The Belching Beaver Brewery tasting room in North Park serves great beer and offers excellent service in a rustic/modern space that attracts big crowds.  RECOMMENDED.

Bay City Brewery is between Mission Beach and Liberty Station, close to Old Town. It is right on the I-8 highway, so noise and fumes are a problem. I was disappointed by the beers I had.

Pure Project was conceived in Costa Rica and started in the “brewery igniter” in Miramar. They brew a broad selection of different styles and have already acquired a reputation for quality that makes their bottle releases so highly sought-after that they do them by lottery.  RECOMMENDED.

The Miramar brewery and tasting room of Amplified Ale Works does not offer food (unlike the Pacific Beach location) and it is potentially a bit of a drive depending on where in San Diego you live, but it is clean, comfortable, modern and a great spot to grab a good beer.

The Rip Current tasting room in North Park (co-located with Sublime Kitchen) offers the full line of award-winning Rip Current Brews in an airy, comfortable space conducive to extensive day drinking.  RECOMMENDED.

The Pacific Beach location isn’t the main brewing location anymore, but they still serve good craft beer (brewed at their Miramar location) and food in a nice setting right next to the beach.

The Mike Hess Brewery in North Park is home to some excellent and innovative beers. RECOMMENDED.

Pacific Beach AleHouse is a brew pub about 200 yards from the beach. Its a nice spot, but the house beer is “okay” rather than “good.”