Crossing this thread with the Beer Appreciation Thread:
San Diego area Microbreweries, Brewpubs & Beer Bars:
O'Brien's Pub: 4646 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111 Phone: (858) 715-1745
Owner Tom Nickel was a brewmaster before he decided he preferred it behind the bar than brewing for it. There's 20 taps, a large list of bottled beers which turns over rapidly (no old beer here), large comfy padded chairs at all the tables, decent food (American style:Burgers, soups & salads, and fried stuff, no Pub Grub), and a large patio outside. This bar often has casks & firkins of local brews attached to their old fashioned gravity pull engine.
The Liar's Club: 3844 Mission Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92109 Phone: (858) 488-2340 Website: http://liarsclubsd.com/
Another 20 taps, many devoted to local brews, and a locally famous juke box: X, the Germs, Howlin' Wolf, New York Dolls, the Dragons, Tom Waits, Deadbolt, the Replacements... I've been told the Fuego Steak Melt with Cajun Fries is fantastic, too.
The Aero Club: 3365 India St., Mission Hills, San Diego, Ca. Phone: (619) 297-7211 Website: http://aeroclubbar.com/
A broad selections of beers (20 taps, someone's making a killing on those 20X Jockey Boxes!), classic dive bar charms like a pool table & a great jukebox, and a free WiFi hot spot! Sit on a chrome & leatherette barstool and glance across the curved bar at the mural of the history of Aerospace, or you can sit on the front porch & watch I5 traffic that you're not in.
Callahan's Pub And Brewery: 8111 Mira Mesa Blvd, San Diego, Ca. Phone: (858) 578-7892 Website:
One of my Favorite area Brewpubs, this place is the comfort foods of Brewpubs: Beer Cheese Soup in a bread bowl, comfortable seating with plenty of room around the tables, and Blueberry Wheat Ale on tap.
Karl Strauss Brewery & Grill: Several locations -
1157 Columbia Street, San Diego, Ca. Phone: (619) 234-2739
9675 Scranton Rd., Sorrento Mesa, Ca. Phone: (858) 587-2739
1044 Wall St., San Diego (La Jolla), Ca. Phone: (858) 551-2739
5801 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, Ca. Phone: (760) 431-2739
The Budweiser of local Micros, but in a good way. Solid German brewing, mildly adventurous menu, & genial surroundings. After being born in a German Brewery, a career as Brewmaster for Pabst Blue Ribbon, and past President for the Master Brewers Association of the Americas, Karl was exstatic to be asked to brew his own personal recipes by his San Diego cousin, Chris Cramer, and an institution was born.
Pizza Port Carlsbad Brewery: Several Locations -
571 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad, Ca. Phone: (760) 720-7007 Website: http://www.pizzaport.com/
135 N. Highway 101, Solana Beach, Ca. Phone: (858) 481-7332
301 N. El Camino Real, San Clemente, Ca. Phone: (949) 940-0005
Home of San Diego's Real Beer Fest, Strong Ale Fest & Belgian Beer Fest, plus some good pizza (They're willing to experiment with toppings, so purists be warned) and local micros.
AleSmith Brewing Co.: 9368 Cabot Dr., San Diego, Ca. Phone:(858) 549-9888 Website: http://alesmith.com/
Specializing in Belgian-style and other bottle & keg conditioned beers, try their Horny Devil. This brewery doesn't have a restaurant, pub or tasting room, but they will fill growlers during business hours and they have occasional Friday evening tasing sessions (call for dates/times, they no longer seem to post'em on their website).
Ballast Point Brewing Co.: 5401 Linda Vista Road, No 409, San Diego, Ca. Phone: (619) 298-2337 Website: http://www.ballastpoint.com/
10051 Old Grove Road, Suite B, San Diego, Ca Phone: 858-695-2739
Also the HomeBrewMart store, this Micro is most famous for their Yellowtail Ale, available all over San Diego. There's no restaurant, pub or tasting room, but they often have tasting events at both breweries.
Rock Bottom Brewery: 2 locations around San Diego -
401 G Street, San Diego, Ca. Phone: (619) 231-7000 Website: http://www.rockbottom.com/RockBottomWeb/RBR/Home.aspx
8980 Villa La Jolla Dr., La Jolla, Ca. Phone: (858) 450-9277
I haven't been here but I have had their specialty beer at festivals, and that has been pretty tasty. They make ales only, but have a nice range of lighter Pale Ales to dark & rich Porters & Stouts. I'm told their food is good & plentiful, with salads bordering on the "enormous," but not cheap.
Gordon Biersch:5010 Mission Center Road, San Diego, Ca. Phone: 619-688-1120 Website: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/
Another big chain, another expensive menu, but some really good Lager style beers.
Oggi's Pizza: Several locations -
12840 Carmel Country Rd San Diego, Ca. Phone: (858) 481-7883 Website: http://www.oggis.com/
305 Encinitas Blvd Encinitas, Ca. Phone: (760) 944-8170
10155 Rancho Carmel Dr San Diego, Ca. Phone: (858) 592-7883
2245 Fenton Pkwy, #108 San Diego, Ca. Phone: (619) 640-1072
425 Melrose Vista, Ca. Phone: (760) 295-3851
200 E Via Rancho Pkwy Escondido, Ca. Phone: (760) 466-1000
Formerly "Stuft Pizza," This reataurant's festival beers can be great, but their everyday beers can taste pretty sad. I'm not a fan of the typical Sports Bar atmosphere, with 20 TVs each playing a different sporting event, the wait staff that wishes they worked somewhere cooler, and the requisite table of fat, loud, middle aged jocks drinking to celebrate their latest Softball game & wearing their baseball hats backwards to show that they're still hip. And I'm not crazy about the pizza, either.
Stone Brewing: 1999 Citricado Parkway, Escondido, Ca. Phone: 760-471-4999 Website: http://www.stonebrew.com/index2.php or http://www.arrogantbastard.com/index2.html
Are You Worthy? These guys start with the same water, malt, hops & yeast as all the others, but there's a different attitude here. They're supposed to have a restaurant opening here at their new brewery & store, but don't show up expecting to get something to eat (or even tables & chairs) before the start of Summer, if not later. You can still stop by for a taste, a growler to go, or a "Fizzy yellow beer is for Wussies" T-Shirt.
Alpine Beer Company: 2351 Alpine Blvd., Alpine, Ca Phone: (619) 445-2337 Website: http://www.alpinebeerco.com/
Producers of Exponential Hoppiness, "The most Dangerous beer in America" (a Triple IPA, double dry hopped, and then aged with oak chips. Incredible) and Willy Vanilly, an American Wheat Ale that's been "Dry Beaned" with vanilla beans in the cask. You want something a little less over the top? McIlhenney's Irish Red won Gold at the 2004 World Beer Cup & Silver at the 2004 Great American Beer Festival. It ain't close, so you could look for their beers at local spots like O'Brien's or Pizza Port.
Coronado Brewing Companyt: 170 Orange Ave, Coronado, Ca. Phone: 619-437-4452 Website: http://coronadobrewingcompany.com/index.htm
Better known for it's view of the harbor than it's (usually, sometimes occasionally) good beer. I like it better in the bottle, it seems to be a more stable product than on draft. A convivial brewpub with good food and a nice interior.
Green Flash Brewing: 1430 Vantage Court,Suite 104, Vista, Ca Phone: (760) 597-9012 Website: http://www.greenflashbrew.com/index.html
I haven't visited the brewery, so I can't comment on their locale or specialty beers, but I'm not a fan of their flagship Extra Pale Ale or Brown Ale, but I do like their Red Ale better.
La Jolla Brewery and Restaurant: 4353 La Jolla Village Dr., San Diego, Ca. Phone: (858) 587-6677
I haven't tried them since their latest change of ownership, but their previous incarnations brewed decent beer & made good food, they're most likely damned by their location off to the side in the UTC Woodfield Shopper's Town.
San Diego Brewing Company: 10450 Friars Road #L, San Diego, Ca. Phone: 619-284-2739
Sister Brewpub to Callahan's. Closer to Downtown in Mission Valley, you can sometimes find SD Chargers here trying out their pickup lines.
San Marcos Brewery & Grill: 1080 W. San Marcos Blvd., San Marcos, Ca. Phone:760-471-0050
The only brewery on San Marcos' famous "Restaurant Row." I've heard good things about their beer, and heard that they're consistently good, too, but I'm called around the corner by the lure of Tony Roma's onion rings and never seem to get in here for a beer...
Taylor's Restaurant & Brewery: 721 Grand Ave.,San Diego, Ca. Phone: 858-270-3596
I went here once for the All-You-Can-Eat King Crab: Beer's were passable, the crab was watered down. The view from the upstairs deck was chilly but great.
Firehouse Brewing Company: 7696 Miramar Road, San Diego, Ca. Phone: 858.752.1878 Website: http://www.firehousebrew.com/index.html
No Brewpub at the brewery, and only the Pale Ale available at restaurants, this brewery isn't much to write home about.
Rev. Dr. Frederick J. Freelance, Ph.D., D.F.S
[ Edited by: freddiefreelance 2006-03-09 19:25 ]
