Innovative Milieu in Southern California: The Case of the San Diego Craft Breweries

Within the ethos of Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3), the EU regions seek to “discover specificities” in their territories to be harnessed in order to gain significant competitive advantages. This paper offers an illustration of a niche market which grew up in the North American context turning into a remarkable economic asset. First, we assess the consistency of the craft breweries instance with the “innovative milieu” concept. From this perspective, threespatial-based economic approaches, such as clusters and regional innovationecosystems, are compared and debated. Second, we shed light on the tools implemented by the public to boost this industry sector. The methodology follows a qualitative approach, harnessing both secondary and primary data, specifically interviews with key informants. The results shed light on a multi-faceted business-friendly ecosystem which encompasses a quadruple helix array of actors. Nonetheless, the attitude of the public sector has proven keen to identify and tackle needs and hindrances.