Beer in San Diego

Beer in San Diego

There is so much to do in San Diego, but one of the best things you can do in this great city is to just do nothing at all and enjoy one of its many fine locally brewed craft beers. Sure, the beaches and the mountains are nice, but they pale in comparison to a west-coast India Pale Ale. In addition to all of the great beer in San Diego, they also have the best theme song for a city since Sinatra sang "New York, New York."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhNneU5shTs&feature=related

Neighborhood

Neighborhood is a cool, little corner bar on the outskirts of the Gaslamp Quarter. While they do not brew any of their own beer, they do have almost 30 taps with lots of local beers and the entire line-up is very Cali-centric.

There is limited seating both inside and out, and it doesn’t take many people to make the place seem crowded. Be prepared to use your words for entertainment as there is but one TV which resides behind the 10 stool bar. In a bit of irony, there is a hint of a Jesus theme to Neighborhood (their signature T-shirt is Jesus eating a sandwich), and yet there is a ram’s head mounted above the bar (Thou shalt not kill?).

The menu can be considered creative pub grub. The item which jumped off of the menu page (and also my plate) was “The Diaz” - 3 mini hot-dogs wrapped in bacon. Are you kidding me? So awesome.

As for the beers, I enjoyed the following:

Russian River Blind Pig IPA
-Crisp hops layered above a citrusy ale. A light IPA bordering on a hoppy blonde.

Green Flash Imperial IPA
-Very smooth and a lack of bitterness for an imperial IPA

Rock Bottom Brewery

Rock Bottom is a chain restaurant and brewery which is found primarily west of the Mississippi but is beginning to pop up along the east coast (maybe even to Florida….one fine day). Having been to the Seattle and Chicago locations, it had been my experience that the ambience and the beer were consistently good, and the San Diego Rock Bottom was no exception.

In San Diego, Rock Bottom operates in a large, convenient location in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. It is a huge space with the main bar and restaurant downstairs, an additional bar with more seating upstairs (which can be reserved for private functions), and a large patio area outside. The bar area downstairs has a wrap-around bar with plenty of barstools and high-tops. While seated at the bar, the brewing area can be seen through large panes of glass…and it is a lovely sight. There are tons of TVs at the bar and throughout the restaurant.

The beer selection contains the Rock Bottom regulars which can be found at any Rock Bottom location, and a few location-specific specials. I enjoyed the following:

Chai Tea Porter Cask Ale
-Way better than expectations. The tea gives a nice earthy finish to the malty, smooth porter. Also some espresso notes.

Belgian-style White Ale
-Very crisp. A smooth finish without the orange peel or peppery quality. Perfect for a hot summer day.

Angry Dragon Imperial IPA
-Perfect floral, hoppy nose. Low on bitterness, high on flavor. Warning -- this beer may ruin you for all others! This was the best locally-brewed beer of the trip!


 

Pacific Beach Ale House

A great spot just a few steps from Mission Beach, PBAH has ample outdoor seating with a huge open window looking into the main bar area where there are 8 stools at the bar, 6 high-tops, and 4 widescreen TVs. There is also rooftop seating with ocean views. The brewing area can be seen from the main dining area which has plenty of booths and a few TVs.

The beer selection is pretty limited for an otherwise great brewpub. There are 11 beers on tap, 4 of which are brewed by PBAH, and the remaining taps are guest beers which are mainly from local breweries.

I enjoyed the following:

Racer 5 IPA

-Very good, hoppy IPA. Medium bitterness. Medium-to-dry finish. Damn good!

PBAH Pale Ale

-Not within my preferred taste profile -- high malt content, bad finish, not good - I had to send it back.

PBAH Whitewash Wheat

-American style wheat beer. No zip to it. Rather bland.

PBAH P.B. Porter

-Coffee notes, good roasted malts, not overly heavy or malty. Long, pleasant finish.

Yard House

Yard House is a national chain of tap rooms with 100+ beers on tap…..otherwise known to beer drinkers as “heaven.” There are craft beers and imports as far as the eye can see….it can render the patrons gitty with delight. Sure, there is a food menu as well, but food would only take up valuable beer room in your belly, and with sooooo many beers on tap, ‘tis better to save that precious belly room for the real reason you came to Yard House.

I enjoyed many of my old favorites, and also this gem:

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Black IPA

-Frothy head, black body, very sweet and hoppy, good bitterness

 

Coronado Brewing Company

Located on Coronado Island, the décor of Coronado Brewing Company will make you feel as if you’ve entered into a Caribbean oasis. With wooden horizontal blinds and indoor trim, exposed beams, rustic copper-colored lighting and fans, and tropical plants, the CBC has a real island feel to it. The long wooden bar has 2 TVs, and there is plenty of seating in the two dining areas, as well as some outdoor seating under ceiling fans.

CBC has 9 of their own beers on tap plus one local guest. I enjoyed the following:

Stingray Point IPA

-This is an unfiltered IPA with a frothy head, and a very floral nose and taste. Mild fruit notes. It is wonderful!

Islander IPA

-A bit more bitter than the Stingray, but very similar in all other respects.

Frog's Breath IPA

-Very lemony and citrusy.

Idiot IPA

-3lbs of hops per barrel! This is a SUPER HOPPY imperial IPA with good levels of bitterness.

Stone Brewing Company

Located in northern San Diego County, Stone is the epicenter of the universe for hopheads and beer lovers of any kind. If Stone isn’t the best brewery in the country (and possibly on planet Earth), then it is at least a part of the conversation. I used to think that Stone was made with some sort of magic beyond human comprehension, but after taking the tour, I now realize it is not magic – it is just awesomeness.

The inside bar and restaurant area is huge; it uses a tasteful and creative combination of stone and wood in the décor; and there is a wall of glass facing the brewery on one side of the room and large open doors leading to outside seating and a garden area on the other. If you were to design the perfect place to enjoy a perfect beer, you could only hope to come up with something this cool.

While at the bar prior to the tour, during the tour, then at the bar after the tour, I enjoyed the following:

Stone Cali-Belgique IPA

-A hoppy version of a Belgian ale, crisp and delicious

Levitation Ale

-Very dry, low abv, malty and grainy

Smoked Porter

-Smokey deliciousness

IPA

-Awesome...of course.

Arrogant Bastard Ale

-American strong ale, dry hopped

Imperial Russian Stout

-So dark, rich and thick, 10.5% ABV

Ruination IPA

-Best beer on Earth? Possibly.