It was the summer of 2020, in a time and space when the world was mostly relegated to domiciles turned quarantine quarters. Businesses of all types were struggling. This included local breweries as well as the news outlets that covered them, all of which were in danger of going out of business or folding up shop entirely. It was during these dim times that San Diego Beer News (SDBN), a new-media resource built as much as an informational hub as a lifeline for the county’s reeling craft-beer operations, was born.
SDBN debuted on social media, posting full-length articles about brewery openings, closings, pandemic pivots and other pertinent developments across Instagram, Facebook and (then) Twitter, before marking its official launch the first full week of August 2020 with the arrival of a permanent, multifaceted website. That online home (which was dramatically upgraded in the fall of 2023) allowed SDBN to take things to the next level by offering an always-updated list of San Diego County breweries with a corresponding map, weekly updates on new beers tapping at local tasting rooms, plus a multitude of feature content taking the outlet’s coverage beyond anything available elsewhere. Over the past four years, SDBN has added numerous compelling and engaging features while providing daily content highlighted by news coverage pertaining to San Diego County’s one-of-a-kind brewing industry and the individuals within it.
In celebration of hitting the four-year mark, SDBN has teamed with local beer company, Harland Brewing, to craft a commemorative beer. Only a year older than SDBN, that Scripps Ranch-based business is known in and beyond San Diego for its clean, high-quality takes on lagers and IPAs of all ilks, as well as pushing the envelope where cutting-edge styles, ingredients and hop innovations are concerned. That spirit matches SDBN’s devotion to time-honored journalistic ethics and ideals, coupled with a drive to bring new and next-level craft-beer content to its audience.
“We are honored and grateful to brew a beer with someone so well respected in this community,” says Harland Director of Brewing Operations Cody Morris (pictured above, far left) “I’ve been a fan of [SDBN founder Brandon Hernández’s, pictured above, far right] work for a long time, from the old outlets, websites and podcasts he was part of to San Diego Beer News. He’s done a great job of covering San Diego’s beer industry over the years and is just genuinely a great, nice person, so it was a no-brainer for us.”
Dubbed Fine Print, the fourth-anniversary beer is a sour IPA brewed with a thiolized yeast strain known for imparting tropical-fruit notes reminiscent of pineapple. Reinforcing that is the addition of actual pineapple, along with tropically inclined and otherwise brightly fruity hop varietals, Mosaic, Idaho 7 and Southern Cross. The beer’s target ABV (alcohol-by-volume) is between 6% and 7%, making for an IPA fans can easily enjoy more than one of.
“We love having fun with beer here. As much as we love making a good, clean IPA, it’s fun to get creative with these one-off beers and try new stuff,” says Morris. “We are lucky to have multiple tasting rooms and clientele that are into trying out our ideas and keeping our creative juices flowing. It keeps the spirit of craft alive in our brewery.”
Fine Print IPA follows a tradition that started in 2021 with an IPA called Cover Story, which was brewed in collaboration with Burgeon Beer Co., followed by Just the Facts IPA with Eppig Brewing in 2022, and Finger on the Pulse Saison with Pure Project Brewing in 2023. The collaboration element of SDBN’s anniversary beers are meant to mirror the overall collaborative spirit that has been so key to the growth and success of San Diego’s brewing industry.
“Personally, I feel like the collaboration aspect of our industry comes in waves, and I feel like San Diego Beer News helps keep it going in a positive direction,” says Morris. “The San Diego Beer News Awards is the best local event bringing brewery personnel together in one place and it’s the event I most enjoy getting to see friends and connections in the industry.”
Fine Print will debut on Friday, August 9 at Harland’s tasting rooms in Bay Park, Carmel Valley, South Park and its headquarters in Scripps Ranch. An official tapping event will be held at the latter location starting at 4 p.m., with members of the San Diego Beer News team will be in attendance.
Harland Brewing’s headquarters is located at 10115 Carroll Canyon Road in Scripps Ranch, and its satellite tasting rooms are located at 4112 Napier Street in Bay Park, 2953 Beech Street in South Park, and 3718 Paseo Place in the One Paseo mixed-use development in Carmel Valley