San Diego Beer News' Brandon Hernández on Seek Beer Co., Helix Brewing and The Lost Abbey Shakeup

In Batch 346 of Craft Beer Republic, Brandon Hernández, founder and executive editor of San Diego Beer News, joined Greg and Flex to talk about the San Diego craft beer scene. Brandon shared his picks for up-and-coming and underrated San Diego breweries, the biggest trend he sees in the county, and the inside story on The Lost Abbey's big shakeup, which he covered directly with founder Tomme Arthur.

Meet Brandon Hernández of San Diego Beer News

Brandon runs San Diego Beer News almost entirely on his own, which he puts at about 97.5% of the work, with occasional guest columns from contributors. What started as a passion project has turned into a full business, and the site keeps an updated list of more than 200 San Diego County breweries. Before that, Brandon worked at Stone Brewing, AleSmith Brewing and Société Brewing.

Up-and-Coming San Diego Breweries

Brandon's first pick for a San Diego brewery on the rise is Seek Beer Co. in North Park. The brewer came from Urban South Brewery in Houston, Texas, and is building a following fast out of a lease-to-brew space, while designing his own can art. Greg and his crew visited Seek on a San Diego trip, met the brewer, and came away fans.

Brandon also recommends Craft Coast Beer & Tacos in Oceanside, from a former Pizza Port brewer. It pairs San Diego taco shop food with West Coast IPAs, hazy IPAs and lagers in a part of Oceanside that is booming.

San Diego's Most Underrated Breweries

Greg's go-to recommendation for anyone visiting San Diego is Helix Brewing in La Mesa, which doesn't distribute or can and rarely sends out kegs. Brandon agrees it doesn't get talked about nearly enough, pointing to its two-building setup with hoppy beers on one side and its Sour Works on the other.

Brandon's own underrated pick is New English Brewing in Sorrento Valley, started by an Englishman and his wife. They serve UK styles on cask engines alongside West Coast IPAs and pale ales that hold up against the best in a county known for IPAs. He suggests pairing it with a stop at Gravity Heights.

The Biggest San Diego Craft Beer Trend

Brandon says San Diego brews just about every style at all times, from cold IPAs to every kind of lager, so trends are hard to spot. The real shift over the past five to seven years is a return to small neighborhood breweries that want to serve their own community, instead of chasing growth to become the next Stone or Ballast Point.

Session IPAs That Keep Their Body

Greg and Flex agree most session IPAs lose their body along with their ABV. Brandon points to an exception he knows well: The Coachman from Société Brewing, which won two gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival and drinks like a full-flavored beer.

The Lost Abbey's Big Shakeup

The Lost Abbey's downsizing grew bigger than first planned. Pizza Port is taking over the brewery in San Marcos, which was Stone Brewing's original facility, along with the Port Brewing and Hop Concept brands. The Lost Abbey's tasting room there was set to close on May 1, while the company keeps its three satellite tasting rooms, moves toward contract brewing, and looks for investors.

Brandon explains how it got there: The Lost Abbey and Port Brewing launched together in 2006, but demand for Belgian-style beers cooled, and production of its best-selling double IPA, Mongo, had already moved to Pizza Port's Carlsbad facility. Brandon expects new IPAs from Tomme Arthur's team to join The Lost Abbey lineup, along with the Tiny Bubbles brett beers and Charisma hard sparkling teas. The conversation turns to contract brewing, which Brandon sees as a smart way for brands to survive, not a sign of bad beer.

Pink Boots Brew Day at Pedals & Pints

Greg recaps the Pink Boots Society collaboration brew day at Pedals & Pints Brewing, with brewers and friends from Enegren Brewing, Malibu Brewing, Tarantula Hill Brewing, Naughty Pine Brewing and more. He also got an early taste of Pedals & Pints' first barrel-aged stout, a 12% blend of sherry and port barrels set for the brewery's third anniversary.

More Craft Beer News

• Chew Your Beer calls in from the line for his first-ever Pliny the Younger.

• BrewDog partners with Budweiser to expand in China.

• Bill Gates buys a 3.8% stake in Heineken worth about $902 million.

• A drunk passenger on an American Airlines flight from JFK to Delhi urinates on the man in seat 15G.

Beers We're Drinking

Greg: Pure Project Monteverde

Greg is drinking Monteverde from Pure Project Brewing, a 6.6% murky IPA brewed for the brewery's seventh anniversary with Nectaron, Mosaic and Citra, full of orange and dried tropical fruit with a soft mouthfeel.

Flex: Casa Agria Westwise

Flex is drinking Westwise from Casa Agria Specialty Ales, a 6.8% modern West Coast IPA with Citra and Mosaic that he calls crisp, light and super easy drinking.

Listen to Craft Beer Republic: San Diego Beer News' Brandon Hernández, Pink Boots Collabs, and the Drunk Guy on the Plane

Batch 346 of Craft Beer Republic features San Diego Beer News founder Brandon Hernández on Seek Beer Co., Helix Brewing, New English Brewing, The Lost Abbey, Pizza Port and the San Diego craft beer scene. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app!