International operation, SouthNorte Brewing, is changing lives through beer with its Dos Californias Brewsters initiative. Founded in 2018 in conjunction with the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, the program brings together female brewers and beer industry members from San Diego and Tijuana to brew collaboration beers. Those beers, in turn, raise money that later funds scholarships for women to attend the Institute of Technology in Tijuana. This year’s fundraising beer—a hoppy pale ale brewed in Tijuana with donated ingredients from Yakima Chief Hops and White Labs—earned enough to provide eight students with scholarships. Planning for the next DCB collaboration beer will begin in early 2020.
The week before last, newly installed Mediterranean concept, South Park Kitchen, debuted inside South Park Brewing. Operated by Angela Catania and Lorenzo Romagnoli, the brewery’s new in-house food partners present a menu featuring salads and composed appetizers (smoked sausages, pork belly sliders, steamed mussels, cured meat and cheese board). A variety of choose-your-protein skewers and stews make up the main-dish options. This concept is the third in-house food partnership for South Park Brewing, which originally opened with a seafood concept that included a to-go fish counter.
Last month, we reported that Embarcadero Brewing, National City’s only craft brewery (though Hannegan’s House Beer Co. is coming to the southerly municipality) had closed its tasting room to focus on production. It turns out that change will be long-term, as the draft system has been removed from the facility following the building being sold and rent being increased. Those factors have ownership actively searching for a new place to call home. This is the second case of rising rent impacting a brewing business, following 2kids Brewing‘s announcement that they will soon close in Miramar.