Beer of the Week: Riptides Collaboration

While I have great memories of attending tons of San Diego Sockers games as a kid, as I grew up, my interests in athletics shifted more toward American football, baseball and basketball. Back then, my hometown boasted professional franchises in two of those sports, so it’s no surprise I gravitated in that direction. As such, adult me is not a huge soccer fan, but I am a fan of things that are good for San Diego. What turned out to be bad for us was the Spanos family, which, after years of jerking their fan base (which, if you ask me, they were lucky to have considering the club’s habitual underachieving and inability to properly accommodate spectators), infamously moved the Chargers to Los Angeles despite the fact they’d obviously be playing second-fiddle to their stadium mates, the Rams. That left San Diego with one major-league team, but cleared room in our hearts (and Mission Valley) for organizations that do way better by us, namely our National Women’s Soccer League upstarts, the San Diego Wave, and newly debuted Major League Soccer expansion entity, San Diego Football Club. In addition to being hungry and exciting, these teams and their owners are ecstatic about being here and representing San Diego and its denizens in a meaningful, authentic manner. That is beyond easy to root for, not just for me, but for nth-level soccer fans like those comprising local SDFC supporter group, the Riptides. And just as they have gotten behind the new kids in town, local operation Hopnonymous Brewing has thrown their weight behind them, hosting Riptides watch parties at their Kearny Mesa tasting room and canning up this week’s featured beer. A lime-infused Mexican-style lager, it’s a tasty, sessionable beer one can enjoy several of over the course of a match. Going by the humble handle Hopnonymous x Riptides Collaboration, it comes in spiffy cans bearing the blue, red and gold color scheme shared by the SDFC and its die-hards. Those aluminum vessels sell out quickly, but the beer will be on tap in perpetuity during soccer season. Cheers to that and our surprising new home team!

For the beer for the riptide support club, I wanted to make a lighter Mexican lager. The idea behind this being that I wanted something for them to be able to enjoy on the sideline of the pitch or from the comfort of their own home. And being that it’s the San Diego Football Club, I figured what better to enhance that Mexican lager than lime. I’m excited to see how the club progresses and the team does this year. Go Riptides!”

Kyle Fjalstad, Head Brewer, The Original 40 Brewing

Hopnonymous Brewing is located at 7705 Convoy Court in Kearny Mesa