This may escalate quickly or not at all, but either let's talk San Diego beer in 2026. Questions, comments, new openings, closures, and WTFs are all welcome. I regularly read sandiegobeer.news to keep up to date, if there's other good sites / sources feel free to post them here. He put out a state of the union bit the other day. For the new breweries I've checked out Good Pressure, and one of my friends has been out to Lyons Peak. She got bottles, and you can also get cherry trees from him as they spread by way of shoot, so they are just reproducing like crazy on their own. I think Lyons Peak could be very compelling based on his offerings (see article here). What places new and old is everyone checking out in the new year?
Really hope Craft Coast opens the location I've been hearing about for years by Modern Times in Encinitas. Devastated that Encinitas Ale House is closing at the end of their lease, but at least that's ~1.5 years away.
"San Diego's Little Miss Brewing To Close All Nine Locations After Nearly A Decade..." NINE locations?? there's a WTF for you...
Word is they closed due to the backlash in lakeside as it was themed for the wrong side. IYKYK. I honestly have no idea how they had so many operating taprooms (Lakeside, La Mesa, Normal Heights, Poway). Whenever I went they were dead, though I’m rarely anywhere for a drink after 5 so that sample is not representative of prime drinking hours. That said, why the heck is a place open at 12pm on a weekday if it’s dead and not as a one off? Never saw them in distro either, so I have no idea how that worked.
The Little Miss in Escondido was dead anytime I walked past it. And if there was people in there, usually not the ones you would want to have a beer with. Stoked to see how Weir Beer progresses this year, and to see how Athletic does and what they do with the old Ballast Point space. Hitting Fall next Tuesday for a couple pints and a north shore roast beef from the pop up. Always try and hit Churchills for a pint a week at least to support them. Anyone know what's up with East Village Brewing? Seems like they have been relatively quiet, or maybe I just dont pay attention to them?
Along my normal route from home/work, I'm often at Culver (underrated), Pizzaport Bressi (best production can pricing), and Weir (always something good). I've recently been going more to Dogleg as a number of former Eppig folks are there, including a brewer, so their beer has gone up in quality. I will periodically stop at Pure Project (closest to home) because their pricing is outrageous and there is a kind of pretentious vibe there, although they often have something good to very good. I haven't been to Churchills in way too long.
I know the dude had a feature a few months ago I read. They've been on my list forever I just have not had the time on the same day/time they are open. Never seen them in distro so I have not tried so much as a single beer.
San Diego is a beer wasteland now, sadly. But not surprising coming from a city that considered French fry burritos cuisine.
I thought it was a little weird. Figured it was an attempt to drive up business, but also that they wanted to let people know the instant they also knew instead of like....the week prior or morning of, which we have seen some breweries/tasting rooms do over these past 5 years.
Yeah, it's unfortunate that I can only go to Alesmith, Stone, Burgeon, Lost Abbey and still haven't made it to North Park and Pure Project. The misery! That being said, it's dropped behind Denver and Seattle as my favorite beer cities.
I feel like SD has leveled out after the last few years for the beer scene here. I miss the past with going to Green Flash, Ballast, Stone, and ending up at Toronado or Livewire, but the amount of good beer we still have here is insane. Went to Austin a year ago for my anniversary, and got excited to check out a couple breweries. Those breweries were really good, but the rest of the breweries we ended up trying were MEH to say the least. I feel like I get excited to travel to other cities, try some of the hype beer, and realize that being able to buy 10 dollar six packs of Swamis is really the move.
San Diego was once of the king of beer cities. They’ve leveled out some, but still count in my books. When I’m visiting Sun Diego o still hit my favorite spots.
It's so terrible being only a top ten beer city. Lately I've been way into what Oakland/East Bay has going on and I think the Sacramento Valley is very underrated.
Fully agree. Oakland/East Bay has the best beer scene in the Bay Area. Cellarmaker, Ghost Town, Original Patterns, Wonderous, and more.
Curious which breweries you went to in Austin. I moved here from LA a few years back and the beer scene is so boring. There are a few solid places but so many that just pump out average stuff at best.
Same here, would like to know. The only ones in the Austin area that come to my mind are Jester King (which I haven't been to) and Live Oak (which I did go to and enjoyed the beers of theirs that I had). Like you, I'm from southern California but did spend about 6 months in Texas and the beer scene was a real letdown.
Not OP but go to Austin often and find myself at Meanwhile, Pinthouse and Bangers again and again. I haven't made it to Zilker or Live Oak, nor had a car to get to JK.
Meanwhile, Pinthouse, Live Oak and Jester King are the ones in Austin I found to be really good. I haven’t been enough times to say that’s it.
