Beer of the Week: Reina del Oeste

From the Beer Writer: Last year, South Bay and the San Diego beer scene as a whole received something it had woefully been missing, a Latina-operated brewery. That operation, Mujeres Brew House, came to life in the former home of the defunct Alta Brewing at the foot of the Bread and Salt Building in Barrio Logan. Over the past year, the business has celebrated the art, culture, entertainment, cuisine and spirit of Mexico behind a slew of dynamic events. This has been wonderful, but even more important—especially at a time when women everywhere are standing up and demanding the equality and respect that should have been theirs all along—has been watching MBH’s squad so ably demonstrate what an all-female staff is capable of. There was just one thing missing from that equation…a female head brewer. But that missing piece has arrived in Samantha Olson, a veteran who brewed at ChuckAlek Independent Brewers, Fourpenny House, 13 Point Brewing, and Bivouac Ciderworks. She is now solely in charge of fermentation at MBH, and this week’s featured beer, Reina del Oeste IPA, is among her first creations since coming on full-time. Packed with resinous fir-tree flavor and aroma, it’s a call-back to classic West Coast style and a reason for those who haven’t yet discovered MBH to make plans to do so. After all, if you build it—and brew a great West Coast IPA—they will come!

From the Brewer: “The name Reina del Oeste—which translates to Queen of the West in Spanish—was chosen because IPA is still beer royalty in San Diego. I kept Reina del Oeste as a traditional West Coast IPA that uses an early addition of Sultana and Simcoe to get a heavy, piney bitterness. It’s sent over the top with a big dose of Mosaic in the whirlpool and dry-hop. This beer is approachable enough for a newcomer, but still packs a punch for our hop-loving friends.”—Samantha Olson, Head Brewer, Mujeres Brew House