Beer Expert Recommends 5 Favorite San Diego Breweries

Several decades ago, it was relatively easy to visit all of the top breweries in the San Diego area. Times certainly have changed.

“Pity the San Diego-bound tourist hoping to visit all of the region’s best breweries,” says veteran beer journalist Peter Rowe, who writes a beer column for the San Diego Union-Tribune. “You’re about 40 years too late.”

When Rowe began writing about the local beer industry in 1995, “you could have surveyed the entire sudsy scene in a leisurely week, popping into the dozen or so commercial breweries,” he says. “Today, the county is home to roughly 150 breweries. A comprehensive guide to San Diego’s craft beer temples would expand to encyclopedia length — and still miss the latest development in this ever-fermenting field.”

Beer enthusiasts visiting San Diego may be wise to heed Rowe’s expert advice. Here are five favorite breweries he recommends and his comments about each.

Pizza Port of Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Bressi Ranch, Ocean Beach and Imperial Beach.

“You can find better pizza than the doughy pies served here. But beer? I can’t think of a better place — anywhere. While San Diego brewers annually perform well at the nation’s top beer competition, the Great American Beer Festival, no one outscores Pizza Port. Since 1994, these brewpubs have amassed a staggering 101 medals. Try local favorite Mongo, the breathtaking double IPA, or Guillaume, a Belgian blonde that has racked up six GABF medals.”

AleSmith of Miramar.

“San Diego’s ‘Beeramar’ neighborhood is home to a brewer’s dozen of beer halls, but none outshines AleSmith. Peter Zien’s team always produces beers that are true-to-style, fresh and delicious. The warehouse-sized brewery has seating inside and out, downstairs and up, plus a museum dedicated to Tony Gwynn. Why is there a museum for this late Padres outfielder? Besides spending his major league career in San Diego and winning entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Gwynn helped design AleSmith’s popular .394 Pale Ale. And don’t overlook Speedway Stout, an inky-black beauty that is on tap as-is or brewed with Vietnamese coffee, or coconut and vanilla, or cocoa nibs and peanut butter.”

Mujeres Brew House of Barrio Logan.

“The San Diego-Tijuana border crossing is the busiest in the world, and Mexico’s influence has enriched our culinary scene. You can spark a spirited debate by asking two locals for their favorite Mexican restaurants — or the best Mexican-inspired brewery. Mujeres is my choice for the latter, thanks to the creativity of the women brewsters who run this cheery place, a converted home in San Diego’s best-known barrio. Beers are made with guava, mango, tamarind and other frutas mágicas. Magical indeed, as the flavors are fresh and natural, without any hint of artificial ingredients.”

North Park Beer Co. of North Park, Banker’s Hill and Crown Point.

“We’ve seen plenty of award-winning home brewers who went pro — and then sank out of sight, drowning in San Diego’s oversaturated market. And then we’ve seen Kelsey McNair. Loaded down with amateur honors, he opened North Park Beer in 2016 and began piling up national and international awards. His Hop-Fu is one of the region’s signature IPAs. If you only have time to visit one NPB outpost, choose wisely: Crown Point specializes in pizza, Banker’s Hill is small and cozy, while the original North Park location is an architectural jewel with Craftsman-style touches.”

McIlhenney Brewing of Alpine.

“Shawn McIlhhenney, who inherited the brewing duties once performed by his father, Pat, is creating some of the brightest IPAs I’ve ever tasted. The family — Pat’s wife, Val, and Shawn’s wife, Jamie — run this business out of a roadside cabin. While I’m a big fan of Wizards Wand, a zesty West Coast IPA, there’s an impressive lineup of lighter beers, including a helles and blonde ales enhanced with vanilla, apricot and raspberries.”

If visiting beer enthusiasts are still thirsty, Rowe has a few other suggestions. Head to the Lost Abbey for Belgian-influenced and barrel-aged brews; Karl Strauss, Southern California’s oldest still-operating brewery; Societe, “a tiny place that consistently punches above its weight”; Blind Lady Ale House, a beer bar with ales made by its own nano-brewery, and White Labs, one of the nation’s largest producers of brewers’ yeast.