San Diego Breweries NOT worth your time

I would say that you should definitely check out Thorn St. It's a super small spot, but they make some great stuff. Check out The Menace, it's their DIPA and it is super good. Coronado is also pretty good, if you're going to be in Coronado, a stop by their brewery/restaurant would be a good idea. Other than that, you won't be missing much if you don't stop by.

You can definitely skip Rough Draft IMO. I haven't had anything above average from them. Barrel Harbor, and Booze Brothers are also very average at this point.

Belching Beaver has a really good DIPA, and PB Stout. I definitely don't think they would be a waste of your time.

Cheers! I am sure you will have a great time out here.

 

Don't miss Benchmark. Ex Alesmith brewer Matt Akin. Try his mild if available.

 

My friend gave excellent reviews on one of their beers, said they were a good spot to hit. I trust him. Forget what beer he said was so good though.

 

I once posted a comment that I didn't think **** was worth going to, and someone (presumably the owner or an employee) flagged my post and I got a warning from one of the moderators. So I won't be saying that again.

 

Nice! I live super close to them, so I am there a lot. Their Coco Moco (Coconut Stout), Santos Coffee Stout, and The Menace are all really, really good.

Check them out sometime!

 

Belching Beaver is good.
I think a lot of people were turned off by the name at first, but the beer is high quality.

I didn't think Latitude 33 was very good, not on your list, Prohibition has decent food, but the beer is meh.

 

Telling people the criteria you're using for worth going to vs. worth skipping would probably help. Otherwise, you're going to get everyone's random opinions and invariably, each of San Diego's 80+ breweries will be on at least one person's list.

Just off the list you posted, Benchmark is very definitely worthwhile, Belching Beaver and Latitude 33 are both solid, and Coronado tends to have some interesting one-offs in the taproom at their production facility if you're interested in ticking.

 

I second Belching Beaver and Thorn St. I also live close by to Thorn St., so I may be biased, but sometimes I find myself ordering The Menace DIPA at other bars around town. They're a really good brewery, and their tasting room is awesome. They usually have solid food trucks, too. Fun atmosphere.

I'm one of the few people who doesn't care for Coronado, not bad, just not very good/great, in my opinion. I've never heard of Booze Brothers. Rough Draft and Latitude 33 have some decent beers, but aren't as well rounded as Thorn St. or Belching Beaver (or any other top tier San Diego brewery, IMHO).

At any rate, we're spoiled in San Diego, and you'd be hard-pressed to have a bad experience.

 

Barrel Harbor might be a good stop for anybody that was interested in the El Cajon Brewing Drama. Bringing along somebody that looks good in shorts, especially when bending over to mop the floor, would be a bonus.

 

Don't be a chicken - who was it?

 

What breweries are not worth your time?

That doesn't sound like real beer advocacy to me.

Why not start by letting everyone know what areas you'll be hitting up, which breweries you know that you for sure want to visit, and if there's any specific style(s) you're fond of?

 

Hahahaha! I literally spit water out at my monitor. Good one sir.

 

Oh my god. Thank you so much for bringing my attention to this drama. What a riveting read. I'm still combing through that thread. How did I miss all this??

 

Thorn St makes a mango-habanero that was very good. Don't forget Modern Times, their Fermentorium is pretty nice.
No bad days here in SD!

 

Iron Fist is the definition of "meh" IMO.

 

You definitely want to hit Benchmark, he is making some GREAT stuff!!!

I'm not in love with the Taproom food, but the beer lists are usually spot on (with a great local focus)!

If you're already planning on hitting Urge, check out their sister place down the road, Brother's Provisions. Good bottle shop, excellent cheese/meat selection!

 

I'd try and toss Green Flash in there if you can.