San Diego’s craft beer scene is all about collaboration. Earlier this week, eight local craft brewers put that teamwork to the test by creating the 2021 Capital of Craft IPA, an annual offering that aims to showcase the best of the beer community.
The mission: Gather eight San Diego Brewers Guild (SDBG) member breweries in one place – Societe Brewing Company – for a day of crafty concoction.
The goal: Create the guild’s 5th iteration of the Capital of Craft IPA, a limited release IPA that’ll debut at the start of 2021 San Diego Beer Week on Nov. 5.
This year, the collaborating breweries were:
- Ballast Point Brewing Company
- Booze Bros. Brewing Co.
- Craft Coast
- Eppig Brewing Co.
- Latchkey Brewing Company
- Puesto Cervecería
- Rouleur Brewing Co.
- Societe Brewing Company
A rep for SDBG said the County Malt Group provided the malted barley for the brew, while Mobile West Canning Group helped with the canning process. Mother Sponge is behind the brew’s art design.
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And with all those puzzle pieces in the mix, the collab was born once more. The “Capital of Craft” name of the beer is, of course, a reference to the nickname given to San Diego by the guild to highlight the region’s longtime, robust brewing culture.
The eight breweries that contributed to the 2021 Capital of Craft IPA are among the 150+ member breweries that make up the SDBG.
The guild has been around since 1997, allied with brewers, tradespeople and others supporting the production, distribution and enjoyment of craft beer in San Diego.
The organization works to promote craft beer tourism and the economic impact of the craft beer industry in the region and an ongoing mission to support small, independent San Diego breweries and the culture they have built in America’s Finest City, together.
San Diego Beer Week, which runs from Nov. 5 through Nov. 14 this year, is the annual, countywide celebration of all things craft beer. The event usually includes new beer releases, tastings, and other happenings across the county.
Like all industries, the craft beer scene is still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Canning has proved to be a lifeline for many local breweries, as well as continued support from the guild and peers.
Last year, on our Scene in San Diego podcast, SDBG’s Paige McWey Acers joined the conversation to talk about some of the pandemic-era challenges facing the industry and how brewers were working hard to survive the moment.
You can listen to her episode here.
In early 2021, Societe Brewing Company co-founder Doug Constantiner also joined our Scene in San Diego podcast to talk about how he and his crew had been running the brewing during the pandemic and how pivotal canning – something Societe had resisted doing for years – became important to business during these tumultuous times. You can listen to his episode here or below:
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