Not every collaboration brew involves a pair of breweries working together to forge a beer. Sometimes celebrities get involved. People from all walks of life enjoy beer, including musicians. Numerous San Diego breweries have teamed with musical acts both local and large to brew specialty offerings that further the reach of craft beer and make fans of that liquid medium out of fans of the bands that commissioned them. The latest local instance of this phenomena is Duck Foot Brewing teaming with legendary rock quintet Los Lobos to produce a beer speaking to its members tastes and culture.
Best known for covering the title track of the hit 1987 film La Bamba, Los Lobos has sold millions of albums over its impressive 48-year lifespan, which began in nearby Los Angeles. The heads of Miramar-based Duck Foot consulted the band when determining the type of beer they would produce with them. In the end, both parties decided that like Los Lobos’ music, which has roots in cumbia, Tex-Mex and Chicano rock, the beer should lead with Latin influence. The resulting collaborative offering is Más y Masa, a 4.5% alcohol-by-volume purple corn lager.
“We are making a crushable pilsner that many might call a Mexican lager. We wanted to make something light and easy to drink, but to make sure that it had an interesting twist we added nixtamalized corn,” says Duck Foot Head Brewer Matt Akin. Nixtamalization is a process in which corn is soaked in a warm alkaline solution, rinsed then hulled. “That corn—nixtamal—is the basis for masa and tortillas, so you can expect flavors of corn tortilla in an otherwise pretty classic pilsner. The team had a great time learning how to nixtamalize for this brew. We kept all that work in-house and we all wanted tacos for lunch on the brew day.”
On top of a culturally apt adjunct, Akin included Citra hops in the recipe to add citrus character to the finished beer to mimic (and eliminate the need for) lime wedges often found perched atop longneck bottles of Mexican lagers from macro-sized brewing conglomerates. Más y Masa will be available starting on Cinco de Mayo.
“Since Cinco de Mayo is such a fun holiday and maybe not going to go off as big as some other years, we wanted to do something special. So, the band is actually going to do a streaming show for their fans. How freaking amazing is that?” says Duck Foot Founder Matt DelVecchio. “Additionally, we are going to be donating a portion of beer sales to musicians that have been out of work. As everyone knows, the music industry might have been one of the groups most negatively affected by COVID. It’s like a dream come true to marry our love of craft beer and our love of music and actually help people.”
This isn’t the first time Duck Foot has brewed a musically inspired beer. Last year, the company teamed with the Zappa Family Trust to produce a hoppy number called Why Does It Hurt When IPA. The name referenced “Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?”, a song from Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Frank Zappa’s 1979 album, Joe’s Garage. That tribute IPA came after DelVecchio was introduced to the musician’s family by his friend, Zappa Plays Zappa touring musician Pete Griffin. Similarly, a connection with Los Lobos’ agent paved the way for this latest collaboration.
Beyond this collaboration, Duck Foot reports strong sales numbers and healthy revenue at its venues, particularly its Miramar brewery and tasting room, where adding ten tables to its outdoor seating area has proven quite helpful. The company is working on getting its beers distributed in the Bay Area and setting its sights on Phoenix, Arizona, beyond that. The team is also planning for what it’s calling a “5+1’ anniversary event, which will take place in summer and allow Duck Foot to celebrate the fifth birthday it missed out on in 2020 with a party that also recognizes this year’s milestone.
Duck Foot Brewing’s brewery and tasting room is located at 8920 Kenamar Drive, #210, in Miramar, and its downtown taproom and kitchen is located at 550 Park Boulevard, #2104, in the East Village