San Diego BAs - recommendations please...

Karl Strauss makes excellent stuff. Based out of SD.

 

Alpine, Societe, Alesmith, and Stone are a must

Stone will sometimes have pliny. If not got to either Hamilton's or O'briens pub, they might have it.

 

Fully agree on Karl Stauss - great food and beer. One of the VPs bought us a round the last time we visted after chatting with us about beer.

Also, a must see is the Stone brewing plant and beer garden in Escondido.

 

1) Toronado SD in North Park almost always has it on tap. So do several other local bars if you check ahead (on a near-daily basis -- such as Obrien's Pub & Hamilton's)

2) Local beers to try obviously depend on your style preference as well. As far as breweries I'd recommend visiting, some of these are obvious but here goes:
- STONE: main brewery is a really cool place to tour and have dinner (45m north of the city in Escondido); otherwise if you're staying close their Point Loma location is awesome too. I'm sure most people have tried a variety of Stone beers but I really enjoy their "Enjoy By IPA", "Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale", "Arrogant Bastard" and Russian Imperial Stout.
- BALLAST POINT: also two locations (closer one is in Little Italy but the main brewery is also north of downtown. I like Sculpin (just tried the Habanero one too...interesting!), Sea Monster stout, and Big Eye IPA.
- ALESMITH: Most people enjoy Speedway Stout, and the brewery sometimes has varietals on tap to try (I tried the Vietnamese Coffee Speedway last time I was there); Also try Old Numbskull, Horny Devil, WeeHeavy Scotch Ale
- ALPINE: Pure Hoppiness and Nelson are awesome. They do IPAs well in general. I haven't been to the brewery but friends of mine say the food is great too
- LOST ABBEY / PORT BREWING: in San Marcos; highly recommend. Lost Abbey is great if you want Belgian-style ales (10 Commandments; Inferno Ale; Judgment Day quad; Lost and Found dubbel). Also interesting wild ales such as Cuvee De Tomme and Framboise DE Amorosa
- MODERN TIMES: check out Black House Stout (lighter coffee stout so drinks easy IMO) and Blazing World
- SOCIETE and KARL STRAUSS as posters mentioned above
- Honestly...the list goes on and on. There's over 90 breweries in the San Diego area:
http://www.sandiegobrewersguild.org/visitors-guide/

 

PS: Forgot to mention. As far as getting *bottles of Pliny...most of the bottleshops here get bottles once a month and it's worth calling before b/c they run out frequently -- and they usually have a 1-2 bottle limit. It's not hard to find, just has to be the right time of the month based on when they get their shipments.

 

For bottle shops go to either bine and vine or bottlecraft. Bine and vine has Geoi who is just awesome. Bottlecraft has the best prices.

I agree with other posters about beer overall, but for stone I suggest just going to one of the tasting rooms that are now spread around the city. Modern times is a definite, and really if you just go to the corner of 30th and upas you can walk to a large number of good breweries and bottle shops and bars.

 

With so many choices in the SD area, especially for IPAs (Society, Alpine, Green Flash, Ballast Point etc), I wouldn't really recommend spending time seeking out Pliny. It is a good beer, but for my money I'd rather have an IPA made by Societe or Alpine. If you are here for a short visit, I'd recommend hitting all the breweries, so you can sample many beers in one-shot (and for lesser $$). If you plan on traveling on and off, then the same is still good, and in addition you can try the bottle shops and pubs that the other good folks have already recommended. Welcome to SD, and enjoy your stay!

 

Glad to see this pop up, as I'll also be in SD this year. I won't have a car or a ton of free time, and I'm not even sure where I'm staying yet, but I'm eager to see what recommendations people are posting here.

 

Also stop by Pizza Port. Great pizza and great brews on tap including their own as well as other outstanding brews including Pliney on tap. Great atmosphere and great people behind the bar. My favorite is in Carlsbad. They also have a bottle shop next door. Worth the time to visit. Also as mentioned definitely stop by Societe and Stone as well as lost Abbey and The Bruery. I also love Green Flash and Coronado. Hell I like them all. Beer utopia in San Diego and surrounding environs.

 

At Stone Escondido you'll be able to try beer from them and many other breweries. Also, I believe Ballast Point still has Grapefruit Sculpin right now. Coronado has ACDC (IPA Collab. with Deschutes). Just go on their websites and check the tap listings (or their Facebook pages), as they keep those up to date. So does Hamilton's and Toronado's website.

 

Agree whole heartedly with Pizza Port in Carslbad. Very unique casual vibe and awesome beer. Can't wait to go back. Also will recommend Urge Gastropub for their food and great tap list.

 

I don't get this either. People come to San Diego, and they seek out a beer that is made in northern California. If Pliny is one's priority, then do a Bay Area or Napa Valley (if you like wine as well) trip.

 

I get that, but what you ask is the same logic as having work trip to El Paso and trying to find a beer that is made in Austin. With that said, going to Toronado, O'Brien's, Hamilton's, or some other place that has it on tap and trying it amidst a group of similar styles would make a lot of sense. I wouldn't worry about obtaining it at bottle stores - it really isn't that easy of a thing to do these days, even for locals. If you try some and end up *really* liking it, I suppose that trying to land some to take home might make some sense.

I just get tired of sitting in Toronado, with a few Alpines, Pizza Ports, and Rip Currents on tap that (IMHO) are better than Pliny the Elder and hearing person after person order Pliny - because they don't want to branch out.

 

I always laugh when people from other states hunt Pliny and ignore the countless better and fresher local options.

 

awesome story froggy96…your laughter confirms how superior you are.

OP pliny is great, i hope you get to try it.

 

If you live in Texas and have heard of Pliny it is natural to want to try it. When you get here search tap hunter for Pliny. There are usually 5 or 6 places that have it on draft. It use to be easy to find in bottles in San Diego but now it is a pain in the ass. If you have never had Alpine IPA's that is an absolute must. Enjoy our beautiful city.

 

I agree ... you can probably find a bottle of PtE at any number of bottle shops but a visit to Societe or Alpine if you have the time would definitely give you better choices. Societe Roustabout for instance is far superior to Pliny the Younger if you ask me. All the other places mentioned in this post are worth a look except for Karl Strauss which you should absolutely avoid at all costs.