Visiting San Diego - Summer 2014

Intro Notes - This guide is not intended to be an exhaustive list of everything about visiting San Diego from a beer standpoint, rather it's intended as a primer to hopefully answer the majority of the basic questions people ask such as "What breweries should I visit?", "Which bars are worth going to?", and "Is a drive to Alpine worth it?". If you're looking for something specific, skim through the bold headers for what you want. If you've read through this and still have questions, ask away, but please give us enough information to answer your question. The most helpful information you can give us when you're looking for recommendations:
1) What part of town you're staying in
2) Whether or not you have a car
3) How much time you have

On the question of recommended breweries, it's always a bit difficult to build a list without personal bias creeping in. I've tried to mostly stick to commonly held opinions rather than my own (sometimes curmudgenonly) views, but some people are likely to disagree with me. When in doubt, check the BA Places reviews, there are a lot of reviews on there that can provide depth that a short summary like this can't. On the two tiers of smaller breweries, the differentiation isn't one of quality or superiority as much as a feeling that the Tier 1 breweries get recommended more often than the Tier 2 breweries. Many of the Tier 2 breweries are churning out great beer, and I would recommend visiting if you have time. Additionally, there are plenty of other breweries making solid beer, but most people visiting only have a certain amount of time and I've tried to provide the best options.

The guide will be updated on a quarterly basis and if anyone has any advice on sections to add next time around, feel free to respond and/or PM me.

General Advice - San Diego is a very spread out city, especially in terms of brewery location, and our public transportation is mostly terrible for getting between different areas. If you're staying Downtown (or the Gaslamp, a subset of Downtown) without a car, you'll be in decent shape to hit a lot of good spots without much effort - the Route 2 bus runs from Downtown to 30th St and cabs from Downtown to North Park are relatively cheap. If you're staying almost anywhere else in the county, having a car will make it far easier to hit the breweries you really want to visit, rather than the geographically convenient ones. Even with a car, you're going to find it far easier to hit brewery clusters rather than try to hop through the county in a single day (see below for more on that).

Basic Resources:
San Diego Beer Map (courtesy of ex-BA nanobrew) - This map contains damn near every point of interest from a beer standpoint, and is both more current and easier to use than Beermapping.com. It will be your greatest tool in trying to plan how to maximize your time.
California Breweries' Growler Fill Policies (courtesy of BA SageO) - California's breweries have been slow to adapt to changes and reinterpretations in growler laws, but Sage has done a great job of compiling as much information as possible. If you're visiting from more liberal growler states (like Oregon for example), you'll be in for a bit of a culture shock and likely want to do some research on specific breweries' policies before you show up looking for fills.
West Coaster Event Calendar - Not a comprehensive calendar, but a good sampling of beer-related events. Keep checking as your trip draws closer, sometimes events will pop on at the last minute.

The Big/Well Distributed Breweries - Since you're into beer, you've probably had their beers before. If you're a fan, each brewery has its pros and cons that might make it worth visiting:
AleSmith - Well worth a stop in my opinion. Very little ambiance or scenery due to its traditional industrial park setting, but they usually have a handful of draft only/special edition beers on tap as well as a cask or two, and they very rarely miss the mark.
Ballast Point - They have three facilities now, each with different focuses and in different parts of the city:
* Ballast Point Production Facility (Old Grove) - Their main facility has a tasting room with both tasters and pints, as well as scheduled spirits tastings (check their website for details). Each Ballast Point facility will generally have a good selection of draft-only beers, and they maintain updated tap lists on their website.
* Ballast Point Tasting Room & Kitchen (Little Italy) - Their newest facility in Little Italy has both a tasting room as well as a restaurant. Parking in Little Italy can be a challenge in the evening or on weekends, but it's a great option for anyone who's staying Downtown to either walk or take public transit to.
* Home Brew Mart - Their original location, which is half tasting room/half home brew shop. There's no seating to be had and while there's nothing to recommend against, it's less relaxing than the other two locations. If you're strapped for time or stuck in the Mission Valley/Linda Vista area, it's convenient, but that's about the only reason to visit it over the the Old Grove or Little Italy locations.
Green Flash - They usually have a handful of special beers on tap, but they frequently seem to be revived old recipes or seasonals, with a few experimental batches mixed in. The tasting room is massive and they offer tours for a fee ($5 IIRC).
Lost Abbey/Port - Between the vintage bottle list and seasonals/draft only beers on tap, it's generally worth a stop for fans. It's fairly rare for them to have sours or BA beers on tap, aside from special events, so don't go in expecting an epic tap list.
Stone - They have several locations now when you include their company stores where you can do tasters and buy both beer and merchandise, but two primary locations:
* Stone Brewing Escondido - The mothership, it has their production facility, bottling facility, bistro gardens, and the only location that has tours. If you have the time, I highly recommend doing the tour, as it's one of the best you'll find in craft beer due to both Stone's size and the vibe around the brewery (and no, our resident Stone tour guide didn't pay me to say that). As far as the bistro, the menu is, to put it diplomatically, divisive - the food choices can be a bit on the esoteric side, the prices are on the higher end, and the portions are smaller. Some people like it, some people avoid it like the plague. Look at a menu before you go.
* Stone Brewing Liberty Station - Similar food and beer situation to Escondido, but without any tours, and bocce ball courts rather than gardens. The ambiance isn't at the level of Escondido, but it's far more centrally located (minutes from the airport and Downtown) and is a good option if you're a Stone fan but lack a car and/or the time to make it up to Escondido.

The Smaller Breweries You Should Visit - Tier 1:
Alpine - If you're reading this thread, you probably don't need to be told about Alpine. Go out there, drink the IPAs, eat some BBQ. The pub is closed on Sundays and the brewery is closed on both Sundays and Mondays. See below for a more complete on answer on visiting Alpine.
Pizza Port - There are four locations in San Diego County - Ocean Beach, Solana Beach, Bressi Ranch, and Carlsbad - and which one you visit is more or less based on preference and convenience. Solana Beach has the fewest taps out of the four if I recall correctly, and Carlsbad has the bottle shop next door, but those are the main differences. If you're from New York or Chicago, let me caution you right now - it's California style pizza, and you'll probably be deeply offended by what they do to pizza. If you can look past the sacrilege, it's enjoyable for what it is. If you can't, then drink the pain away. Either way, Pizza Port should be on your itinerary.
Rip Current - They're just over a year old and seem to fly under the radar, but damn near everything they brew is at least good, if not great or excellent. Their hours are a little bit smaller than the big boys, but they're not far from Stone's Escondido facility and Port/Lost Abbey. If you go up to North County and don't go to Rip Current, you're doing yourself a disservice.
Societe - One of the breakout breweries of the past couple years, they've been brewing great IPAs but their stouts and Belgians shouldn't be overlooked. Considering they don't bottle or can their beers, it's worth heading up to try them on tap. If you really want them to love you, ask when their sours will be ready or when they're going to start bottling their IPAs.

The Smaller Breweries You Should Visit - Tier 2:
Belching Beaver - Solid beers across the board, but their Peanut Butter Milk Stout tends to draw the best reviews. Along with the production facility in Vista, they have a tasting room in North Park that's a convenient stop if you're hitting beer spots on 30th Street.
Council Brewing - One of the newer breweries in the county and only a nano, but they're making damn good beer and Gavel Drop holds its own in the conversation of San Diego IPAs. Proximity to Societe should make it a no-brainer to stop and try their beers.
Latitude 33 - For whatever reason their beers haven't translated particularly well to bottles, as the reviews indicate, but their beer is enjoyable on tap and Breakfast with Wilford is a really nice coffee stout when it's available.
Modern Times - They'll be celebrating their one year anniversary in mid-July and their growth has been explosive, as they've spent most of their first year struggling to meet demand. Their core beers are all solid and some of the pilot batches and seasonals are damn good. As they add demand, one-offs and experimental batches should become more common, making a visit to the brewery even more essential. Along with the main brewery, they have a tasting room in North Park at 3000 Upas St #102.
Monkey Paw - A good option for people stuck Downtown, Monkey Paw has both solid house beers as well as guest taps and some damn good cheesesteaks.
New English Brewing Company - Focused on British styles, with some West Coast twists. They fly under the radar but have improved their output and are worth checking out or giving a second chance if you had some of their earlier bottled batches.
Saint Archer Brewing Co - They took a lot of flak for their marketing angle when they first opened, but since hiring Pizza Port alum Yiga Miyashiro, they've been churning out better beer than people give them credit for, and the coffee brown is one of the better local beers for its style. Not an essential stop, but their proximity to Alesmith makes it an easy one.

Good Bars and Beer-centric Restaurants:
Blind Lady Ale House
Cali Kebab/Amplified Ale Works
Churchill's Pub
Ciro's Pizzeria
Downtown Johnny Brown's
Hamilton's Tavern
Newport Pizza & Ale House
O'Briens
Regal Beagle
Ritual Tavern
Slater's 50/50
Small Bar
Tap Room
Tiger!Tiger!
Toronado
Urge Gastropub

 

Good Bottle Shops - Two notes before the actual list:
1) This is not an exhaustive list, it's the best ones that are generally going to be most convenient for visitors. There are other good bottle shops, but driving to Poway or Spring Valley just for a bottle shop doesn't make sense for tourists. Whole Foods locations also usually have a decent selection, and BevMos are an okay choice if you're strapped for time, but be careful buying hoppy beers since they're mostly stored warm and of questionable age.
2) Alpine is never reliably available on liquor store shelves. You might luck into it at a few of these shops, but if you really want bottles, go to the brewery. Pliny is slightly more available, but sells out within 24 hours at most places. If you REALLY want it, look at the list of accounts on Russian River's website, call the shops to find out their delivery schedules, and see what you can do.
Best Damn Beer Shop (Krisp Market)
Bine & Vine
Bottlecraft Little Italy & Bottlecraft North Park
Clem's Bottle House
Holiday Wine Cellar
K'n'B Wine Cellars
Olive Tree Marketplace
Pizza Port Carlsbad Bottle Shop

Lodging:
The general consensus on lodging is to stay somewhere that you can end the day by parking your car and walking to good bars. In that regard, North Park is your absolute best bet and The Lafayette has proven to be a popular choice. It's about a mile from Toronado in one direction, Small Bar in the opposite direction, Live Wire is a block or so away, etc. Aside from that, Mission Valley's Hotel Circle area has a whole host of options and will be a ~$20 cab ride to North Park.

Convenient Brewery/Bar/Restaurant Clusters:
North Park/30th St - The core of the 30th St corridor is Tiger!Tiger!, Ritual Tavern, Toronado, and Belching Beaver's tasting room. If you head south, Modern Times's tasting room isn't too far down, and Hamilton's is even further down, but worth the trip. To the north of the core stops, Blind Lady is on Adams Ave, a few blocks east of 30th St. There are also a handful of other spots like Waypoint Public, the Coin-Op Game Room (a barcade), and Alchemy Restaurant. Just don't go to True North.
Kearny Mesa - Head to Societe and Council for tasters (or pints if you have a DD), then go to O'Briens for dinner. You can also go to Helms right around the corner from Societe if you're looking to try as many breweries as possible. Societe and Council can easily be wrapped into a Miramar trip as well, but if you have a few days, the Kearny Mesa cluster by itself makes for a good afternoon.
Miramar - Anchored by Ballast Point's Old Grove Facility as the furthest east, Alesmith smack dab in the middle, and Green Flash as the furthest west (and slightly north). In the middle, you've got several options - Intergalactic has been brewing a lot of solid beers, White Labs can be an interesting stop if you're a homebrewer, Saint Archer as mentioned above, Rough Draft is in the solid but mostly unremarkable category, and the original Hess tasting room is there for the curious.
Highway 78 - Start at Stone's Escondido facility for a tour and some tasters, head to Port/Lost Abbey, have a late lunch at Churchill's, then hit Rip Current. After that, you can head into Vista's commercial/industrial area and there 7 breweries within a mile radius - I would recommend Latitude 33 and Belching Beaver, but the options are there. Finish the day with dinner at Pizza Port Bressi Ranch - only a couple miles away - or head a bit further west to Pizza Port Carlsbad.

Visiting Alpine: I already mentioned Alpine under "The Must Hits" but since "Is a drive to Alpine worth it?" is one of the common questions in the forum, it deserves a more detailed answer. Alpine is ~30 minutes from most parts of the county, and unlike North County which is 30 - 45 minutes from Downtown, there is nothing else to visit out there beer-wise. If you go to Alpine, you're spending an hour in the car (round-trip) for Alpine and Alpine alone. If you have the time, it is definitely worth it - the beer is good, the prices are some of the best in the county, and the pub is a good spot to grab a relaxing lunch. However, if you only have a day or two in San Diego and want to maximize your time, you can pretty reliably try a few Alpine beers on tap at Toronado and/or O'Brien's. It's very definitely not the same experience as making the drive out there, but it's a pragmatic solution to having limited time.

 

Damnit, I mentally transposed the days while typing that up...users can't edit posts after 15 minutes, I'll PM a mod and see if they can fix it for me.

All three points are great to add - I'm an AirBnB user myself and should've thought to add it. Hopefully people will see those points since you're near the top of the thread, but I'll definitely wrap them into the next update.

 

I considered adding a third tier, but ultimately, I viewed it from this standpoint - most visitors probably have four days at the most, and anyone who has that period of time is either looking for highlights, or has been here before and will do some research on their own. I could grade every brewery in San Diego into various tiers, but 1) that would involve considerably more bias on my part and 2) this is intended as a primer more than a comprehensive thread. With 80+ breweries in the county, anyone who wants to visit more than the top quarter - which I basically covered - needs to do some legwork on their own.

As far as those three breweries, they get mentioned so rarely on here that they didn't really meet my criteria of popular recommendations. Whether or not that's fair is entirely up for debate, but my goal was really to represent collective opinion as much as possible. If there's enough demand for a Tier 3 the next time around, I'm happy to add it.

I thought about that, but realized it was something I was largely ignorant of since I don't have kids and don't really pay attention to whether kids are around. If other people are willing to help put together a list of both breweries and restaurants that are kid friendly (or even kid tolerant), I'll definitely wrap it into the next update.

 

Mostly, yes. There are a lot of homeless people in the area, but the vast majority of them just want to be left alone. As long as you exercise the same level of common sense that you would walking around the downtown area of any major city, you'll be fine.

Yes, you may not be able to just walk out to the street and flag one (which you usually can within a couple minutes downtown), but if you call for one it won't take too long.