World's First LBGT Brewery To Open In San Diego

One San Diego establishment is targeting an often-ignored drinker in the beer market — the LBGT community — with the addition of Hillcrest Brewing Company, the world's first LBGT brewery.

Mo's Universe, a restaurant chain known for being LBGT-friendly, will support the brewery as it opens in the Hillcrest neighborhood of San Diego. Urban Mo's Bar & Grill, Baja Betty's, and Gossip Grill, have already begun serving the brewery's first offering, a pale ale named Perle Necklace (pun slightly intended — the brew uses perle hops in the recipe). The "queens of beer" have marketed themselves as with the slogan, "We're here, we're queer and we love beer."

Says Eddie Reynoso, Marketing & Public Relations Director for Mo's Universe in a press release, the brewery is following the footsteps of LBGT beer lovers before them: Queer Beer in Europe, Purple Hand & Salamandra Beers from Mexico, and Gay Pride Beer from Vermont.

What can you expect at Hillcrest Brewing Company? Handcrafted beers, stone pizzas, a 15-foot chandelier made of beer bottles, and an outdoor patio complete with growing hop bines. There will even be beer tastings and homebrewing classes on taps, said owner Chris Shaw to the San Diego Uptown News.

But the beers on tap aren't the fruity flavors you'd typically expect from an LBGT-marketed beer, said Reynoso to the LA Times. Instead, try one of the raunchier-named beers: an American Strong brew called Brain Lubricant, a red ale called Crotch Rocket a Red, and an IPA called Eighth Day. The brewery is set to open this month, most likely to coincide with the famous Stonewall Riots.