After eight years in the local brewing industry, Hillcrest Brewing is transitioning from a brewpub to a restaurant, selling off the assets of its brewing component. Once those items are removed from the premises, ownership plans on adding additional seating and possibly a small oven to offer pizza by the slice and sandwiches following development of the Normal Street Promenade, which will accommodate the Hillcrest Farmers Market and annual San Diego Pride Festival.
“We are still open, but unfortunately we have decided to close the brewery due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” says managing partner Joey Arruda. “The current situation is challenging for everyone and we feel that we should focus on the restaurant side of our operation.”
The equipment for sale includes a seven-barrel system with a pair of 15-barrel tanks, plus a walk-in cooler, the majority of the company’s kegs and other appurtenant items. Interested parties are asked to contact Arruda directly via email.
Hillcrest Brewing opened in 2012, touting itself as the first openly gay brewery in the world. The company referred to itself as the “Queens of Beer” and used fun, tongue-in-cheek names for its beers. It fit in well as part of the Mo’s Universe family of hospitality venues that includes Urban MO’s Bar & Grill, Gossip Grill and Baja Betty’s, all of which are located in Hillcrest and celebrate the community’s large LGBTQ population.
In July 2016, Hillcrest Brewing teamed with Karl Strauss Brewing to create a beer called All You Need is Love. That session-strength red ale was brewed to show support for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida, and kicked off a broader campaign preaching acceptance of people regardless of their sexual orientation. That initiative saw roughly 20 San Diego County breweries released different beers under the All You Need is Love moniker, making for one of the many great displays of unity that the local beer industry is known for.
Hillcrest Brewing also teamed up with Ballast Point Brewing over the past couple years to produce a collaborative cucumber lager which was released in conjunction with the Pride Festival. That beer was also tapped at the San Diego County Fair in 2018. And around World AIDS Day each December, the company brewed Red Ribbon Ale, donating two dollars from each pint sold to a charity that strives to educate in the name of prevention while housing and feeding people living with the virus.
“We were very fortunate to have a brewery in Hillcrest and help educate our community on some great craft beer. I would like to thank our head brewer Clinton Shaver and our brew assistant Chris Lovegood for producing some amazing beers for us,” says Arruda. “As we move on to our new chapter, we hope to continue to support our San Diego brewing community, the members of which we are very thankful to have received so much support and advice from. If anyone is looking to open a brewery, I can say that San Diego has some of the best in the country and they support each other for the beer of the craft beer community.”
Hillcrest Brewing is located at 1458 University Avenue in Hillcrest.