Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.
Gage Forster
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
Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com
SANDY, Utah — SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.
Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.
RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.
San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.
Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.
Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.
Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.
Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.
Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.
Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.
Ferree finished with five saves.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer
When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”
It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says.
The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.
Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.
Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.
Eric Wolfinger
“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments.
Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.
The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.
Kimberly Motos
About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”
Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.
Gage Forster
Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.
“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”
Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.
Authors
Little Debbie is officially expanding its doughnut range.
On April 14, the brand announced a new sweet snack: Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. The company says there was “massive consumer demand” for the original Big Pack Old Fashioned Donuts, which quickly became a top seller. Now, they’re just giving the people what they want.
The new snack is a chocolate old-fashioned cake doughnut finished with a sweet glaze and is launching in two formats:
- The Big Pack Carton: This box contains six doughnuts in a retro-inspired package that reflects the brand’s heritage.
- Single-serve doughnuts: There are also 3-ounce, individually wrapped Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts, which the brand suggests pairing with a morning coffee or eating on a midday break.
The original, which includes six individually wrapped cake-style doughnuts with a vanilla glaze, first hit stores in June 2025 and, according to the brand, has been “consistently selling out.”
“We saw an incredible response to the Old Fashioned Donut we introduced last year,” said Scott Brownlow, Little Debbie’s brand manager, in a press release. We’re doubling down on what works and giving both loyalists and new fans an irresistible reason to head back to the store.”
Little Debbie’s Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts are rolling out now to major retailers, grocery stores and convenience stores nationwide. As with the original Old Fashioned Donut, they become a permanent addition to the brand’s snack lineup.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
-
New Hampshire8 seconds ago‘Not cosmetic’: NH lawmaker wants state to cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss – Concord Monitor
-
New Jersey6 minutes agoThe Maple House Is Planning To Open In Two Locations In New Jersey This Year
-
New Mexico12 minutes agoASU baseball to host New Mexico State, Baylor
-
North Carolina18 minutes agoThree Underrated UNC Football Seniors To Watch in 2026
-
North Dakota24 minutes agoFinley, North Dakota without water after watermain leak.
-
Ohio30 minutes agoBonnie Sue Reed-Tilton-Hetzel, East Liverpool, Ohio
-
Oklahoma36 minutes agoIowa State wrestling adds Brayden Thompson from transfer portal
-
Oregon42 minutes agoOregon Ducks Recruiting Target Darius Johnson Announces Finalists