Fan enthusiasm is through the roof over the San Diego Padres’ phenomenal start to the 2025 baseball season. America’s Finest City is backing the club with Major League Baseball’s (MLB) finest record in a big way. That said, it’s likely few are quite as stoked as the crew at Harland Brewing, especially when it comes to a certain infielder with his very own zone. That’s because that Scripps Ranch business has teamed with Jake Cronenworth on a signature beer that will not only bear his nickname and number, but also raise funds to support local charity efforts.
A 4.5% alcohol-by-volume American light lager brewed with Pilsner malt, flaked corn and New Zealand-bred Cascade hops, the beer goes by the name Crone Zone. It will debut Friday, April 18 on-tap and in four-packs of stylish 16-ounce brown-and-gold cans at Harland’s taprooms in Scripps Ranch, Bay Park and Del Mar Highlands’ One Paseo shopping center, as well as its eatery in South Park. The beer will also be distributed to select bars, restaurants and off-premise retailers throughout San Diego County.
“We pitched Jake the idea of brewing an American light lager. They’re top-sellers on the boards at each of our tap rooms and are notorious as go-to crushers while watching sporting events, so it seemed like a natural choice,” says Harland President Anthony Levas. “Jake was very clear through this process that he trusts us to create a beer that would satisfy both craft-beer and baseball fans. Our aim was to create the most approachable beer possible – light in color and light in body, but still very flavorful.”
“I wanted it to be a curated version of the ideal ‘ballpark beer’; something that isn’t too heavy and perfect for those summer days in San Diego, whether it’s at the beach or at home with a nice frosted glass,” says Cronenworth. “Harland produces amazing [beers] while embodying the spirit of the San Diego community, which is very important to me.”
Following an event at Taylormade Golf’s Kingdom facility where he had the chance to taste some of Harland’s beers, Cronenworth asked his marketing agent, L Davis of CAA Sports, to set up a meeting about the six-year-old company fashioning him a signature brew. Having grown up in San Diego and followed the Padres his entire life, Levas – and many members of Harland’s staff – was thrilled to get the call and move forward with Cronenworth on the beer, which will be available year-round through 2026.
This isn’t the first time a Padres player has partnered with a local brewery. In 2014, Hall of Fame outfielder Tony Gwynn reached out to Miramar’s AleSmith Brewing in a similar fashion. The result was San Diego Pale Ale .394, which went on to become – and remains – far and away the company’s best-selling beer. It’s been such a hit that the company extended the brand, adding hazy and session versions of that flagship. Additionally, AleSmith’s tasting room houses the official Tony Gwynn Museum and regularly honors the legacy of the lifetime Friar (who passed away the same year his beer was released) in a number of different ways.
And in 2021, Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove responded in the affirmative to a direct message on Instagram from a representative of downtown San Diego operation Resident Brewing asking if he would like to come over and brew a beer. While that double IPA was fermenting, Musgrove delivered the Padres the first no-hitter in club history, inspiring the beer’s moniker, No-No Joe! The beer was regularly brewed during baseball season until Resident closed earlier this year. (Resident’s brewery and the business it was attached to, The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole, will soon house a new pub concept from Modern Times Beer, giving the Craft ‘Ohana-owned brand a third public venue in San Diego following the shuttering of its Point Loma brewery and switch to having its products contract-brewed at AleSmith.)
Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays out of the University of Michigan in 2015, Cronenworth was traded to the Padres with outfielder Tommy Pham in exchange for Hunter Renfroe, Xavier Edwards and Esteban Quiroz. He made his Major League debut on July 26, 2020, and has since become a literal cornerstone of the organization, starting at first and second base as needed. In 2021, he was selected to the MLB All-Star Game and hit for the cycle, becoming only the third Padre ever to accomplish that feat. Cronenworth is signed through the 2030 season after being inked to a seven-year contract extension in 2023. He is currently on the injured list with a right rib fracture, but could return to the active roster as soon as next week.
“The entire team at Harland has been incredible to work with in bringing this concept to life,” says Cronenworth. “We tried to make more than just a beer, and I think we’ve created something pretty special that will hopefully be around for many summers to come.”
“We consider it a huge honor that Jake selected Harland out of all of San Diego’s hundred-plus breweries as the one he wants to work with,” says Levas. “It has been really cool to work with Jake and his manager. They have been highly involved and that has made it feel like a true collaboration…and a really fun one at that.”
Levas advises fans to follow Harland on Instagram for updates about an upcoming meet-and-greet with Cronenworth at the company’s Scripps Ranch taproom, plus other special events and Crone Zone merchandise. They will also announce which local charity Cronenworth has selected to receive a portion of proceeds from sales of the beer.
Harland Brewing’s public venues are located at 10115 Carroll Canyon Road in Scripps Ranch, 2953 Beech Street in South Park, 4112 Napier Street in Bay Park, and inside One Paseo at 3718 Paseo Place in Carmel Valley
(Information about Modern Time Beer venue first reported by SanDiegoVille)