Beer is popular from Coronado to Casablanca, from Bankers Hill to Buenos Aires. This universal beverage is enjoyed by people of all races and genders.“It’s an industry that is dominated by White males between the ages of 40 and 60,” said Chris Leguizamon, 31, a San Diego Brewers Guild board member, education program manager at Pure Project and a first generation Colombian American. “You walk into a tasting room and it’s male dominant.
“What an incredible industry,” said Smith, 43, a Latina who is starting an internship at Ballast Point. “I’ve just fallen in love with it.”“They are becoming more and more popular, whether as internships at a brewery or as scholarships,” said Brandon Montgomery, a San Diego beer judge and creator of the Diversify Your Palate website. “A lot of people are looking to expand their clientele.”“A lot of locations where craft breweries popped up are your more dilapidated areas,” Montgomery said.
While rare, the county holds several breweries run by people of color. The female-centric Mujeres Brew House holds forth in Barrio Logan. Rincon Reservation Road brewery, which has tasting rooms in Ocean Beach and Harrah’s Resort Southern California, is owned by the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians. Efforts to broaden craft beer’s canvas have brought unexpected benefits. Smith, a member of the QUAFF homebrewing club and the Pink Boots Society, an organization for women in the brewing industry, is also active with the American Society of Brewing Chemists. Her degree in analytical chemistry equipped her to ponder brewery-specific solutions to water pollution and “spent grains,” the post-brewing leftover materials.
Gregarious by nature, he loves to introduce people to new beers, setting strangers at ease. At times, he can do this just by being himself.“Chris,” the customer said, “I just wanted to tell you that you are really doing a great job.”While San Diego Beer Week began Nov. 4, some highlights await you:Veterans Day specials at Second Chance, 15378 Avenue of Science, Suite 222, San Diego; Northern Pine, 326 N. Horne St., Oceanside; and Rouleur, 5840 El Camino Real, Suite 100, Carlsbad.