![\"Arryved](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/heading_praisingthebar_arryved-01-1024x257.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Low employee turnover is a reliable sign of a quality business. It means those long-tenured staffers are satisfied with their employers and vice versa. And when it comes to a hospitality venue like a brewery tasting room, longevity often translates to a level of comfort that benefits patrons and helps construct similarly lengthy relationships with regulars. A great example of this can be found at Helix Brewing<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>in La Mesa, an out-of-the-way spot that\u2019s worth discovering, in large part because of its friendly front-of-housers, many of which have been there for years and don\u2019t plan on leaving anytime soon. As part of our final Praising the Bar<\/a> <\/strong>feature of 2025, we\u2019re pleased to introduce you to four of Helix\u2019s finest! <\/p>\n Karen Marsh Where did you grow up?<\/strong> What brought you to San Diego?<\/strong> When and how did you get into craft beer \u2013 was there an a-ha moment \u2013 and did it happen before or after you started working in the industry?<\/strong> Have you worked for other breweries, and if so, which ones and in what capacity?<\/strong> What do you love most about your job?<\/strong> Truth time, what is the part of your job that you like the least?<\/strong> What accomplishments are you most proud of from your time in the craft-beer industry?<\/strong> What do you love most about the company you work for?<\/strong> What is your favorite beer that your brewery produces?<\/strong> What are some of your favorite San Diego craft beers, in general?<\/strong> What are some local brewery venues other than your own that you like to refer customers to or patronize when you\u2019re off the clock?<\/strong> Who are some of your favorite regulars and why?<\/strong> Everybody has funny work stories. Would you mind sharing one with us?<\/strong> What music genre and artists are playing in the tasting room when you\u2019re in control?<\/strong> What do you consider cornerstones when it comes to customer service, particularly at a brewery tasting room?<\/strong> What advice would you give to customers looking to have the best possible experience when visiting a brewery taproom?<\/strong> What are your career aspirations either in or beyond the craft-beer industry?<\/strong> What are some of your favorite beer events, whether at your brewery or elsewhere?<\/strong> What do you enjoy doing when you\u2019re not at work?<\/strong> Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question requiring a succinct 10-words-or-less answer)?<\/strong> Hunter Finley Where did you grow up?<\/strong> Have you worked for other breweries, and if so, which ones and in what capacity?<\/strong> What do you love most about your job?<\/strong> Truth time, what is the part of your job that you like the least?<\/strong> What accomplishments are you most proud of from your time in the craft-beer industry?<\/strong> What do you love most about the company you work for?<\/strong> What is your favorite beer that your brewery produces?<\/strong> What are some local brewery venues other than your own that you like to refer customers to or patronize when you\u2019re off the clock?<\/strong> Who are some of your favorite regulars and why?<\/strong> Everybody has funny work stories. Would you mind sharing one with us?<\/strong> What music genre and artists are playing in the tasting room when you\u2019re in control?<\/strong> What do you consider cornerstones when it comes to customer service, particularly at a brewery tasting room?<\/strong> What are some of your favorite beer events, whether at your brewery or elsewhere?<\/strong> What do you enjoy doing when you\u2019re not at work?<\/strong> Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question requiring a succinct 10-words-or-less answer)?<\/strong> Andrew Angulo Where did you grow up? When and how did you get into craft beer \u2013 was there an a-ha moment \u2013 and did it happen before or after you started working in the industry? What do you love most about your job? Truth time, what is the part of your job that you like the least?<\/strong> What accomplishments are you most proud of from your time in the craft-beer industry? What do you love most about the company you work for? What is your favorite beer that your brewery produces? What are some of your favorite San Diego craft beers, in general? What are some local brewery venues other than your own that you like to refer customers to or patronize when you\u2019re off the clock?<\/strong> Who are some of your favorite regulars and why? Everybody has funny work stories. Would you mind sharing one with us? What music genre and artists are playing in the tasting room when you\u2019re in control?<\/strong> What do you consider cornerstones when it comes to customer service, particularly at a brewery tasting room? What advice would you give to customers looking to have the best possible experience when visiting a brewery taproom? What are your career aspirations either in or beyond the craft-beer industry? What do you enjoy doing when you\u2019re not at work?<\/strong> Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question requiring a succinct 10-words-or-less answer)?<\/strong> Catalina Perez Where did you grow up?<\/strong> What brought you to San Diego?<\/strong> When and how did you get into craft beer \u2013 was there an a-ha moment \u2013 and did it happen before or after you started working in the industry?<\/strong> What do you love most about your job?<\/strong> Truth time, what is the part of your job that you like the least?<\/strong> What accomplishments are you most proud of from your time in the craft-beer industry?<\/strong> What do you love most about the company you work for?<\/strong> What is your favorite beer that your brewery produces?<\/strong> What are some of your favorite San Diego craft beers, in general?<\/strong> What are some local brewery venues other than your own that you like to refer customers to or patronize when you\u2019re off the clock?<\/strong> Who are some of your favorite regulars and why?<\/strong> Everybody has funny work stories. Would you mind sharing one with us?<\/strong> What music genre and artists are playing in the tasting room when you\u2019re in control?<\/strong> What do you consider cornerstones when it comes to customer service, particularly at a brewery tasting room?<\/strong> What advice would you give to customers looking to have the best possible experience when visiting a brewery taproom?<\/strong> What are your career aspirations either in or beyond the craft-beer industry?<\/strong> What are some of your favorite beer events, whether at your brewery or elsewhere?<\/strong> What do you enjoy doing when you\u2019re not at work?<\/strong> Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question requiring a succinct 10-words-or-less answer)?<\/strong> Helix Brewing is located at 8101 Commercial Street in La Mesa<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Low employee turnover is a reliable sign of a quality business. It means those long-tenured staffers are satisfied…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":448859,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5134],"tags":[5229,22127,1582,276,206426,10506,206427,3549,7264,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-448858","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-brewery","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-california","12":"tag-helix-brewing","13":"tag-la-mesa","14":"tag-praising-the-bar","15":"tag-san-diego","16":"tag-sandiego","17":"tag-united-states","18":"tag-united-states-of-america","19":"tag-unitedstates","20":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","21":"tag-us","22":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115724189592404540","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448858","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448858"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448858\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448859"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448858"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448858"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448858"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Karen](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/helix_01-724x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n
Tasting Room Manager<\/p>\n
Sao Paulo, Brazil<\/p>\n
I had been here once before on vacation with a friend, just doing all the tourist stuff you can do in California, and I loved San Diego! I come from a big and highly populated city, so San Diego had the small-town feel but it also had everything. So the following year I just quit my job, packed my bags and moved here. That was 16 years ago.<\/p>\n
I got into craft beer through friends that either worked in the industry or were just very into beer. Then I lived in North Park for a while. I was within walking distance of Toronado, where Nate Soroko got me into IPAs and sour beers.<\/p>\n
I worked for a couple of years as a beertender at Groundswell Brewing when they first opened.<\/p>\n
Meeting new people and learning about the beers. Helix has such a cool vibe. It is really like a second home.<\/p>\n
The scheduling and bookings. It\u2019s hard to please everyone!<\/p>\n
Being part of the industry for over 10 years is an accomplishment in itself, along with all the knowledge I\u2019ve gained and the connections I\u2019ve made.<\/p>\n
I love the atmosphere and the people. We have a great team and we are all pretty much like family. Also, Helix\u2019s owner, Cameron Ball, is a very chill guy to work for.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Galaxy rye IPA<\/p>\n
I always have Secret Safari pale ale from Abnormal Beer Co. in my fridge at home. Sunny Grove Brewing\u2019s Jandals IPA, Burning Beard Brewing\u2019s New Fang pale ale and Fall Brewing\u2019s Magical & Delicious pale ale are some of my other favorites.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t really go to as many breweries as people think, but when I do, you will find me at Sunny Grove or Fall.<\/p>\n
We have so many amazing regulars! Barney and Mary Lou are one of my favorite couples, and they\u2019ve became personal friends of mine. And also the Weavers. They are the nicest people and always a joy to have around!<\/p>\n
We have two buildings at our location, the Helix side with our regular beers and Sourworx with our sours. If a customer asks for a sour beer and I have to walk with them to Sourworx, I think it\u2019s funny that a lot of times they end up following me all the way behind the bar!<\/p>\n
Arcade Fire, Arctic Monkeys, Radiohead and The National or, if I\u2019m feeling more nostalgic, Violent Femmes, James and Depeche Mode. One of our regulars once said he knows who\u2019s working by the time he walks in just based on what\u2019s playing!<\/p>\n
Knowing how to manage your time. We want to get to know our customers, but we might have to cut the conversation short to be able to help someone else. Be aware of the surroundings so you know when someone needs something.<\/p>\n
Be open to trying different types of beer. There are so many amazing options, you might find something new that you will love. Check out the menu and have questions ready before you order. Be respectful to the staff and patrons.<\/p>\n
I love what I do and appreciate all the trust that was given me to do this job. I\u2019ll probably be at Helix forever\u2026ha!<\/p>\n
The San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew Fest and also Punk in Drublic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Spending time with my family. I have a seven-year-old that keeps me pretty busy. But when I can, I also love going to concerts \u2013 Casbah is my absolute favorite venue \u2013 and dinner with friends.<\/p>\n
Just a mom who loves beer and music.<\/p>\n![\"Hunter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/helix_02-708x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n
Beertender<\/p>\n
I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and moved here when I was six, but am so happy to have grown up here in San Diego.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I work at Gravity Heights, also as a server.<\/p>\n
I love the community and how it feels like a big family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Being someone\u2019s therapist when I\u2019m feeling burnt out myself.<\/p>\n
The people I\u2019ve made connections with at the brewery. It keeps customers coming back and excited about who\u2019s working, which is lovely for bringing the community aspect of life that we all need more of.<\/p>\n
We are a tight-knit family and also have a lot of freedom. There\u2019s not someone constantly over our shoulders. Cameron is big on \u201cjudgment calls\u201d.<\/p>\n
Definitely the Galaxy rye IPA and Haze for Horses hazy IPA, but my favorites are the sours. I really like them all, specifically mixing two different ones. Regulars will come in and ask for a mix of mine and I love that.<\/p>\n
Burning Beard and McIlhenney Brewing. I love supporting the East County breweries.<\/p>\n
Of course the Brady family. Also John Flynn and Ben Schiwitz, who has become a good friend of mine.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not necessarily funny, but I do get to take out my feminine rage on the old guys that make inappropriate comments to the girls behind the bar. Those are always funny moments for us.<\/p>\n
Definitely No Doubt or anything reggae!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Getting to know your customers. I like to pour their beers before they walk up to the bar when I already know what they want.<\/p>\n
Definitely our annual anniversary party!<\/p>\n
I love the beach, camping, farmers\u2019 markets, Padres games, eating out at yummy restaurants and laughing with friends.<\/p>\n
A free spirit who loves dancing through life and travel.<\/p>\n![\"Andrew](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/helix_03-711x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n
Beertender<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I was born and raised in La Mesa.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I fell in love with beer with the original Alpine Beer Co.\u2019s Nelson IPA. It hurt my heart when the brewery was sold to Green Flash Brewing and the recipe was changed. Then I stumbled into Helixing one day and couldn\u2019t find a bad beer. From that point on, I knew I wanted to work here.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I love mixing it up with the local community, hanging with my coworkers in and out of work, and working for our boss, Cameron, He\u2019s the man.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>The part I like the least is for sure cleaning the toilets.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I\u2019m proud of building this community we have here at Helix. I\u2019ve been here since day one and have had the pleasure of watching this thing grow into what it is today.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Promoting the beers. It\u2019s easy when the product you sell is something you believe in. A close second is working for and with a staff and leader you trust.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I\u2019m always partial to the Galaxy rye IPA. Right now, my favorite is the Hoptical Prism IPA. It might be the best beer we make. I used to love the Black Eye Rye which was a black IPA, but that has sadly been discontinued.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>That is an everchanging answer. The safe bet is anything Mcilhenney produces. I used to love Stone Brewing\u2019s Xocoveza spiced mocha stout.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Mchilhenney, Sunny Grove, Burning Beard, Fall and Societe Brewing<\/p>\n
<\/strong>My favorite is the Brady family: Lance, Rhett and Max. They are a great group, always take care of us, and are just extremely generous and fun to be around. We\u2019ve become true friends outside of the brewery. Notables are Ben Schiwitz, Mark Nunnari, Kurt and Jen, Mike and Diane, and Mike, even though he\u2019s a Dodgers fan.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>One time, a guy who was clearly on drugs soiled himself outside then wanted to wash himself off in our sink area, which is a communal setup. He also wanted to know where the cops were. I told him they weren\u2019t here and there was absolutely no chance he was cleaning off in our sink. I was eventually able to get him back outside and he had a brand new F150, which got me thinking about his life choices. He came back the next day sober and apologized. I\u2019ve been here for nine years and that type of thing has only happened once. That\u2019s a pretty good track record.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Straight vibes. Reggae or 311 Radio. Barrington Levy. When we close and want to turn up a bit I might throw on some 2000s hip-hop.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Understanding where the customer is coming from. They want to have a good time and it\u2019s our job to facilitate that. Help them choose the beer that will treat them right. Make them feel welcomed, but remain a real person. There\u2019s nothing worse than fake service-worker activity. You need to care.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Lean on beertenders. They know what\u2019s good and\u00a0 what\u2019s selling fast. We try the beer the most and we want this place to feel like home, so let us help you have a good time!<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I want to run a place that serves the community with good clean ingredients and provides a service to my people. I have a microgreen farm selling to local restaurants. I want San Diego to have a place to get fresh produce, fresh beer and fresh vibes from within.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>I like working on my business, working out, going outside and exploring, golfing and cultivating the relationships in my life that matter.<\/p>\n
I am a loyal friend that puts my people first.<\/p>\n![\"Catalina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/helix_04-743x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n
Beertender<\/p>\n
Santa Barbara<\/p>\n
I continued my education at SDSU in 2021 and loved it enough to stay!<\/p>\n
I was lucky enough to find some extra IPAs laying around in my dad\u2019s cooler when we would go camping, so I acquired a taste for them probably before I should have. But I definitely started enjoying them a lot more after working in the industry.<\/p>\n
The beer and the vibe speak for itself \u2013 no stress trying to impress. Oh, and beer shots!<\/p>\n
Hand-picking ZYNs out of the urinal at the end of the night.<\/p>\n
Every day I\u2019m at Helix, I learn something new. It feels good to have the confidence in myself to make judgment calls that I may have been hesitant to do on my own in the past. Some days you\u2019re there by yourself and there\u2019s no one to lean on when you need to come up with a solution, so trusting in myself to make the best call for me, the customers and the brewery is a good feeling.<\/p>\n
I love the environment Cameron has created. He is so laidback and full of joy. All he wants for his employees and customers is to be happy and healthy. It felt like family from day one. He actually got offended when I called him my boss and not my friend. Being able to go to work every day and be entrusted with something that he built from the ground up feels pretty rad.<\/p>\n
Praguenosis red Czech lager! And, of course, Stoner Moment IPA, duh.<\/p>\n
Abnormal\u2019s Boss Pour IPA, as well as Harland Brewing\u2019s Japanese Lager and Ube IPA.<\/p>\n
Fall, Harland and Latchkey Brewing<\/p>\n
There are so many wonderful people that I am blessed to spend time with every week, but if I had to choose a few to mention I\u2019d say the Brady Bunch, Kylie and Dom, and Barney. They\u2019re all so generous, care about others, and everyone is happy to see them. Shoutout to all the lovely faces that constantly support us!<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so hard to narrow down all of the funny moments. I think a good one would be when one of our beertenders shaved his infamous beard and no one knew who was standing behind the bar serving beer when we walked in for our shifts that evening.<\/p>\n
Stick Figure is hands down number one, but I don\u2019t mind switching it up with some country. And when it\u2019s a mellow night and it\u2019s coming to an end, I like a good Tyler Childers or Red Clay Strays playlist.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s so important to engage with people, especially when you can tell they may need some guidance or don\u2019t have much craft-beer experience. Asking questions like, \u201cWhat do you like to drink?\u201d or telling them a bit more about how the place works always helps people feel comfortable and welcome.<\/p>\n
I think walking into a taproom can be a bit intimidating for customers because they don\u2019t want to feel out of place or clueless. I think the best thing to do right off the bat is ask questions like, \u201cHey, this is my first time here. Can you tell me a bit more about how this place works?\u201d We aren\u2019t going to assume you want a whole rundown of the place unless you ask, and once you do we\u2019re happy to help.<\/p>\n
I would love to work in a supporting role in law enforcement and make a positive impact on the community.<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t attended many beer events because they\u2019re always on weekends, but Munich had some pretty fun biergartens.<\/p>\n
I love being in the sun, staying active and spending time with people who make me laugh!<\/p>\n
A girl who loves the Good Lord and good beer.<\/p>\n