Welcome back! The holidays are technically over, but I continue to find myself in the mood for hot chocolate enhanced with a dash of Peppermint Schnapps. I’m not one to deny the holiday spirit. So I filled my mug, tucked myself under a plush blanket, and started the scroll, hoping to catch up on the local San Diego beverage news, tidbits, and events.
— “Dry January,” an annual effort for some to abstain from alcohol — a detoxing of the overindulgence of the holidays. In 2012, a newspaper columnist in Seattle, Nicole Brodeur, documented her Dry January efforts drawing attention to individuals who temporarily abstained from alcohol.
Dry January, as we know it today, was launched as a campaign by Alcohol Change UK* to create awareness about the impacts of alcohol. A 2021 study from Morning Consult purports that about 13% of Americans participated in Dry January.
The increased attention on alcohol-free months like Dry January or Sober October has also inspired a new generation of non-alcoholic beverages. According to GMI Insights, the non-alcoholic beer market generated $22 billion worldwide in 2022. As reported by CNBC, local NA brewer Athletic Brewing Company (ABC) is a leader in the market, with 55% of the domestic NA market. In addition, ABC recently received a $50 million investment from Keurig/Dr. Pepper.
— Burgeon Beer collaborates with local restaurants and resorts to develop exclusive offerings, including a new blonde ale called Destination Paradise for the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad. The beer is available at the resort and all Burgeon locations on draft, as well as 16oz cans designed to feature the resort’s fountains, birds of paradise, palm trees, and historic bell.
This weekend on Jan. 14, is Burgeon’s Sixth Anniversary Invitational beer fest. The brewery is turning its Burgeon Greenhouse event space into a vintage arcade! If you couldn’t get tickets, Burgeon’s anniversary beers, American Gold Premium Lager and Subliminal Sync IPA, will be available in cans and on draft at all locations on January 15th.
— San Marcos is home to the newest big-box beverage shop, Total Wine, at 561 Grand Avenue.
— I stumbled on this article by Alexnder Nguyen of KPBS with freelance contributor Melissa Mae about using reclaimed water from an unusual source — the air conditioning units at the San Diego International Airport — to brew beer at East Village Brewing Company. Check out this video from the airport featuring East Village brewing co-owner Aaron Justus describing the process the water goes through before being turned into delicious beer.
— Wild Barrel Brewing is hosting Beer & Donuts on Jan. 28. The tasting event features donuts from Escondido’s Peterson’s Donut Corner paired with 10 of Wild Barrel’s specialty beers. The event is free to attend. More importantly, the donuts are free with beer purchases.
— In January, the Vista City Council will be voting on a resolution tripling the number of events breweries in the Vista business park could have permitted annually. The current cap on outdoor events is four. In this article, Dryw Keltz, of the San Diego Reader, posits the change may have the added benefit of improving the music scene in Vista.
— Speaking of Vista, did you catch I Like Beer the Podcast’s Jeff Spanier’s interview with Mike and Ewa Zane? The couple opened Inzane Brewing on Vista’s Main Street in October. Wavelength Brewing formerly occupied the space. Mike grew up in the community, and the couple has been discussing opening a brewery for eight years!
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— In an update to an In The Moment interview we did with Copper Collar Distillery’s co-Owner Scott Nixon, the distillery’s anticipated move from their Santee location is still in flux, but a recent social media post addressed the delay.“I am here to tell you now that we are actively working to revive our plan to move to a better location. However, I will say there is a 51% chance this new location will not be in California,” wrote Scott. For the time being, Copper Collar is still selling bottles on Saturdays, 1:00 – 7:00 PM.
— Cheers! Weather Update: It’s probably raining. Have you seen the waves?
*Alcohol Change UK was originally named Alcohol Concern.
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