Hoplight Social Turns 1!
We officially launched our website on July 1st, 2016. Since then, we’ve met a lot of amazing people and have gotten the opportunity to try so many amazing beers. We hired some great interns to join us in 2017: Monique, Nick, and Alyssa. We launched our Women in Beer Series & Meet the Brewer Series to help showcase the amazing people working in beer. Our DIY Beer Tour Series gives you some recommendations for breweries to visit within the same area. Cooking with Beer helps inspire you to utilize beer in the kitchen. We’ve worked with Duck Foot Brewing & are currently working with Kilowatt Brewing on their social media efforts. Our love for beer even took us to covering the 2016 Great American Beer Festival and many more amazing festivals.
We are throwing an Anniversary Party to celebrate on Saturday, July 15th and you are all invited to join us!
Anniversary Party Details
When: Saturday, July 15th from 1pm-6pm
Where: Kilowatt Brewing Ocean Beach Tasting Room located at 1875 Cable Street
San Diego, CA 92107. Our logo was inspired by their epic tasting room lights so there is no better place to have it!
Details: Thanks to our friends at Hoppy Beer Gear, we will be having shirts with our logo for sale! The first 10 people to buy a shirt will get their first pint of our Anniversary Beer on us.
Hoplight Social Anniversary Beer Release: Coconut Lime Saison
We thought it would be fun for each of us to take a moment to share some of our favorites from this past year with you.
Kristina Martinez | CEO & Founder
It’s hard to believe that it has already been one year since myself, Karen, Karla, Kelly, & William all got together at a brewery and decided to launch our website! We honestly had one mission. To share great beers with great people and write about it. I’m proud of how far we have come in such a short time. We’ve had the opportunity to teach people how to cook with beer on CW 6 San Diego, we’ve traveled around the world trying new beers, covered the Great American Beer Festival as media, told countless stories of the amazing people we’ve met, and had some amazing personal growth along the way.
I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite memory, since I’ve had so many great ones with my team. That said, I can say that I am so proud of our team and how much they have grown from when we first started! We’ve been mentioned countless times by some of our favorite breweries on their social media because of their hard work. We are so grateful for all the love and support from this amazing community. I know this is only the beginning for us, and I can’t wait for the future memories to be made!
My favorite beers right now are all about the coconut. King Harbor Brewing Coconut IPA, Kilowatt Brewing Wilson the Coconut IPA, & Four Sons Brewing Coconotorious Amber. Some all time favorites include: Rogue Cold Brew IPA, Stone Mocha IPA, & Bay Bridge Brewing Horchata Wheat.
William Prickett | Editor in Chief & Photographer
Being apart of Hoplight Social has afforded me the opportunity to meet some amazing people. I have had the opportunity to go behind the scenes at some great breweries and really get to know the people behind them. I also enjoy taking amazing photos and having the outlet to share them with the community! On the other side is the ability to work with such a great team. I have had a great time helping train and grow them to where they are today!
Picking one favorite memory is definitely a tough one since there have been so many. I would say my favorite memory would be attending the Great American Beer Festival last year. This festival occurs every October in Denver. It was not only my first time in Denver, but also the first time I have attended such a large festival. The sights alone blew my mind, but what was even better was the ability to try so many new beers in one place with amazing people. I was in beer heaven.
Over the past year I have had way too many delicious beers to name just one favorite. Some of my favorites were Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing, Son of a Peach by RJ Rockers Brewing, Slow Riser by Chapman Crafted Beer, Guava Lava by King Harbor Brewing, and Blueberry Wheat from New English Brewing. This past year has been amazing and there are many more. Too many beers to name!
Karen Mills | Social Media & Content Manager
It’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since the launch of Hoplight -it just attests that time flies when you’re having fun, enjoying great beer, and around fantastic company.
One of my favorite moments from the past year (trust me this was hard to choose) was attending The Great American Beer Festival in Denver last year. I have never tried so many beers in my life (and wished they were available in San Diego)! I can say that I can’t pick a favorite beer I’ve tried since the launch, but am looking forward to try many many more. I’m just so excited for what the future holds for Hoplight, connections that I’ll continue to make, and the delicious beers that I’ll get to try!
Karla Makholm | Guest Writer & Beer Chef
Hoplight Social is all about community. Sure, it’s also about drinking and reflecting on great beer, which is what brings us all together. But even more amazing than the beer — if you can believe it– is the craft beer community in San Diego. It’s celebrating these friendships and this big beer family that is what makes Hoplight Social so special and so unique!
One of my favorite moments this past year was making homemade Oreos with peanut butter beer filling for one of our San Diego CW6 TV segments. I’m always up for a baking challenge with beer and this recipe was no exception. Using two beers, in both the cookie and filling took a few tries, but the result was absolutely delicious. They were a huge hit and Kristina and I had a blast making our YouTube video demo. To top it all off, we paired it with one of our all-time favorite brews, the Peanut Butter Cup Porter from Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
Kelly Mahncke | Marketing Coordinator & Content Writer
Looking back on this last year with Hoplight, it is amazing to see how much we have grown including how much we’ve had the chance to experience and learn. Being a part of the Hoplight Social team has been a wonderful experience in that it is amazing to a part of a group that shares such a love for the craft beer industry. Getting to go through these new experiences together as a team truly has been the best part for me.
My favorite memory with the team was walking into the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. I felt like a little kid going to Disneyland for the first time. There was an excitement in the air, we had truly made it. Getting to work GABF, connecting with a bunch of great people, and trying a lot amazing beer is something I’ll never forget! Thanks to our travels and the opportunity to try many different breweries, I came to discover my new favorite beer as well. This beer is from Fiction Beer Company, a stout named after Brave New World called Feely Effects with Green Tea and Chocolate. This is a beer that certainly gives you a sensory experience with smooth textures and flavors that tickle your taste buds! Cheers to our first year of new experiences and success!
Monique Aguirre | Social Media & Marketing Intern
My favorite part about being part of Hoplight Social is the people. Our team is a great, friendly group of people that genuinely care about their work, and those they surround themselves with. I enjoy the camaraderie that comes with accomplishing goals and drinking beer with lively people by your side. I also love that being part of Hoplight Social pushes me to dive deeper into the craft beer industry. It’s one thing to enjoy drinking beer, but it’s a completely different realm to research and immerse yourself in the craft beer culture. Finding different events, meeting new people and learning more about the science behind brewing beer are all aspects of Hoplight Social that I would not have experienced on my own.
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There are a number of beers that I could claim are my “favorite” so narrowing it down to one is difficult. My newest favorite is Breaking Bud by Knee Deep Brewing Company. I bought it on a whim at Bottle Craft and picked it the way I pick most of my canned beers, by fun and interesting labels. Aside from the awesome artwork, it’s also a great IPA! I love an IPA that does not leave you feeling full and bloated after and Breaking Bud is exactly that. The light IPA has a dank piney flavor but the tropical notes are what come through first.
Nick Ko | Guest Writer
Most people view coworkers as nothing more than people who they work with; but, during my tenure at Hoplight Social, I’ve learned to love them. They’re my family. They’ve done nothing but support me, and I’m very thankful for them. Looking back, I think my fondest memory is that first night we all met. To be completely honest, it was a disaster. I couldn’t find parking, I was late, and I had to leave before it was finished. But despite that, I was invited to be part of the team. When I first walked in the door for our first Intern meeting, I was immediately and savagely attacked by the three most adorable dogs, followed by a sharp “Get Down!” and a hug. Here I was, meeting these people for the second time, heart beating out of my chest, and they asked if I wanted a beer.
It’s rare to come across people like this; so demanding, so hardworking, and so kind. They say you can learn more from a person after one beer than 10 interviews. Well, I’ve shared more than 10 beers and sat through 2 interviews, so I’m pretty sure I can say, with my expert opinion, that the Hoplight Social Team is worth their weight in, well, beer, and I wouldn’t have wanted to work with anybody else.
Alyssa Benavidez | Guest Writer
My favorite part of being part of the Hoplight Social Team this past year has been expanding my limits and knowledge of the beer world. Before joining Hoplight Social I did not know just how extensive the craft beer industry is in San Diego, but more importantly how much the craft beer industry gives back to the local community. Aside from expanding my knowledge, I love that Hoplight Social encouraged interns to expand their beer palettes as well by ordering beers we might not typically try (I am usually not one to do this). I found out most of the time I enjoyed them.
Overall my main takeaway from being a part of Hoplight Social is being really proud to be part of growing team that is not only passionate about beer, but the genuineness of the people behind the blog. My favorite moment at Hoplight Social included spotlighting the Best Coast Beer Fest event that included a ton of local breweries raising money for cancer survivor’s college scholarships. It was cool to be able to spotlight the event, cover the event, and then do a recap article. It was nice to see the work come full circle for a good cause.
Favorite Beer: Coronado Orange Ave. Wit – it is definitely my go-to summer beer since living in San Diego.
Be sure to follow us on our social media and join the conversation with great people around great beers. 
