SD - Mira Mesa area help

Don't.

All good choices - going to mostly depend on what neighborhoods you happen to be in. Between BLAH and T!T!, T!T! is definitely more foodie-oriented... I've never had anything disappointing there. And yeah, the banh mi is excellent. You look at the menu and you think "WTF I'm not paying $10 for a goddamn banh mi" but it's totally worth it.

 

I think you would be doing yourself a disservice to come to SD and be in the North Park area and not go to Hamilton's. And just a side note, it's good to know, Hamilton's, Small Bar, and Monkey Paw Brewpub are all related. I love them all, but here is a quick rundown.
Hammy's = Purely beer
Small Bar = Beer and cocktails
Monkey Paw = Their own beer, plus guest beers, plus cocktails.
They all have ridiculously tasty food. Insider tip if at Hammys- get an order of fries and a cup of beer cheese soup to dip them in.

But still, you can't go wrong with that list you've made. I love Small Bar but I think it's more of an experience to go to Hamilton's.

 

Would recommend the fish n chips as well.

I must wholeheartedly agree with Sage. I don't mean to bash anyone, but your time in San Diego will be much better spent at other locations. These simply, (not yet anyways) do not represent the world-class beer the city of San Diego is producing.
I know StarRaptor mentioned it previously, but it deserves another vote of confidence. If you're a hophead, you must stop in at Societe and sample their hoppy beers. They're putting out pales/IPAs that rival the best by Alpine and Russian River.
Regardless, I'm sure you'll have a great time. Please report back with what you loved/hated(hopefully nothing)!
Cheers!

 

Why is Wet N' Reckless part of any discussion?

 

2 reasons:

1. People are being wise asses.
2. People are part of the small Dave Hyndman groupie club.

 

Because wet and reckless is the happening spot in San Diego. They have a genius name and carry beer that only a guy who thinks they might get a quick blow job would drink.

 

Churchills will more than likely have the game on Saturday. Usually a big soccer bar. You can always call or hit them up on Facebook to find out. Great place for food and the tap list is always fantastic. If you even feel like getting a little extra after Rip Current Brewing is a new kid on the block about three minutes from Churchills and are doing awesome stuff for such a young brewery.

But I can't argue with any O'Briens recommendation. Especially if it includes the way too quick trip to Societe.

Just as a tangent, I read these "San Diego Trip-help" threads and realize how much I take this beer community for granted.

 

Church is definitely worth it. Would also hit Port Brewing/Lost Abbey if you are that far north. 5 minutes from Church.

 

I know this has been mentioned already, but you're going to be doing a ton of driving to see all these places. We have such awesome opportunities for killer beer experiences in San Diego, and typically you can get 3-4 places in small geographical pockets, but the downside is that these "pockets" are spread out with the only efficient way to get there is by car.

I'm in the North County and the Lost Abbey/Churchills/Rip Current (and Stone if only to have a beer in the Gardens) pocket is going to give you a really cool variety of San Diego beer and all three are probably within 5 miles of each other. Then I would do the O'Briens/Societe duo, especially if soccer is on the agenda.

You won't be able to do everything, enjoy your time, and still be upright. Choose wisely

 

Societe and Alesmith are making the best beer in that area by far. If you go anywhere, make it those two places.

 

You can safely skip Iron Fist, Hess, Mission and Coronado. None of them are necessarily bad, but they're greatly outclassed by other breweries in SD. You're better off putting all that time toward checking out Alpine, or just spending all day at Societe.

Stone is fun, you probably won't find many overly exciting beers there, but the beer garden itself is pretty awesome. In close proximity you'll find Churchill's (one of the best pubs in SD), and some good new breweries with Rip Current, Latitude 33 and Belching Beaver.

Unlikely you'll find good sours anywhere. The only brewery in SD that really excels at sour beer is Lost Abbey, and they generally don't have sours on tap. If you want good year-round sours in CA, it'll probably require a trip up to Russian River.

 

Agree mostly, not really a fan of Iron Fist and still have never tried a Hess beer, but I have a huge beer geek friend from out of state (who grew up in SD and got into craft beer while in SD) whose parents also love craft beer, and they rave about Mission Brewery when they stay in SD for vacation. Granted they aren't saying it's the best beer in the world but it's not bad, and they really love the vibe of the tasting room (I haven't been there myself).

Also, as a tourist I think Coronado brewing is not a bad place to hit up, the only problem is if you go to the Coronado location it's mostly a restaurant with a small bar area that's usually at capacity, and it's not a place where you can stand around the bar. If you don't have a seat at the bar you pretty much need to get a table in the restaurant... sorta feels lame and doesn't have the feeling of a brewery or brewpub at all. Does Coronado make world class beer like Alpine, Societe, Pizza Port? No, But they do make pretty good beer in a good setting. Sometimes I even crave to go down to Orange Ave and have a brew at Coronado. If the Original Poster doesn't care about going to Coronado Island specifically, I would hit up Coronado's tasting room by Mission Beach... probably more a "brewery" experience.

 

Regarding Stone, they just opened their Liberty Station location, which is said to be pretty awesome.

 

A buddy of mine went a couple nights ago and sent over the taplist. Likely to be different by the time Tolann gets there, but just to give an idea of what to expect:


Said the place was huge, very nice, food was pricey but good (he recommended the BLT).

He left with a growler of the Mixtape, but said that the OT Stout was a highlight for him.

 

Coronado's new-ish tasting room is really nice and they usually have quite a few "special" beers on tap, as well as a food truck during the day. Their beer isn't mind blowing, but they do a good job of having a nice selection of different styles.

Oh ya, Ballast Point is also right around the corner.

 

Apparently it's the biggest restaurant in SD. No joke.