification, then the port and city can begin the process of completing the above projects.
“I am proud of the work we have done to help create a lasting legacy for National City, the Port of San Diego, and the entire region,” said Port Commissioner GilAnthony Ungab. “Nearly a decade in the making, this plan balances the interests of the community and many other stakeholders, addresses public access, maritime, and recreation uses, and expands waterfront access in my community.”
The National City Bayfront is 273 acres of waterfront land and 167 acres of water, and includes the National City Marine Terminal, Pepper Park, Pier 32 Marina, the Aquatic Center and pieces of public art.
Mayor Todd Gloria announced an initiative Wednesday intended to expand housing options in neighborhoods by integrating small-scale residences such as townhomes, rowhomes and cottages into an area’s existing character.
The Neighborhood Homes for All of Us initiative is also intended to support community land trusts — nonprofit organizations that acquire land to create permanent affordable housing.
“Since Day 1 of my administration, I have been focused on building more homes that San Diegans can actually afford — and getting them built faster,” Gloria said at a news conference Wednesday. “‘Neighborhood Homes for All of Us’ is the latest piece of that puzzle. This innovative program will break down the barriers that have gotten in the way of building the type of housing that I believe is ideal for young families and first-time homebuyers for whom the dream of homeownership has long felt out of reach.”
Around 80% of land zoned for housing in the city is restricted to single-family homes, which continue to increase in price, Gloria said. And a significant portion of new housing being built consists of apartment buildings with primarily studio and one-bedroom units, leaving working-class families fewer and fewer options for homes.
Neighborhood Homes for All of Us is intended to increase the housing supply and allow community land trusts to keep housing affordable in disadvantaged communities for low- to middle-income families.
“San Diego is an incredible place to raise a family, and more families need the opportunity to do that in San Diego’s existing, highly desirable single-family neighborhoods where their kids can learn and play in a great community,” City Planning Director Heidi Vonblum said. “But today, that comes at a price that is out of reach for too many. Integrating more options for families requires careful and thoughtful planning, with input from existing and future community members across the city, to ensure these new home opportunities for San Diego’s families are built in ways that best enhance and benefit San Diego’s amazing neighborhoods.”
The initiative will roll out in two phases. In the first phase, beginning this week and continuing through next summer, San Diegans can help determine what the neighborhoods can look like. The public will be able to see renderings showing small-scale neighborhood homes within San Diego’s existing communities, along with new regulations that “provide a clear pathway for building these homes,” according to a statement from Gloria’s office.
Phase 1 will also include an open house and ways for the community to provide feedback and concerns.
Phase 2, scheduled for the second half of 2026, will be for city staff to develop regulations allowing for the building of more neighborhood homes in a way informed by the public feedback.
The initiative is partly funded through a Regional Early Action Planning grant from the San Diego Association of Governments.
The first of five affordable housing projects for San Diego Unified School District teachers was approved on Wednesday night.
The school board voted unanimously in favor of working with the developer who bid on the project at the Instructional Media Center on Cardinal Lane. The Affordable Workhouse Housing project promises 100% affordability, with 108 one-, two- and three-bedroom units, and some surface lot parking.
“It’s a practical solution to a very real problem, and it sends a message that we are committed to stability, not just for employees but for the students,” one speaker said.
Board members say the project will be fully funded by the developer, DECRO Corporation based in Culver City, and that the estimated annual rent revenue is $125,000 dollars. It is expected to increase 2.5% each year.
Some in the neighborhood are concerned.
“We are one way in and one way out. We are built in a canyon,” neighbor Callie Grear said.
“Parking here is horrible,” neighbor Paul Grear said. “Everybody is parking in front of our street. I can’t even park in front of my house.”
“The safety of our neighborhood is in jeopardy with this plan,” neighbor Patricia Torres said. “We are already overcrowded. We are asking this board to reconsider building on this site.”
Despite the pushback, board members unanimously voted in favor of moving forward with the developer on this project. Unless exempt, it will first undergo city scrutiny. There are still four other locations still on which SDUSD wants to build.
A vote for housing on those other four properties has been postponed until January so that the school board can hold a workshop and appropriately question the developers that are bidding on those projects.
In all five projects, San Diego Unified hopes to build 555 units in the next 10 years.
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