Mikkeller Brewing, Miramar (A Revisit)

It has been awhile and I was passing by so I stopped in to see the recently renovated space.

It is gorgeous, and although there is more room and more seating (they’ve made the back area fully part of the tasting room now), it nevertheless feels kind of empty even with twenty-five-people in it.

There were lots of friends meeting and greeting, the friendly vibe enhanced by the bartender’s low-key patter.

The cool mural is gone, replaced with tapestries of the same characters. They could use some tables for the padded bench along two walls.

The reno reminds me how much Scandinavian interior design owes to Japanese interior design.The front room that had been a semi-private area with a long table is now a storefront with a full wall of beer fridges.

Overall, it feels quite different but identifiably the same.

The beer menu is the most changed since my first visit. There are still some heavy dark pastry stouts, like the Beer Geek Vanilla Shake I enjoyed on this occasion (though it is very, cloyingly sweet and I’m unable only in small doses). But only five of the twenty-one beers on the list are of that ilk. There are some sours now, a couple of lagers, but mostly hazy IPAs. Paul McGuire pointed out to me that they now also sell beers from the Danish brewery, both on tap and in bottles, at this location.

No one could ever accuse Mikkeller of not chasing trends. Their beer is all well made, though.

This is still pretty close to the top of the list of “must visit” places. Check it out. While you are planning your beer tour of Miramar, have a look at my recommendations.

Don’t forget their Little Italy location, too.

http://www.mikkellersd.com     9366 Cabot Drive, San Diego, CA  92126