This thesis investigates how and why craft beer became a part of San Diego's urban landscape, culture, and identity. Using an interdisciplinary and poststructural historical analysis, this case study explores not only the how and why, but what this trend says about contemporary urban America. This study argues craft beer was first adopted because the item fit into the San Diego elite's sociocultural paradigm, but was exotic enough to pique interest. After its acceptance by local elite, craft beer's consumption spread in the urban environment via its connection to gentrification. Ultimately, the product achieved city-wide acceptance because of its liminal status between cultural constructs and its function as a vehicle for socialization. Craft beer became a focal point for a community of consumption and a vital aspect of many San Diegans' urban identity. In today's world, urban Americans are surrounded by consumption at all times; it is an inescapable part of the urban lifestyle. As a result, consumables act as markers of identity in urban cultures.
