August may be devoid of official holidays, but it’s the month when San Diego Beer News (SDBN) officially launched back in 2020. Born at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the media outlet quickly became a go-to source for locals looking to stay up-to-date on the latest happenings in the San Diego brewing industry as well as visitors to the region seeking information on the county’s hundreds of breweries, brewpubs and tasting rooms. The information conveyed via SDBN is obtained through direct communication and cooperation with local breweries. In keeping with that theme, one of those operations, Vista-based Eppig Brewing, is helping SDBN celebrate two years in business by releasing a limited-edition beer, Just the Facts IPA.
“It is an honor to be able to provide a platform for my hometown’s craft breweries to get their information to enthusiasts as well as people who maybe haven’t yet had the chance to discover the spectacular craft-beer community we’re so lucky to have here in San Diego,” says SDBN founder and Executive Editor Brandon Hernández. “Believe it or not, the best thing about reporting on our vibrant brewing scene isn’t the beer, it’s getting to know and work with the passionate, skilled and friendly owners, brewers and staffers who make San Diego’s brewing scene so special. Of course, the beer is really great, too.”
When considering a brewery to ask to brew SDBN’s second-anniversary beer, Hernández thought fitting to enlist the brewery that has won the most awards in the past two editions of the San Diego Beer News Awards. An online competition broken down into categories covering different beer-styles, regions, customer service and more, the SDBN Awards are voted on by both fans and members of the local industry.
“It’s clearly an honor to be the winningest of anything,” says Eppig co-founder Todd Warshaw. “What means so much about the SDBN hardware is that the industry professionals and casual consumers who took part in the voting think so highly of Eppig’s beers.”
Eppig’s 24 total SDBN Awards medals include golds for its 10:45 to Denver in the West Coast IPA category, 4th Anniversary Double IPA (Imperial IPA), Natural Bridge: Pilsner (Pilsner), Glitz & Glam (Sour Ale, non-barrel-aged) and its Festbier (Lager, non-Pilsner), which took the top spot two years in a row. The company was also named the best brewery in the county’s northern region for 2020 and placed second in that category for 2021.
As evidenced by the aforementioned winners, Eppig demonstrates quality craftsmanship across a wide range of beer styles. This could have made selecting the type of ale or lager SDBN would use to ring in its second anniversary difficult, but a mutual love for presenting big hop character against a crisp, dry canvas rendered the process remarkably simple.
“We got together with Brandon to brainstorm some ideas and it became obvious we both wanted to do a West Coast IPA,” says Eppig Principal Brewer Nate Stephens. “Then it was just a matter of putting together a few of our favorite ingredients into a new and tasty recipe. We ended up landing on a dry-hop of Strata, Citra and Mosaic.”
With a style determined and a recipe written, all that was left to do was name the beer. A number of would-be monikers were considered, but at the end of the day, the Eppig team decided to focus on one SDBN’s foundational pillars: factual reporting.
“We’ve known and worked with Brandon for many years, and when he launched SDBN we were one of his first supporters,” says Warshaw. “It’s a fantastic resource for all things SD-Beer-related, and his approach always includes honesty, integrity and making sure he has his facts lined up.”
“I pride myself on the fact that SDBN’s readers can always count on the information in our stories being factual, reliable, researched and confirmed. It’s harder to provide and can take a lot longer, but it’s worth it and something those who put their faith in my reporting deserve,” says Hernández. “It’s a privilege to serve San Diego’s brewing community and I thank them for allowing me to share their compelling stories.”
Just the Facts IPA will be tapped at Eppig’s Waterfront Biergarten in Point Loma at 3 p.m. on Friday, August 12, before making its debut at the company’s brewery in Vista at noon on Saturday, August 13. Hernández will be on-hand for both events. Just the Facts will also be available in four-packs of 16-ounce cans at both locations, as well as retail accounts where Eppig beers are sold.
Eppig Brewing’s Waterfront Biergarten is located at 2817 Dickens Street in Point Loma, and its Brewery and Bierhalle is located at 1347 Keystone Way in Vista