Karl Strauss Brewing, a San Diego-based craft beer brewery, has released a new beer named after radio station XETRA-FM 91X.
The beer, called Tower X West Coast IPA, is available at Karl Strauss’s eight brewpub restaurant-and-bar locations across Southern California, as well as an onsite tasting room at its main brewery in Pacific Beach. Also, Tower X is available in 16-ounce six-packs in select retail outlets throughout California and Arizona.
A radio station spokesperson told Times of San Diego that 91X has partnered with some breweries for collaboration beers over the years (91X is now in its 40th year on the air). But, those brews were available in limited quantities for a short time.
However, this is the first time a major brewery has launched a new beer inspired by 91X that has been added to the brewery’s core product lineup on a year-round basis, according to the spokesperson.
“An iconic, local radio station, with a deep passion for craft beer, partnering with the legendary Karl Strauss, it’s a dream come true,” said Garett Michaels, program director for 91X. “Tower X West Coast IPA is a celebratory toast to San Diego, and the incredible community that has supported us over the years. We couldn’t be more stoked.”
“West Coast-style IPAs are really making a comeback, although if you ask any brewer, we never stopped drinking them,” said Paul Segura, brewmaster at Karl Strauss. “What hits you first is that unmistakable pine-resiny hop aroma you’ll remember from classic West Coast IPAs back in the day.”
“But then, right beneath the surface, you’ll also get a ton of fruity-citrusy flavors likened to a more modern, tropical IPA. Pair that with the beer’s super crisp mouth-feel, and man, it’s a special IPA,” he added.
Local Media San Diego operates 91X and three other radio stations in San Diego, including KFBG-FM Big-FM 100.7, XHTZ-FM Z-90.3 and XHRM-FM Magic 92.5.
ESPN Airing World Lacrosse Tournament Games in San Diego
San Diego is hosting the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship featuring teams from 30 countries playing 107 games over 11 days beginning Wednesday, June 21 and ending Saturday, July 1.
Domestically, ESPN2 and ESPNU will air live telecasts of six games with all remaining games on ESPN+, a video streaming service that has grown to more than 22.3 million subscribers since its launch in April 2018.
Internationally, games will be seen on TSN (Canada), Star+ (Latin America and Brazil), ESPN Player (Europe, Middle East, Africa), Watch ESPN (Pacific Rim) and ESPN Play (Caribbean).
The opening, semifinal and championship games will be played at Snapdragon Stadium in Mission Valley. All other games will be played at five other venues, including San Diego State University’s Rady Field, Wolf-Epoch Field, Morgan Stanley Field and SDSU Sports Deck and University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium. Game times vary with starting times beginning at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The tournament’s opening game on June 21 at Snapdragon will feature USA playing Canada starting at 7 p.m., as well as opening ceremonies starting at 5:30 p.m., with teams entering the stadium in a parade of nations similar to the International Olympics. Performing at halftime will be internationally-acclaimed disc jockey Steve Aoki, a Grammy Award nominee and past winner of MTV Latin America and Billboard DJ awards.
The 30 competing teams include: USA, Canada, Haudenosaunee, Australia and England in Pool “A;” Japan, Uganda, Wales, France and Denmark in Pool “B;” Israel, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Puerto Rico in Pool “C;” Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, Poland and Jamaica in Pool “D;” Scotland, Hong Kong, Italy, Austria and Mexico in Pool “E;” Ireland, Korea, Latvia, the Netherlands and Peru in Pool “F.”
Single-day tickets start at $40 with tournament passes allowing entry to all games and venues starting at $99. For information, visit www.worldlax2023.com.
The tournament’s title sponsor is Rady Children’s Hospital.
“At our core, we’re dedicated to bettering the lives of children and their families,” said Steve Jennings, Rady Children’s senior vice president and chief external affairs officer. “The national and global footprint of the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship, coupled with the incredible inspiration this event will have for the children we care for, made this an attractive partnership. We’re honored to present the world championship here in our hometown of San Diego.”
TV broadcast rights for the WLMC in San Diego are part of a two-year agreement signed in 2022 between ESPN and World Lacrosse, the sport’s international governing body as recognized by the International Olympic Committee. Financial terms of the deal were not publicly disclosed. However, Times of San Diego learned the deal was valued in the mid-six-figure range.
According to World Lacrosse, more than 900,000 individuals participate in lacrosse annually in the United States.
Southern California’s burgeoning lacrosse community is home to the National Lacrosse League’s San Diego Seals and the Premier Lacrosse League headquarters in Los Angeles. Seals owner Joe Tsai has served as chair of the San Diego 2023 WLMC Organizing Committee since January 2022, when the city was awarded the tournament.
It’s the first time the WLMC has been held in San Diego, and the fourth time in the U.S. since the tournament began in 1967. The tournament was held in Denver in 2014 and Baltimore in 1982 and 1998.
The 2023 tournament is the 14th time for the event that has been held every four years since 1974. The Americans have reached the finals in 13 previous world championships, winning 10 titles. USA beat Canada 9-8 in the last WLMC held in Netanya, Isreal in 2018.
Previous USA titles include the 1967 inaugural tournament in Toronto, Melbourne, Australia in 1974, Baltimore in 1982 and 1998, Toronto again in 1986, Perth, Australia in 1990 and 2002, Bury, England in 1994 and Manchester, England in 2010.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring this premier men’s lacrosse tournament to California for the first time,” said World Lacrosse CEO Jim Scherr. “The sport has seen rapid growth around the world and across the United States, especially in the southwestern region, and this event will serve as a catalyst for additional interest and participation as we seek to gain inclusion for lacrosse in the 2028 Olympics. Under the leadership of a connected and passionate local organizing committee, we anticipate unprecedented exposure for the sport amidst the stunning backdrop that Southern California provides.”
Julie Coker, president and CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, said, “This is a big win for San Diego. Events like these are critical to the health of our local tourism economy, especially as we continue our recovery. It will also help highlight why San Diego is the perfect destination to host athletes from around the world so we can continue to attract premier sporting events and grow this important sector of our tourism economy.”
Graphic Design Conference Presented by AIGA San Diego Tijuana
AIGA San Diego Tijuana, a bi-national, professional networking group of graphic designers in government, business and media, will present its 2023 Y Impact Design Conference from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, June 16, at the UC San Diego Park & Market building, 1100 Market Street. About 130 people are expected to attend.
Organizers said the conference will bring together global media and entertainment brand experts sharing how to harness the power of design, discover the power of creative activism and see how architecture and visual identity branding experts are pushing boundaries.
Speakers will include Theresa Fitzgerald, Eric Alba, Steffanie Lorig, Jennifer Sterling, Máximo Escobedo and Dave Conover.
“This event serves as a platform for designers from our region and beyond to connect, learn, and exchange ideas,” said MaeLin Levine, president, AIGA San Diego Tijuana. “With an exceptional lineup of charismatic, experienced, and thought-provoking speakers, we aim to empower and inspire attendees and equip them with the tools they need to create meaningful impact in their future work.”
Cost to attend is $200 for members, $250 for nonmembers and $50 for students. For more information, visit https://y-conference.com/y26/.
This year’s conference, the 27th in this history of AIGA San Diego, will be the final Y Conference because next year San Diego and Tijuana will host the first-ever International Design Conference and Design and Innovation Exhibition, a multi-day event celebrating the designs and innovations from our region that have changed the world.
Founded in 1914, AIGA, previously known as American Institute of Graphic Arts, today comprises more than 70 chapters worldwide. AIGA San Diego was established in 1987. Last year, AIGA San Diego changed its name to AIGA San Diego Tijuana.
Health Care Award Honorees Share Winning Strategies
The Health Care Communicators of Southern California, a professional networking group, has announced it will begin at 5 p.m., Tuesday, June 13, a six-month series of one-hour webinars featuring presentations by winners of its recent Finest Awards that recognized excellence in healthcare marketing and advertising.
The winners will discuss marketing strategy, execution and results, as well as answer questions. The categories for the group’s recent awards included public relations, digital marketing, writing, collateral, and special events. The webinars will be held every second Tuesday of the month through Dec. 12, 2023. For more information, send an email to admin@hccsc.org or visit www.hccsc.org.
Members of the group include communications professionals who work in the health care, wellness, biotech, medical device, health information technology and pharmaceutical industries in San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the Inland Empire.
Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego.
