Meet Zach Smith of Culture Brewing

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Smith.

Zach, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Culture was started by a couple of guys that enjoyed homebrewing so much they decided to take it to the next level. Many of the beers we brew are still based on the same recipes the owners came up with at the very beginning. Our brewers are also given a lot of room to experiment and they’re always coming up with amazing new brews.

The goal from the start was always to make an amazing craft beer that was approachable and accessible. We don’t come up with goofy names for every beer. If we brew a Brown Ale, that beer is simply called Brown Ale on the menu. The owners are definitely craft-beer-purists in that way. The goal of the tasting room is to have the best staff in the beer industry. Each of our servers is cicerone certified so that they can easily and clearly communicate every little detail of the beers to our customers. The hope is that you’ll leave the tasting room with more beer knowledge and appreciation than when you arrived.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Opening the new Encinitas was a very lengthy, but we got a lot of support from the community.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Culture Brewing Co – what should we know?
One aspect of our beer that makes it stand out is the gluten reduction. All of our beers are gluten reduced below 10 parts per million, meaning even someone with a gluten intolerance could have a pint. Many people confuse the difference between Gluten Free beers and Gluten Reduced beers.

Gluten Free beers are not made with the typical beer ingredients like barley or wheat, so gluten is never part of the equation. Our beers are called Gluten Reduced because they are made with barley and wheat, but we then remove the gluten using an enzyme.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Over the past nearly 5 years we’ve grown closer and closer to our surrounding communities. At this time we do not distribute, so you won’t find our beer in any bar or bottle shop. The only way to enjoy Culture beer is to have a pint at one of our three tasting rooms. This allows us to become hyper-local in the way that we approach the community. We don’t have to worry about appealing to the entire state or the entire country.

The people that are enjoying our beers are in San Diego, which allows us to focus on supporting local art, local businesses, local food, and to help raise funds for local non-profits. That’s how each little beach town we become part of influences so much of what the Culture brand has become. Each tasting room has the same beers on tap, but each has it’s own unique personality that the community has influenced.

Pricing:

• New Hazy IPA 4-Pack – $20.00

Contact Info:

• Address: 111 S Cedros Ave. Suite 200, Solana Beach, CA
• Website: culturebrewingco.com
• Phone: 8583451144
• Email: zach@culturebrewingco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/culturebrewingco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CultureBrewingCo/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/culturebrewco?lang=en
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/culture-brewing-co-solana-beach-solana-beach-2

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