Pure Project
Main Beer Listing
9030 Kenamar Dr
Ste 308
San Diego, California, 92121-2432
United States
(858) 252-6143 | map
purebrewing.org
Iit all started back in 2013 when friends from San Diego, Jesse Pine and Mat Robar were on a backpacking trip with friends in the Rocky Mountains. Jesse had recently moved to Costa Rica and was starting to become acquainted with the country. Over the next few days in the woods, the idea took shape to open a craft brewery in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica and Manuel Antonio Brewing Company was born, Pura Vida!
Enter Winslow Sawyer, an award-winning brewer from the Santa Cruz Mountains. With a strong knowledge and background in agriculture, he was very connected to the ingredients and did his senior thesis at UC Santa Cruz on sustainability in the brewing industry. Winslow jumped on board in late 2015 and quickly began to build out our initial tap list.
We blend distinctively Southern California style with unique flavors & ingredients. It is a big world out there and we are committed to sourcing quality from across the globe to right down the street.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)
4.29/5 rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
4.29/5 rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.25
Top notch. I was very impressed last year's expedition at main.location. this place with Devon and Ted and koko Japanese start up next door was a real find.
Jan 19, 2026
Reviewed by snaotheus from Washington
4.54/5 rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25
4.54/5 rDev +5.6%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4.25
Visited early afternoon on a Thursday with my wife. We shared a flight, sat at the bar, and chatted with the server the whole time we were there. He was planning a trip to our area, we spent a ton of time chatting about the beer scene around Seattle versus San Diego. He also brought out some interesting stuff for us to try, and made us feel like we were visiting friends, not just at a bar. Awesome visit.
Place is pretty little, on a weekday afternoon was surprisingly busy, but mostly with people coming in and grabbing stuff to go. Interesting selection of things on tap (maybe 20 taps or something, dominated by IPAs but server said that was unusual). Everything we tried was really good.
100% would recommend this place.
May 19, 2023Place is pretty little, on a weekday afternoon was surprisingly busy, but mostly with people coming in and grabbing stuff to go. Interesting selection of things on tap (maybe 20 taps or something, dominated by IPAs but server said that was unusual). Everything we tried was really good.
100% would recommend this place.
Reviewed by BillRoth from Maryland
4.57/5 rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
4.57/5 rDev +6.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Visited Pure Project on 5th Ave. Great modern layout; very nice table set up outside.
Electronic digital menu on walls. Super long “L” bar. Roomy, Airey; lively ; fun. Throw in the outside sunshine…and you know you’re in SD.
Broad range of their beers… lots of IPAs; lagers and Schmoogees as one expects these days. Also more than a few other styles. But I was most “wow’d” by their big stouts. Some truly great Imp stouts both barrel aged and not. Reminded me of Mortalis (NY) beer quality and style wise. Actually mentioned this and was told they just finished a collab with them. How cool is that?
The beers were great, and matched by the great people working there at the @ Balboa Park location.
Just became one of my favs in that seemingly endless wonderland of great beer stops aka San Diego area.
Oct 09, 2022Electronic digital menu on walls. Super long “L” bar. Roomy, Airey; lively ; fun. Throw in the outside sunshine…and you know you’re in SD.
Broad range of their beers… lots of IPAs; lagers and Schmoogees as one expects these days. Also more than a few other styles. But I was most “wow’d” by their big stouts. Some truly great Imp stouts both barrel aged and not. Reminded me of Mortalis (NY) beer quality and style wise. Actually mentioned this and was told they just finished a collab with them. How cool is that?
The beers were great, and matched by the great people working there at the @ Balboa Park location.
Just became one of my favs in that seemingly endless wonderland of great beer stops aka San Diego area.
Rated by evanwoertz from California
4.75/5 rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
4.75/5 rDev +10.5%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
fantastic vibe, exceptional variety
Jul 21, 2022
Reviewed by Beersnake from California
4.39/5 rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
4.39/5 rDev +2.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5
Visited on a Sunday. Very cool little spot near many other breweries. It was a really hot day, so people were jockeying for table space. It's pretty small inside with only a few tables. Great tap list and bottles to go. The service was fantastic. Very nice and well-informed. Cool vibe inside - a huge screen playing nature scenes and nice artwork on the other side. The beer was amazing. Would definitely visit again soon.
Sep 07, 2021
Reviewed by BeanBump from California
4/5 rDev -7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
4/5 rDev -7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Solid 4. The place is always clean and well kept, service is good and they have a good range of beers on the menu at any given time, which usually includes one or two barrel-aged offerings. Theyre right next door to Amplified Ale Works which is cool because you can hop back and forth. My only real gripe is the amount of space. Its not super roomy and normally that isnt an issue but if its a beer release day, it gets packed and sweaty. Plan accordingly.
Note: their new "Pure at the Park" location in Banker's Hill is huge and amazing
Jan 08, 2020Note: their new "Pure at the Park" location in Banker's Hill is huge and amazing
Rated by oldmankoch from Utah
4.49/5 rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
4.49/5 rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Love the craftsman log cabin vibe going on inside. 16 taps with a great assortment of styles. IPAs are a touch dry on their finish.
Dec 06, 2019
Reviewed by lucius10 from California
4.37/5 rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75
4.37/5 rDev +1.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.75
So glad I had the opportunity to stop by here! Nice little place that has a decent and Chill vibe to it. I was really impressed by the selection of brews...especially the hazies!
Jun 27, 2019
Reviewed by CJNAPS from California
3.79/5 rDev -11.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
3.79/5 rDev -11.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.25
Small place but great beers, small can selection for sale. No outside seating .
Bartenders were nice and helpful even as busy as they were. Place never emptied out, good sign. Cheers
Aug 27, 2018Bartenders were nice and helpful even as busy as they were. Place never emptied out, good sign. Cheers
Reviewed by WillieThreebiers from Connecticut
4.08/5 rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4
4.08/5 rDev -5.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Small store front brewery in industrial park. Small bar seats 6 a half dozen tables scattered about the room. Some bottle and can sales, but not particularly flexible. A dozen beers on tap, nice selection.
2 24 22... place got better
Jan 04, 20182 24 22... place got better
Rated by angelinesd from California
4.73/5 rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
4.73/5 rDev +10%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5
I keep coming back. Brews are consistently great.
Dec 23, 2017
Rated by DCPlus14 from California
4.68/5 rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
4.68/5 rDev +8.8%
vibe: 4.75 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5
Like this place a lot. Hope they continue what they are doing!
Nov 11, 2017
Reviewed by chrisjws from California
4.01/5 rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
4.01/5 rDev -6.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 3.75 | selection: 4
Top notch NE hoppy beers in San Diego! Don't bother with the single cans in the fridge on non-release days, they charge $15-20 per 16oz. Yeah, forget that.
Otherwise, chill vibe and very... interesting decor.
Nov 07, 2017Otherwise, chill vibe and very... interesting decor.
Reviewed by DrinkThemAll from California
4.27/5 rDev -0.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
4.27/5 rDev -0.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
All the beers here were very delicious. Not being able to move or breathe while you're enjoying them kills the experience. It’s a very small place that was packed to the rafters. Decorated nicely and quality beers, just way too small.
Sep 30, 2017
Reviewed by Lucnifter from California
4.49/5 rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
4.49/5 rDev +4.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.75
Snug little tasting room that's extremely popular on the weekends. The hype is real and the beers mostly live up to it. Excellent service. Wish the tasting room was a bit roomier.
Jun 11, 2017
We love reviews (150 characters or more)! You don't need to get fancy. Drop some thoughts on the place's attributes plus your overall impression. Something that backs up your rating and helps others. Thanks!