Visiting San Diego - Summer 2014

So my list now includes:

• Toolbox
• Rip Current
• Council Brewing
• Modern Times

Are there any other tiny breweries that are doing things a bit different than the standard San Diego lineup?

 

Somehow acquire a taste for milk stouts since I will still push Belching Beaver onto that list. Their IPAs are a bit lackluster compared to all of our other offerings, but the milk stout is quite fantastic.

 

I get what you are saying and I will head your advice. I get frustrated when people post on the PNW forum asking where they can go to breweries that are making the best IPAs and Stouts in PDX - and we try to direct them to the farmhouse and sour houses because that is what we think Portland does best.

So just because I don't have a taste for milk stouts, I will go to Belching Beaver and try them. Beercations should not only reinforce your styles but help you branch out into new ones. So thank you.

 

Worst case scenario, you hate it, Toolbox and Rip Current are like right down the road. =P

 

Does anyone in San Diego use Taplister - I stumbled upon it recently - but it doesn't seem like anything has been updated in years on it. For example, Neighborhood has a last updated date of 10/01/2012 - of http://www.taplister.com/bars/neighborhood/46c1c912f964a520f2491fe3/ and Toronado is 9/30/2012 - http://www.taplister.com/bars/toronado/48344d88f964a520e54f1fe3/

I looked on beermenus but there seems to be only a few places in SD on here, and not updated recently either. ( http://www.beermenus.com/places/5624-the-hopping-pig ) .

I'm not going to be renting a car, and going to be staying in the Gaslamp district (Grand Hyatt), so trying to find places nearby that I'd be able to drink some Alpine and Societe on tap.

 

Those 2 sites don't get much love. You're better off using https://untappd.com & http://sandiego.taphunter.com/.

 

Two of the three places that would have those on tap are notorious for not updating tap lists on any central tap list forums. If you follow O'Brien's Facebook page and Toronado's or Nate's Facebook pages, you will get more updated tap lists, but they are not complete nor regular.

Societe: best best is to just go there.
Alpine: best bet is to go there, though you might want to check out either Toro or O'Brien's to see if they have anything on.
Hamilton's: check out their web site - they do a pretty good job of updating their tap list there.

Hamilton's is not that far from where you are.

 

Maybe look up Benchmark? I love their Brown.

 

I personally would suggest Saint Archer over Rip Current. Haven't been to RC in about a year, so they have no doubt switched taps since then, but I enjoyed SA immensely last week.

 

I still need to visit Rip Current. Got hooked on them based solely on their Boch that they sent to an Olivenhain Oktoberfest like a year ago.

 

That may be the first time I've ever seen St. Archer recommended over any of the San Diego beer luminaries. I think they get dissed too much (mostly for their marketing scheme) and that they make nicely drinkable beer, but they don't exactly push boundaries. Not that it matters - they are pretty far apart and in different beer corridors, so it is very unlikely one would be choosing between the two. St. Archer is near Rough Draft, Alesmith, Hess (the original location), Pacific, 2Kids, Intergalactic, and Ballast Point (Old Grove and the future Carrol Way spot). Rip Current is near Lost Abbey, Stone Escondido, Churchill's Pub, and all of those Vista breweries.

 

I recommend St. Archer every time after a good climbing session at Vertical Hold. Maybe it is because grasping a cold pint feels really good on the hands, or that V. Hold members get 15% off....either way....good times.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions - I got back into Portland last night and thoroughly enjoyed my trip to San Diego and Orange County.
I was not able to make it to Toolbox or Council brewing, but I am going to be back down in a month and over Christmas - so those are still on my list.

I was able to go to Mike Hess, Modern Times, Bruery, Bottle Logic, Ballast Point (scripps), Stone (airport), White Labs. As a reminder, i had already been to Alesmith, Lost Abbey/Port, Stone, Ballast Point.

New Places that were highlights were:

Modern Times in Point Loma:

• Black House was really really good. and Funky Lomaland was probably the best beer i had the whole trip.

Mike Hess Brewing

• Their North Park space is incredible - talk about eye candy. Most beer is average, but their rye imperial stout was really really good. Also they were pretty cheap and they give out a free glass with their tasting trays.

White Labs

• Geeked out at this place, but the guy gave me shit when i said i usually use Wyeast. Oh well I think this needs to be recommended to all people who visit San Diego.

I was also able to drink some grapefruit Sculpin, Stone Mocha Stout, Peanut Butter Milk Stout (really enjoyed because it tasted exactly how it sounds) as well as some other random beers.

Outside of San Diego I went up to Orange County and hit the Bruery, which was such a disappointment to me. I might have just ordered wrong, but their barrel aged stuff did not hit any of the right notes for me.

I also hit Bottle Logic, which was I thought was made some good beer. Their double actuator DIPA was pretty awesome.

All in all, I'm glad I get to visit this area pretty regularly and cant wait to get back down again to explore some others.

Next on my list is rip current, toolbox, and council.

Cheers.

 

Wow, thanks for the guide! We are heading to the SD area in two days from the Detroit area...our first trip out that way. This guide, along with a buddy's recommendations who is in the Vista area, should help us at least narrow down what looks to be an amazing array of places to visit. Cheers!

 

Thanks for posting a recap. Always good to hear how things went

 

Glad you had a good trip, it sounds like it was awesome.

When White Labs first opened the tasting room I made the same comment about Wyeast. I bet they constantly hear the same thing and I'm sure it was just a knee jerk reaction of the bartender being sick of hearing it.

 

Gotta love the Beaver. They only disappoint in their IPAs, but they also have a fairly difficult city to try and brew an outstanding IPA.

 

Monkeypaw! Just do it, you'll thank me!