San Diego County will soon have *220* brew houses and tap rooms!
San Diego is indeed “The Capital of Craft.”
[UPDATE 4/19/17]: West Coaster just published an update on satellite tasting rooms in planning around San Diego County, and the number has increased from 7 to 18! West Coaster’s current “Brewery Watch” page includes some duplication between the lists operating brew houses and those in planning: my best guess regarding the actual number of brew houses in planning has been revised down to 20. That brings the estimated eventual total of SD craft brewery locations to 220. As of today, the total number in operation is 182, including 16 “non-craft” brewing venues in San Diego. My best version of the list of San Diego brewing locations is below.
Chart of current and projected San Diego brew houses and satellite tasting rooms over time.
[UPDATE 4/17/17: My current count is 141 operating brew houses, 25 operating tap rooms, 14 other non-craft brewing venues, 22 breweries in planning and 7 tap rooms in planning for a grand total of 209. Below is the original discussion posted 3/7/17.]
Using my usual sources (San Diego Brewers Guild, West Coaster Magazine, San Diego Magazine and Google) on 3/7/17 I ran through http://www.westcoastersd.com/sd-brewing-industry-watch/ and double-checked everything. I’ve sent the changes I think are needed to Mike Shess, publisher at westcoastersd.com and sdbevtimes.com, but in the meantime I am so amazed by the final totals that I wanted to write this post.
Despite a few recent closings (32 North Liberty Station, Callaghan’s Pub, On the Tracks and Valley Center Brewery), as of this writing (3/7/2017), there are 137 operating brew houses in San Diego County. [UPDATE 3/17/17: Offbeat Brewing (Escondido) announced their closure.]
That includes several that do not meet the Brewers Association definition of “craft beer”, including four Ballast Point locations plus St Archer. There are an additional 25 tap rooms operated by those breweries. And there are 14 [correction: 15] “other” brewing locations that aren’t on the westcoastersd.com list, including 7 [correction: 8] Oggi’s locations, 6 BJ’s locations and a you-brew called Citizen Brewers. That makes 176 [correction: 177] locations to get house-brewed beer currently operating in San Diego County. On top of that, there are 4 tap rooms in planning and 23 new breweries in planning (I predict ten of those 27 will open this year). Once all of them are open, the grand total will be 203.
Here’s the list. Please send any corrections!
Brew Houses in Operation
1. 2Kids Brewing Co. (Mira Mesa, 2013)
2. 32 North Brewing Co. (Miramar, 2014)
3. Abnormal Beer Company (Rancho Bernardo, 2015)
4. Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment (Midtown, 2013)
5. AleSmith Brewing Company (Miramar, 1995; 2015)
6. Alpine Beer Company (Alpine, 2002)
7. Amplified Ale Works (Pacific Beach, 2012)
8. Amplified Ale Works (Miramar, 2016)
9. Arcana Brewing Co. (Carlsbad, 2012)
10. Automatic Brewing Company (Normal Heights, 2010)
11. Aztec Brewing Company (Vista, 2011)
12. Back Street Brewery (Vista, 2004)
13. Bagby Beer Company (Oceanside, 2014)
14. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits (Scripps Ranch, 2006; Acquired by Constellation Brands, 2015)
15. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits (Little Italy, 2013; “)
16. Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits (Miramar, 2014; “)
17. Ballast Point Home Brew Mart (Linda Vista, 1996; “)
18. Barn Brewery (North Park, 2016)
19. Barrel Harbor (Vista, 2013)
20. Battlemage Brewing Company (Vista, 2017)
21. Bay Bridge Brewing Co. (Chula Vista, 2006)
22. Bay City Brewing (Loma Portal, 2015)
23. Bear Roots Brewing Co. (Vista, 2015)
24. Belching Beaver Brewing (New HQ – Oceanside, 2016)
25. Belching Beaver Brewing (Original Location – Vista, 2012)
26. Belching Beaver Brewery Tavern & Grill (Vista, 2016)
27. Benchmark Brewing (Grantville, 2013)
28. Bitter Brothers Brewing (Bay Ho, 2016)
29. BNS Brewing & Distilling (Santee, 2013)
30. Bolt Brewing Co. (La Mesa, 2014)
31. Booze Brothers (Vista, 2013)
32. Border X Brewing (Barrio Logan, 2013)
33. Breakwater Brewing Company (Oceanside, 2008)
34. Burgeon Beer Company (Carlsbad, 2016)
35. Burning Beard Brewing (El Cajon 2016)
36. California Wild Ales (Sorrento Valley, 2017)
37. ChuckAlek Independent Brewers (Ramona, 2013)
38. Chula Vista Brewery (Chula Vista, 2017)
39. Coronado Brewing Company (Coronado, 1996)
40. Coronado Brewing Company (Bay Park, 2013)
41. Council Brewing (Kearny Mesa, 2014)
42. Culture Brewing Co. (Solana Beach, 2013)
43. Culver Beer Co. (Carlsbad, 2016)
44. Division 23 Brewing (Miramar, 2015)
45. Dos Desperados (San Marcos, 2014)
46. Duck Foot (Miramar, 2015)
47. Ebullition Brew Works (Vista, 2017)
48. Eppig Brewing (North Park, 2016)
49. Fall Brewing Co. (North Park, 2014)
50. Fallbrook Brewing Company (Fallbrook, 2013)
51. Finest Made Ales (Santee, 2016; formerly Butcher’s Brewing, 2013)
52. Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant (Mission Valley, 1998)
53. Green Flash Brewing Co. (Mira Mesa, 2002)
54. Groundswell Brewing Co. (Grantville, 2013)
55. Groundswell Brewing Co. (Santee, 2017)
56. Guadalupe Brewery (Carlsbad, 2015)
57. Half Door Brewing Co. (Downtown, 2015)
58. Helix Brewing Co. (La Mesa, 2015)
59. Helm’s Brewing (Kearny Mesa, 2012)
60. Hillcrest Brewing Company (Hillcrest, 2012)
61. Home Brewing Co. (North Park, 2015)
62. Indian Joe Brewing (Vista, re-opened 2017)
63. Intergalactic Brewing Co. (Mira Mesa, 2013)
64. Iron Fist Brewing Company (Vista, 2010)
65. Jacked Up Brewing (Escondido, 2017)
66. Jamul Brewing Co. (Jamul, 2013)
67. Julian Brewing Company (Julian, 2012)
68. Karl Strauss 4S Ranch (4S Ranch, 2012)
69. Karl Strauss Carlsbad (Carlsbad, 1999)
70. Karl Strauss Downtown (Downtown, 1989)
71. Karl Strauss La Jolla (La Jolla, 2004)
72. Karl Strauss Main Production Brewery (Pacific Beach, 1996)
73. Karl Strauss Sorrento Mesa (Sorrento Mesa, 1994)
74. Kensington Brewing Company (Grantville, 2013)
75. Kilowatt Brewing Company (Kearny Mesa, 2015)
76. KnB Brewery (Del Cerro, 2016)
77. Knotty Brewing Co. (Downtown, 2016)
78. Kuracali Saké & Beer Brewery (San Marcos, 2014)
79. La Jolla Brewing Co (La Jolla, 2013)
80. Latitude 33 Brewing Company (Vista, 2012)
81. Legacy Brewing (Oceanside, 2013)
82. Lightning Brewery (Poway, 2006)
83. Little Miss Brewing (Miramar, 2016)
84. Longship Brewery (Mira Mesa, 2016)
85. Magnetic Brewing (Kearny Mesa, 2015)
86. Mason Ale Works (Oceanside, 2015)
87. Mason Ale Works (San Marcos, 2017)
88. Midnight Jack Brewing Co. (Oceanside, 2016)
89. Mike Hess Brewing (North Park, 2013)
90. Mikkeller Brewing San Diego (Miramar, 2015)
91. Mission Brewery (Downtown, 2008)
92. Modern Times (Midway, 2013)
93. Monkey Paw Pub & Brewery (East Village, 2011)
94. Mother Earth Brew Company (Vista, 2010)
95. New English Brewing Company (Sorrento Valley, 2008)
96. Nickel Beer Company (Julian, 2013)
97. North Park Beer Co. (North Park, 2016)
98. Novo Brazil Brewing Company (Chula Vista, 2015)
99. OB Brewery (Ocean Beach, 2016)
100. Oceanside Ale Works (Oceanside, 2006)
101. Oceanside Brewing Company (Oceanside, 2016)
102. O’Sullivan Brother’s Brewing (Scripps Ranch, 2014)
103. Pacific Beach Ale House (Pacific Beach, 2007)
104. Pacific Islander Beer Co. (Santee, 2015)
105. Pariah Brewing Company (North Park, 2017)
106. Pizza Port Bressi Ranch (Bressi Ranch, 2014)
107. Pizza Port Carlsbad (Carlsbad, 1997)
108. Pizza Port Ocean Beach (Ocean Beach, 2010)
109. Pizza Port Solana Beach (Solana Beach, 1992)
110. Plan 9 Ale House (Escondido, 2013)
111. Poor House Brewing Co (North Park, 2012)
112. Port Brewing / The Lost Abbey (San Marcos, 2006)
113. Prodigy Brewing Company (San Marcos, 2016)
114. Prohibition Brewing Company (Vista, 2011)
115. Pure Project Brewing (Miramar, 2016)
116. Quantum Brewing Company (Kearny Mesa, 2014)
117. Reckless Brewing Co. (Miramar, 2015)
118. Resident Brewing Co. (Downtown, 2016)
119. Rip Current Brewing Co. (San Marcos, 2012)
120. Rock Bottom Brewery Restaurant La Jolla (La Jolla, 1998)
121. Rouleur Brewing Company (Carlsbad, 2017)
122. Rough Draft Brewing Company (Mira Mesa, 2012)
123. San Diego Brewing Company (Grantville, 1993)
124. San Diego Brewing Company (North Park, 2017)
125. San Marcos Brewery & Grill (San Marcos, 1991)
126. Second Chance Beer Co. (Carmel Mountain Ranch, 2015)
127. Societe Brewing Co. (Kearny Mesa, 2012)
128. South Park Brewing Co. (South Park, 2015)
129. SpecHops Brewing Co. (Vista, 2017)
130. SR76 Brewery (Valley Center, 2017)
131. St. Archer Brewing Co. (Miramar, 2013; Acquired by MillerCoors, 2015)
132. Stone Brewing Co. / Stone World Bistro and Gardens (Escondido, 1996)
133. Stone World Bistro and Gardens Liberty Station (Liberty Station, 2013)
134. Stumblefoot Brewing Company (San Marcos, 2012)
135. The Beer Company (Downtown, 2010)
136. Thorn St. Brewery (North Park, 2012)
137. Thunderhawk Alements (Miramar, 2016)
138. Toolbox Brewing (Vista, 2014)
139. Wavelength Brewing Co. (Vista, 2014)
140. White Labs (Miramar, 2012)
141. Wiseguy Brewing Co. (Carlsbad, 2017)
Satellite Tasting Rooms in Operation
142. Alpine Beer Co. Pub
143. Barrel Harbor Miramar
144. Belching Beaver North Park
145. Belching Beaver Ocean Beach
146. Bolt Brewing Little Italy
147. ChuckAlek Biergarten North Park
148. Coronado Brewing Co. Imperial Beach
149. Culture Brewing Ocean Beach
150. Green Flash Cellar 3
151. Helm’s Brewing Ocean Beach
153. Kilowatt Brewing Ocean Beach
154. Legacy Brewing Tap & Kitchen Miramar
155. Lost Abbey Confessional Cardiff
156. Mike Hess Brewing Ocean Beach
157. Mike Hess Brewing Miramar
159. Mother Earth Tap Room Vista
161. Stone Company Store Oceanside
162. Stone Tap Room (Downtown)
163. Stone Company Store on Kettner (Downtown)
164. Stone Brewing at PetCo Park
165. Stone Brewing in Terminal 2, San Diego International Airport
Brew Houses in Planning (various degrees of credibility)
166. 10 Fathoms (?) (?) (Twitter)
167. Alta Brewing (Barrio Logan, 2017)
168. Align Brewing Co. (Miramar, 2017)
169. Barrel Rescue Brewing Co. (Kearny Mesa)
170. Black Plague Brewing (Oceanside, Summer ’16)
171. BlueWater Brewing (Carlsbad)
172. Depot Springs Beer Company (La Mesa, June ’16)
173. Dogma Brewing (Clairemont)
174. Downbeat Brewing Co. (?)
175. Escondido Brewing Co. (Escondido)
176. Fighter Town Brewing Co. (Sorrento Valley)
177. Fourpenny House (La Mesa, 2017)
178. Full Body Brewing (Vista)
179. Harney Brewing Co. (North SD)
180. Horus Aged Ales (Oceanside, 2017)
181. Knox Corners Brewing (Lakeside)
182. Legatus Brewing Co. (Chula Vista)
183. Northern Pine Brewing (Oceanside)
184. Thr3e Punk Ales (Chula Vista)
185. Viewpoint Brewing (Del Mar, 2017)
186. White Fence Brewing (Vista)
Satellite Tasting Rooms in Planning (most very credible)
187. Modern Times Encinitas (in planning)
188. Culture Brewing Encinitas (in planning)
189. Little Miss Normal Heights (in planning)
190. Little Miss Ocean Beach (in planning)
191. Groundswell Brewing Company Chula Vista (in planning)
192. Thorn Street Barrio Logan (in planning)
193. Second Chance North Park (in planning)
194. California Wild Ales North Park (in planning)
195. Benchmark Brewing Bay Park (in planning)
196. AleSmith Brewing Carlsbad (North 40 project, in planning)
197. Second Chance Beer Company Carlsbad (North 40 project, in planning)
198. Mission Brewery Pacific Beach (in planning)
204. *SIX* tasting rooms at Seaport Village?? (in planning)
In addition, there are 16 other brewing venues:
6 BJs locations (Chula Vista, La Mesa, Hazard Center, La Jolla, Escondido, Carlsbad)
9 Oggi’s locations (Carmel Mountain, Mission Valley, Liberty Station, Chula Vista, Santee, Del Mar, Encinitas, Vista, SDSU Oggi’s Pizza Express)
Citizen Brewers (a U-brew)
![SR76 Beerworks, Valley Center [Re-branded as Rincon Reservation Road Brewery]](https://beermaverick.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/IMG_4175-768x508.jpg)
