Thorn Brewing, Barrio Logan

I have been to the original location on Thorn Street several times; it is a cool place, and I like most of their beers. Ever since they opened a new, much larger, production facility in Barrio Logan, I’ve been eager to check out the new tasting room. It took them awhile to get the tasting room open, and now I’ve finally had a chance to get down there.

As expected, it is a good space, very nicely laid out and well designed. The huge windows open to the street bring in air and light, and at night the strings of lights shine out in a romantic way. The gleaming brewing system is on display and ads to the atmosphere. But my favorite part is the large L-shaped bar.

The list of beers on tap was shorter than I remember from the Thorn Street location. I’m not sure if that is a strategic change for them, a difference between the two locations, or just an accident of timing/consumption. Still, the beers on tap offered enough variety that I found several I had not had before. I liked everything I had. The standout for me was North Park Pale Ale. I also liked Chairman Meow, a sweeter-than-usual IPA with a deep caramel flavor that is perhaps a little too thin on the finish.

Thorn’s core lineup of four canned beers is getting pretty wide distribution from what I can tell.

One of the things I like about this place are its opening hours: till 10pm every night except Sunday, when they close at 9pm. And they open earlier in the day than most other tasting rooms.

Barrio Logan is not far from downtown and the hotels near the convention center. No doubt this brings some extra traffic to Thorn as well as to the nearby Iron Fist tasting room, Alta Brewing and Border X Brewing. In fact, in the other direction it is almost the same distance to Half Door Brewing, Mission Brewery and the Stone tasting room next to the ballpark. The trolley stop in Barrio Logan is just a few blocks south of Thorn.  I recommend either of these as a beer tour if you are in the area.

http://thornstreetbrew.com/     1745 National Ave, Barrio Logan CA 92113