What makes a community? Miles and brews.

What happens when a running store, craft brewery, and shoe brand join forces? A hoppy beer, pizza party, and stronger community.

This past June, Milestone Running, Mission Brewing, and Hoka teamed up to create a collab beer and host a release party. Johnny Vu, a Hoka brand representative in San Diego, initiated the collaboration. He was already friends with both Aaron Long, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mission, and Greg Lemon, a founder and owner of Milestone, and he knew they both were deeply connected to the San Diego community.

“I thought that these two guys could come together to create something really special and let the community know that Mission Brewery and Milestone are here for them,” Johnny said.

So Johnny reached out to Aaron, who also happens to attend Milestone’s weekly run club in North Park, a neighborhood in San Diego. While run clubs and breweries might not seem to have similar goals, Aaron sees a connection. 

“At the end of the day, run clubs are all about community, socializing, getting to know people in your area. Working for a craft brewery, that’s kind of the same kind of mission we’re in, except instead of trying to get people healthier, we’re kind of actively fighting against it,” Aaron said with a chuckle. 

The collaboration would be a creative way for the businesses to work together to foster and celebrate community. When Johnny pitched the idea to Greg, who helped found Milestone twelve years ago, he was in.

“[I] hadn’t ever thought of a beer collab,” Greg said, “This was a cool opportunity for us, and also to partner up with a couple of brands that we love. It’s exciting.” 

Greg wanted to include Milestone’s racing team, a subset of the store’s run club, in the collab and release party. He talked with some of the team, and together they decided to add another element that’s key to any good celebration, especially one full of hungry, carb-seeking runners: pizza.

Since Mission Brewing does not sell food, Milestone’s racing team planned a pizza fundraiser to host during the release party. Proceeds would help cover race registration and other costs for the team.

The last — and most important — thing to consider was the beer itself.

Aaron and Mission Brewing, which has been around since pre-Prohibition, wanted to create something that would please both hop-heads and those wanting something refreshing after putting in the miles. They came up with the Milestone West Coast Pilsner. 

“You’re gonna get an easy drinking beer [with a] West Coast signature San Diego hop style in there,” Aaron said. Starting with a crisp pilsner, the beer would stay refreshing (and low ABV) enough to sip on post-run, and the added West Coast hops gives a nod to San Diego and its tight-knit community. “A perfect pint to share with your neighbor,” he added.

With the location, brew, and food in place, Johnny, Aaron, and Greg started spreading the word about the release party and limited edition collab beer. 

Unsurprisingly, members of the Milestone Run Club were some of the first to arrive. Beer was flowing, pizza was passed around, and happy runners and non-runners alike filled Mission Brewing’s indoor and outdoor taproom. 

The collab beer may have been the catalyst, but it represents something greater: community. Milestone, Mission, and Hoka showed the value in bringing folks together, whether it’s from miles shared on the road, pints shared in the taproom, or a little bit of both.