Devon Randall
Raise a glass to San Diego-area brewers, who once again cleaned up at the Great American Beer Festival’s annual awards in Denver last month. In total, local brewers and brewpubs won more than a dozen awards for everything from oatmeal stouts to American-style strong ales (basically, the best IPA, which went to Monkey Paw’s Bonobos). Most notably, Devon Randall earned the distinction as the first female brewer from San Diego to win a medal at the festival. She won for her oatmeal ale creation at Pizza Port Solana Beach. “I love what I do and couldn’t see myself anywhere else,” she says. “Even though women haven’t had a place in brewing historically, more and more women have come to realize it’s an option. As it gains in popularity, we’ll see more and more female brewers.” Hey, Devon, we’ll drink to that.