Photo courtesy of Coronado Brewing Co.
Coronado Brewing Co.
In the 10-plus years I’ve lived in San Diego, I can only recall visiting Imperial Beach three times. Once was a visit to the (sadly) now-closed Susie’s Farm, once was to visit a friend, and once was a post-motorcycle ride pit stop at Coronado Brewing Company’s brewpub (875 Seacoast Drive).
But as I.B.’s cultural and culinary scenes continue to slowly but surely blossom, I can easily picture myself heading down there more in the future.
“[Imperial Beach] is beautiful, funky, and one of the last old-school beach towns,” says Melody Crisp, marketing director at Coronado Brewing Company. “It’s a thriving community with a lot to offer.”
The Mayor of I.B., Serge Dedina, agrees, and characterizes his hometown as a “small, historically underserved city.”
“Imperial Beach is doing everything possible to attract all kinds of visitor and resident serving businesses… what makes Imperial Beach attractive for investment is the low cost of land and the city’s commitment to being business friendly through a streamlined permitting process,” Dedina explains via email.
With central neighborhoods like North Park and East Village heading toward craft beer market saturation, cities in the far reaches of the county (such as Escondido and parts of North and East County) are actively courting beer-centric businesses in order to satiate locals, as well as attract new residents fleeing skyrocketing housing prices in other parts of the county. Imperial Beach is no exception.
Coronado Brewing Company has enjoyed singular brewery status in I.B. since opening in 2014, but Mike Hess Brewing opened its fourth San Diego location at 805 Ocean Lane earlier this month. What’s more, the venture is a collaboration with City Tacos, and both will be mere steps away from Coronado’s taproom. And they’re not Coronado Brewing’s only competition on the craft beer front. Restaurants like SEA180 Coastal Tavern, which is owned by the Cohn Restaurant Group (800 Seacoast Drive), have also helped inspire demand for elevated drinking and dining experiences. Crisp, for one, is happy to see the shifting attitude.
“There are lot of good things happening with craft beer in the area, and it’s not just breweries. Last year, The Brigantine opened with a great craft beer lineup, and more operators are coming to the area. New businesses are realizing if they want to be competitive, they will need to offer good, local craft beer.”
Imperial Beach still has a long way to go before it becomes a major player in the San Diego beer community, but between the comparatively cheap real estate and ease of permitting, there are some major incentives for breweries to consider. An extra incentive is being conveniently located among the burgeoning beer scenes in both the South Bay and Tijuana.
In the meantime, Coronado Brewing is looking to expand its longtime brewpub on Seacoast after the proposed Bikeway Village project folded (taking Coronado’s plans for a second I.B. brewery and new distillery with it). On March 19, it debuted a sprawling new patio with the hope of enticing more locals to see what it’s all about. Mike Hess’ taproom is also slated for a second-phase enlargement and beer garden. With these early adopters digging in, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many more local taps flowing in the underrated beachside burgh very soon.