Visiting San Diego - Winter 2016

Updates - Updated Alesmith info, updated Alpine info, added Mother Earth to Tier 2, dropped Council from Tier 2, other minor updates.

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 (or maybe a little less often...) 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 Uber rides 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). If you don't have a car, Uber/Lyft are good options to get around but you'll obviously want to plan your brewery order well to maximize the utility.

One important note about our beaches - drinking is illegal on almost all of them. I think there may still be one or two state beaches where drinking is legal, but they're not places you'll end up accidentally, so for all intents and purposes, just consider it a blanket ban. If you want to have a picnic and drink, Balboa Park still has a lot of areas where it's legal to drink and can make for a great day of visiting museums or just enjoying the Prado area.

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's Events Calendar - It's not exhaustive, but it's a good single source to get a good idea of beer-related events.

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 due to both their new facility and specialty taps. Not a ton of ambiance or scenery due to its traditional industrial park setting, but they're still working on building out their new tasting room in phases, and it's already a world above the old tasting room as far as space and comfort.
Ballast Point - They have four facilities now, each with different focuses and in different parts of the city:
* Ballast Point Miramar - Their recently opened new production facility, tasting room, and restaurant. It's a huge, beautiful facility but has quickly proven to be crowded damn near all the time. Its proximity to Alesmith makes for a good one-two punch for visitors, although it's a pain to park and/or get a table at.
* Ballast Point Old Grove - Their secondary 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. With their expansion last year - including quite a bit of seating, more TVs, and a hugely expanded tap list - they eliminated most of the downsides of the old tasting area. Parking can still be a bit of a bitch, but it is convenient from the trolley. It's generally less crowded than Miramar or Little Italy so if you're looking to hang out for a couple hours without a crush of humanity, this is my recommendation.
Green Flash - They usually have a handful of special beers on tap, with a few experimental batches mixed in, along with a subset of the Cellar 3 barrel aged offerings. The tasting room is massive and they offer tours for a fee ($5 IIRC). They also have Alpine beers on tap - the versions brewed at Green Flash, not from up the hill - including growler fills.
* Green Flash Cellar 3 - Green Flash's new barrel aging facility has a tasting room with an expansive tasting list of BA and sour beers, as well as a few clean beers.
Lost Abbey/Port - Between the vintage bottle list and seasonals/draft only beers on tap, it's generally worth a stop for fans. The list of sours/BA beers on tap can be pretty thin sometimes, aside from special events, so don't go in expecting an epic tap list.
* The Confessional by Lost Abbey - Lost Abbey's tasting room in Cardiff has both Lost Abbey and Port beers on, as well as bottles. Not as expansive as the main brewery but a fine substitute if you're in the coastal part of the county and want to try a variety of their beers.
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. Now that they've finished moving things around, there are two Alpine locations to visit:
* The Pub (1347 Tavern Rd, Alpine, CA 91901) - Open seven days/week, with food service, Alpine beer, and guest taps. The menu has changed a bit since the old pub closed and some would say it's not as good, but it's still generally worth a visit.
* The Tasting Room (2351 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, California 91901) - Open Tuesday through Sunday, no food, tasters/pints, growler fills, and bottle sales. What used to be the old pub is now the tasting room, and what used to be the tasting room is now strictly brewery space.
Modern Times - Their second year in business saw them grow steadily and do a fantastic job of dialing in their core beers, as well as put out some fantastic special releases. Their seasonal portfolio for 2016 is even broader than 2015's and considering the quality of their beer across the board, they're virtually a must-visit when in San Diego. Along with the main brewery, they have a tasting room in North Park at 3000 Upas St #102.
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 - Now that they've won Very Small Brewer/Brewery of the Year at GABF 2015, I think it's safe to say they'll finally stop flying under the radar. They brew great beer across the board, from IPAs to excellent German lagers to rich imperial porters. If you go up to North County and don't go to Rip Current, you're doing yourself a disservice. The new North Park tasting room just had its grand opening and between the house beers, well-curated guest taps, and great food, it's a must visit. You're going to Toronado while you're hear anyways, walk half a block and pay them a visit. Their first barrel aged release, BA Black Lagoon, is still hanging around, and it's one of the best beers of 2015 IMO. I would take it over Alesmith's BA Wee Heavy in a heartbeat, and I'm a huge Alesmith fan.
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:
Bagby Beer Company - They've been ramping up their house beer production substantially and getting more and more dialed in. A lot of their beers aren't in beer geek styles, but they're well executed and between the good house beers, great guest taps, and downright beautiful facility, it should still be on your agenda if you're in North County.
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. They have a sour beer program that will start releasing beers at some point in the next few months, along with a new facility coming online sometime in 2016.
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.
Mother Earth Brew Co - They've continually improved their output since inception and some of their beers have reached the top tier for San Diego. Boo Koo is a standout IPA, and its canned format makes it all the more attractive.
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. Yes, they were bought out by MillerCoors, and yes, their owners are a bunch of money-driven capitalist pigs or whatever other venom people will spew. Until the staff and/or product changes, they're still brewing good beer. If you have a philosophical problem with drinking beer owned by one of the macros, don't go here, but I'm not removing them from the list unless/until the beer goes downhill.
Toolbox Brewing Co - They spent a good chunk of the second half of 2015 in flux as they changed their brewing staff, went through a period with a very thin taplist, and have had to regain lost momentum, but the beer they're producing now is as good or better than they were in early 2015. The quick sours like Purple Drink and Clingstone are still enjoyable options and BA releases like Autumn Bliss and Mackinaw have shown that the new staff can do a good job of blending and hopefully keep the pipeline of barrels moving.

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

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) Pliny is not reliably available at any given location, and 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 (Both Bottlecraft locations have beer on tap as well, with Little Italy having a substantially larger tap list)
Holiday Wine Cellar
K'n'B Wine Cellars (Also has a restaurant & bar)
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. AirBnB and VRBO are also both good options (I prefer AirBnB personally but I'm not sure there's a big difference). If you're on a beer-centric trip, staying anywhere in University Heights (not University City, University Heights), Normal Heights, and North Park is going to put you in the heart of walkable locations. If visitors end up staying at AirBnB locations for beer trips and have a good experience, feel free to share them in this thread, it wouldn't hurt to have some recommended AirBnB spots for beercations.

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!, Rip Current, Ritual Tavern, Toronado, and Belching Beaver's tasting room. If you head south, Modern Times' 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, Fall Brewing is a few blocks from Tiger Tiget and 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 Brabant. 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, Magnetic, and Kilowatt 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, Ballast Point's Miramar facility and 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. Ballat Point Old Grove has mostly been supplanted by Ballast Point Miramar, but it's still worth a stop if you're interested in the spirits side of things.
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 Mother Earth, Toolbox, 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 pub is a good spot to grab a relaxing lunch, and the special beers that have been coming out of the Alpine brewery like Hop Boxed, HFS, and High Kicks are excellent. All of the Nelson, Duet, Pure Hoppiness, and Hoppy Birthday you see around town will be from Green Flash - even if you order them at the Alpine pub - so the real appeal is the small batch stuff. If you're only in town for a day or two, missing out isn't the end of the world, but it's a unique experience compared to most other San Diego breweries.

Petco Park: If you're in town and headed to a baseball game at Petco Park, your craft beer options are pretty damn good. Stone, Ballast Point, and Pizza Port all have beer gardens inside the stadium, there's a big "local beers" section on the concourse, and you'll find random carts with a variety of craft beer (and the Ryan Bros coffee cart has Alesmith's Speedway Stout). The prices are not exactly cheap, but the selection takes some of the pain out of overpaying for beer.

 

They were actually dropped this time around, due to continued inconsistency in the majority of their beers and Beatitude's increased availability around town both in bottles and on tap. Glad to hear you had a good time there - although I'm honestly shocked that you enjoyed Council more than the other five breweries you hit - but on average, I don't think they're consistently brewing beer on the same caliber as other breweries I've suggested visiting.

If they're able to get on top of their brewing and clean their IPAs and other clean beers up, I'd love to add them back to the list, early batches of Gavel Drop were delicious.

I'll probably do that next time around, in the form of ten Tier 3 breweries that are worth visiting if you're going to X. For example, Council would fit into Tier 3 as a "if you're going to Societe," Fall Brewing if you're going to 30th St (although they might move up to Tier 2), Intergalactic if you're going to Alesmith/Ballast Point, etc.