Our Top 5 Favorite Breweries in San Diego
By: Mr. Joe Powers, everybody! Give him a round of applause for hitting each of these breweries. “It wasn’t easy, but someone had to do it!” is a quote he may have said at some point. Likely the end.
San Diego has been referred to as the Craft Beer Capital Of America with over 120+ breweries. It may be an impossible task to attempt to try them all. In 2016, San Diego AMAZINGLY added two dozen new breweries to its wonderfully friendly city of sunshine and endless fun. THIS many breweries makes San Diego a PERFECT town to visit and let loose your wild side of thrill seeking, adventure and endless variety of its local flavor. But where to start and can you stop once you’ve started? Below is a list of our Top 5 Favorite Breweries you HAVE you add to your list of pubs to crawl during your visit. Let’s get started!
As an aside, this list was actually quite difficult for me to “whittle” down because it has been a while since I had a beer I didn’t like. We will start with my favorite and work our way down. However, it can be noted that all five of the following REALLY tie for first place as my favorite.
1) Stone Brewery
Stone Brewery is THE largest brewery in SoCal and the 9th overall largest brewery in the United States. What make Stone Brewery so unique involves both the flavor of the beer as well as the artwork that went into the design of the brand. Their signature design are Gargoyles.
Why Gargoyles?
For centuries Gargoyles have been used to “ward” off evil spirits. According to their website, they use Gargoyle symbology as their prime method for “warding” off the “evils” of cheap ingredients, pasteurization and chemical additives. If you’re looking for a remarkable beer, that will leave a lasting impression, I HIGHLY recommend you start with Stone Brewing.
2) Coronado Brewing
What I love about Coronado Brewing is that they are located next to the beach. They are a family owned brewery, with award winning beers and an authentic coastal vibe. If you’re looking to enjoy good beer by the water, this should probably be your first stop.
3) Ballast Point
Ballast Point is another brewery whose artwork and attention to detail will leave you speechless. An incredible brew selection to choose from will leave you craving just one more beer. Famous for their India Pale Ales, you will NOT be disappointed with the high alcohol content, matched perfectly with the strong flavor.
4) Barrel Republic
When you enter Barrel Republic, the first thought you will have is “FREEDOM.” With their self serve taps lined up all around the walls of the room, you have the freedom to pour without having to wait for the bartender. Draft Magazine named them one of the 100 best beer bars in the country. They have a total of 52 beers on tap as well as a full food menu to tend to your munchie needs.
5) Pizza port
Last but not least is Pizza Port. They were the first San Diego brewery to win a medal at the Great American Beer Festival and they also hold dozens of medals from international competitions. And they have won two gold medals at the World Beer Cup. Very impressive line up of medals! All of them are well deserving of their awards.
Like I said, this was a hard list to put together due to the amazing line up. All in all, I can’t recommend one from this list because I have to recommend them all. If you try one, you have to try them all. You will DEFINITELY be a better person because of this pub crawl.