San Diego recommendations (so many options)

Definitely Resident if downtown.

 

Stopped in at Bagby tonight and had a Pliny with dinner. Was told (not by Jeff though) that they were going to begin having rotating kegs of Pliny and Blind Pig always on tap moving forward.

 

Wow, if true, that's pretty awesome. Almost went there last night actually. Ended up going to Craft Burger in Carlsbad. Never been before. Had a blue cheese burger (with fried egg add-on) and a Naughty Sauce. Both were delicious.

 

I must have just missed it. I was in during Sunday brunch and had to settle for a Silva IPA. While fine, a PtE or Bling Pig would have been great with chilaquiles

 

Can anybody recommend breweries in SD area that do bottle releases? I am headed out in April and was hoping to bring back some good stuff. Not sure if there is a release calendar floating around anywhere. I will be picking up some stuff I pre-ordered at Abnormal. Wish I knew about Horus ales, however maybe they will have something to go by the time I get there.

thanks

 

Hey guys, I'm technically new on here having just made an account; but I've been reading the forums for a few years now. My Untapped is danslice33 if you want to check out that.

I just moved from Philly to San Diego and brought a few beers with me. Looking to trade. Have never traded before, so I have no idea how the process goes.I just brought a few beers along the trip with me. (No Tired Hands stuff, didn't feel like waiting in lines/their release times didn't work with my work schedule).

 

Modern Times is probably the easiest one. You can join their newsletter, and they'll provide updates on bottle/can releases. They do 1 big one a month, so depending on the timing of when you visit, you may be able to get a few months' worth of releases. They just had one this past weekend, and likely still have stuff available - you can check out their online store right on their website. A bit pricey, but if you're picking up Abnormal bottles, I imagine you'd be OK with their prices.

MT are the only ones I'm aware of that have releases like clockwork. Otherwise, you'll have to monitor a number of social media accounts for other breweries. Some recommendations to monitor IMO are Alesmith, Pure Project and Rip Current. Not special releases, but Societe always has bottles of their feral ales for sale and is a must visit brewery. If you head up towards North County, Lost Abbey has a solid selection (though easy to get in most bottle shops, and maybe even out in NY), and Toolbox has some good sours if you luck out with the timing of one of their releases.

I'm sure I'm missing some but that should be a good start for you.

 

A comprehensive SD County bottle/can release site would be a nice resource. Aside from my memberships, I just follow Instagram accounts of the breweries I'm interested in, but even that leads to some blind spots --Horus Aged Ales was completely off my radar, for example.

 

thanks so much great info, I appreciate it!

 

Add on to the already good list provided to you...Mikkeller is on an every other week can release schedule. They also have their crowler machine going, and while not all options are available to public (they leave some strictly to their members) the options are still delicious. It also shouldn't be hard to find a member to help out with special fills. They also have cans stocked in their fridge in the tasting room, but usually they are cans that are more widespread distro.

 

Don't feel bad about missing out on Horus, considering I had no idea this was there and they are so new.

If you are going to be staying downtown and ubering around I would recommend staying within the downtown/North Park area, which would still get you to a bunch of spots.

Hazy IPAs
Modern Times, Resident, Half Door,

West Coast IPAs
Fall, North Park Brewing, Rip Current, Karl Strauss, Stone,

Sours
Modern Times (visit the original location if you want better options for to-go).

Stouts
Rip Current, Fall, North Park, Modern Times,

If you end up going further out of that area then it depends on where you are. I'm cheap when it comes to Uber so if I was visiting and staying down South I wouldn't go north of North Park or Modern Times original location.

 

BUMP.

Just came in to say that I just got back from SD and the best beer I had all trip was Murklands from Pure Project Brewing. I was bummed they had just ran out of cans when I was at the taproom, as I would have loaded up my luggage. So good.

Hopster Pot from Thorn Street Brewing came in a close second. Seek both of these out!

 

Thanks for this - I'm heading there on Saturday for a few days and love hearing some recommendations like this. Any other spots (breweries, bars, beer stores) you went to that you would recommend?

 

I spent the weekend down there recently and hit up a ton of places - I still think the best overall experience was at Modern Times (great IPAs, sours and stouts, as well as coffee). Alesmith was great, but I preferred the old location (and aside from the barrel room they have, there isn't much on tap other than the day-to-day stuff). Societe is well worth visiting, although the guys I was with didn't share my enthusiasm. Fall Brewing is a cool spot with a good atmosphere, and while the beers there I had were good, I didn't have anything memorable. There is a great spot for pizza slices and flattop burgers called Friendly's next door which is worth a visit. I also liked the beers I had at Resident brewery, which is in the back of the Local (a restaurant downtown). Liberty Station (for food in the food court and beers at the beer bar) and Toronado are also good choices. I'm not a local, so I am sure there are spots I missed, but those were some highlights.

 

Great info to have - nearly all of those are on my list of places to (try to) hit up, but I'll add a couple of the others. I know I won't make it to all of them, but like to have lots of options to choose from depending on where I am at the time and what I feel like (and more importantly, what I think my traveling companions [2 daughters, wife and my mother] will put up with!).

I've got 2 buddies out there who I'm going out on the town with one night, and I know Modern Times and Alesmith are on their list of places to take me.

 

Burgeon Beer is a good spot. Hazy and clear IPAs and they recently took second at LA IPA fest, which says alot.

 

Modern Times -> Pizza Port Ocean Beach is an unbeatable one-two punch.

 

Not a brewery but The Brewers Taproom in Encinitas always has an awesome taplist. North County has too many great options.

 

Then hit up South Beach Bar and Grille while in Ocean Beach for the best fish tacos in SD.

 

Couldn’t find a Stone thread, anyone know if The Alchemist pouring right now at Stone Escondido is a one time thing?