San Diego Beer Related Establishments

[Doc]

I'm going to be up in the US (San Diego) for a work conference in July so I'm planning to squeeze in as much beer related activities while I'm there.
Using existing knowledge and after checking out Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com I've come up with a few must do stops including White Labs (who I've emailed and are happy to let me do a tour and redeem my vials as part of their customer club); Stone Brewing who I plan to visit on the Friday afternoon when their tasting room is open and O'Briens, The Liars' Club and The Yard House bars which seem to be the highest rated beer lover establishments in San Diego.
I'd love to also get up to West Coast Choppers but Long Beach is ~ 106 miles from NE from San Diego :-(

Does anyone have any other places that I should be frequenting while I'm up there (that are worthy) ? I've including the details of the ones I've mentioned, plus some others that are backups

Of course to make you all extremely jealous, I'll take heaps of pics while there and post reports of my beer related exploits :lol:

Beers,
Doc

White Labs
Our Laboratory and Administrative Offices are located at:
7564 Trade Street, San Diego, CA 92121
Tel: 858-693-3441
Fax: 858-693-1026
~ 16 mi (about 18 mins)

Breweries
Stone Brewing Co.
155 Mata Way, #104 San Marcos, CA 92069
(760) 471-4999
~ 34 miles North of San Diego.

Gift Shop and Tasting Room Hours
Friday: 3 PM - 6 PM
Saturday: 11 AM - 3 PM

Alesmith Brewing Company
9368 Cabot Drive, San Diego, California 92126 [map]
(858) 549-9888
Tours are conducted Fridays at 4pm
~ 16 miles North of San Diego

Other Places of Interest - Bars/Breweries
O'Briens
4646 Convoy Street, San Diego, CA 92111
858.715.1745
20 TAPS OF FANTASTIC BEER!
Including: Bear Republic, Stone, Pizza Port, AleSmith, Hoptown, Russian River and more!
20 taps, most of which go to California seasonal and microbrewed beers you may not find elsewhere. Caters to lunch and post-work crowds. Large outdoor patio and stocked humidor for cigar fans. Real ales featured every week, monthly Belgian nights with 6-8 beers, dinner specials, and a growing bottle selection. An American style pub known for its vast IPA selection.

The Liars Club Bar & Grill
3844 Mission Blvd. San Diego, California 92109
Phone: 858-488-2340
Fax: 858-488-7078
The Liars Club draft beer selection features San Diegos finest breweries. AleSmith Brewing Company, Alpine Beer Company, Ballast Point, Green Flash, Port Brewing Co., and Stone Brewing Co. are all represented on our taps.

Yard House, The
[ Beer Bar ]
1023 4th Ave, San Diego, California, 92101
phone: (619) 233-9273
Each Yard House location has at least 130 beers on tap (Long Beach has 250!)
http://www.yardhouse.com/menu_beer.asp?id=8

Karl Strauss Brewery Restaurant, Downtown
[ Beer Bar ]
1157 Columbia Street, San Diego, California, 92101
phone: (619) 234-2739
Voted San Diegos Best Microbrewery eight years in a row by San Diego Magazine, Karl Strauss Brewery & Restaurant, Downtown invites you to taste beer the way it was meant to be enjoyed - fresh, full-flavored and all-natural. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego just blocks from the Convention Center, San Diego's original local brewery and restaurant is the home of Karl Strauss Amber Lager, the Karl Strauss signature beer.

Gordon Biersch Brewing Co.
5010 Mission Center Road, San Diego, California 92108
Phone: (619) 688-1120
Fax: (619) 688-1132
http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/index.html
Hours: Opens at 11:00am daily
Spacious brewpub in Mission Valley, but crowds still lined out the doors at busy times. As at all Gordon Biersch pubs, the menu is ambitious and the beers are all true-to-style German offerings.

 

[Duff]

Had the same fortune in February last year for a turfgrass conference, stayed at the Marriott Coronado Island overlooking the city. Can recommend the Karl Strauss pub but wish I could go back to fully appreciate it as I wasn't AG brewing back then The Yacht Club also had a couple of different brews on tap and if you go a wander along the water line there are a couple of other bars which may have some variety which we didn't make it into.

Oh, and one other place which is a must for a visit can be found here



For the hot wings of course h34r:

 

[neonmeate]

ive never been but by the sounds of it san diego is a great place for beer. alesmith in particular is meant to be fantastic.
you can make up your own mind about stone, ive had a few of their beers and found them pretty one-dimensional, but definitely not low on flavour to say the least.

the one that sticks out that you havent mentioned is Pizza Port. (well they mention em at o'briens but i think the actual place is in or near san diego). I think they have a few locations but my san diego knowledge isnt great so i dont know how close they are to everything. here's the website
http://www.pizzaport.com/

they have all sorts of crazy experimental beers like saisons, double IPAs, bacterial warfare experiments. their Mo Betta Bretta sounds intriguing, it's fermented only with Brettanomyces (no sacch!).dunno what the pizza's like! i;'m sure theyd have some interesting toppings...

this is just stuff i've heard about, no responsibility taken etc

have a good trip! i'll have to get over there one day myself

 

[joecast]

wow doc, looks like you've done your homework and have an awsome trip ahead of you. how much time will you have in san diego? the places you have listed could easily take up weeks of your time (not that you wold mind, im sure). i would also recommend pizza port and ballast point brewing is also a winner.
well, have fun, and im looking forward to the pics and a full report!!
joe

ps. dont forget the extra luggage for the "souvenirs"

 

[Doc]

Thanks for the feedback guys.
I'll be arriving on the Tuesday and leaving on the Saturday morning.
I figure pubs/micros that are walking distance from the convention centre I'll do at lunch times, and the bigger ones for dinner and beers at night.
Will be going to White Labs on the Tuesday arvo when I arrive and Stone Brewing on the Friday arvo when the tasting room is open.
Will also look into Pizza Port and Ballast Brewing.
Hooters I'll probably give a miss. Been there done that on previous trips :lol:
Will also give Rock Bottom a miss. Done that in other cities before too.

The Yard House has 130 beers on tap. I could be there for a month :lol:

Beers,
Doc

 

[Doc]

I'm on the big bird tomorrow morning.
The trip is planned (as much as possible) to include as many MUST SEE establishments.
It seems that San Diego's public transport systems sucks for anything out of the city.

Pizza Port is located up the coast at Calsbad which maybe a stretch to get too.
Stone Brewing is looking dodgy to get to because of the distance (using public transport involves a couple of train and bus changes and 2+hours each way). If I can't find some other like minded individuals at the conference I'm going to, to share a cab/hire car then I'll have to give it a miss. If that is the case I'll make the effort to get to Alesmith which is more achievable.

White Labs have confirmed and I'll be there on Tuesday afternoon getting the tour and redeeming my empty vials for the Classic Beer Styles Series book on Kolsch.

The order to MoreBeer is in. The suitcase is going up empty and coming back chockers. (And before anyone else asks, sorry there will be no room for any special requests). Unfortunately though MoreBeer is still out of stock on the 230v March pumps

I'll take the digital camera and take photos of the the Yard House (130+ beers on tap), White Labs etc etc.

Beers,
Doc

 

[PeterS]

I'm on the big bird tomorrow morning.
The trip is planned (as much as possible) to include as many MUST SEE establishments.
It seems that San Diego's public transport systems sucks for anything out of the city.

Pizza Port is located up the coast at Calsbad which maybe a stretch to get too.
Stone Brewing is looking dodgy to get to because of the distance (using public transport involves a couple of train and bus changes and 2+hours each way). If I can't find some other like minded individuals at the conference I'm going to, to share a cab/hire car then I'll have to give it a miss. If that is the case I'll make the effort to get to Alesmith which is more achievable.

White Labs have confirmed and I'll be there on Tuesday afternoon getting the tour and redeeming my empty vials for the Classic Beer Styles Series book on Kolsch.

The order to MoreBeer is in. The suitcase is going up empty and coming back chockers. (And before anyone else asks, sorry there will be no room for any special requests). Unfortunately though MoreBeer is still out of stock on the 230v March pumps

I'll take the digital camera and take photos of the the Yard House (130+ beers on tap), White Labs etc etc.

Beers,
Doc

[post="66824"][/post]​

I am surprised that you are still on line. If it was me, I would be checking my last minute details and answering check questions from the wife like have you got enough clean undies and hanks.? I envy you, I wish I could do the same trip, it looks good. Good luck and enjoy it, i am sure you will anyhow.
PeterS....

 

[Justin]

Hey Doc, I was there last year-that conference centre is bloody huge! Nice location though.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about Rock Bottom, nothing flash in there but looks like you've got a bit more than me covered. Not a real fan of the stone brewing co.'s beers. Had the Stone IPA, Arogant ******* etc, interesting but. Beer is cheap in the supermarkets. I tried the most no. of the beers back in the hotel room with a few other lads, things like the hefeweizens etc that you don't see here but found it hard to get to the micros in my limited time schedule. Plenty of Sierra Nevada PA about the place too and most bars will have a big selection of beers you most likely haven't tried (local beers like Karl Strauss etc).

Oh, and the public transport is crap if you want to go anywhere other that where the trams/trolleys run. If you are going down to Tijuanna (sp!) keep your money close, pretty dodgey skanky area, although cheap tequilla! (I think it's cheap so that you put up less resistance when they come to relieve you of the rest of your money and possessions-and thus end up paying full price for the tequilla anyway). I didn't get done but know of a couple of people who did. Pretty scary place if your not careful.

Are you going to morebeer in Riverside? The shops not as big as you would think but at least you'll get to see one of their three tier systems and drool at the kettles and buy some other goodies. They only had the one brewing system in the shop but it was very nice (would kill for one h34r: ). If your catching the train out to Riverside my recommendation is to catch a taxi to the Morebeer shop-it is a LONG walk to the store from the train station and it's not the kind of neighbourhood you want to stroll through either. Pretty rough. Looking at the map of Riverside I thought I could walk it easy (and you probably would in Australia) but after about 20mins walking and still being nowhere near the shop my safety became the subject of the moment and I decided the $10 cab fare was the best investment I could make at that stage-NO ONE WALKS ANYWHERE IN THE US and if your not careful walking you can put yourself in a situation that just doesn't seem to exist here in Oz.

Not meaning to cause alarm and it sounds like you've been round the place a bit but just thought I'd try and offer up some help and opinions from someone who has been there. I had no idea what to expect from Riverside and Morebeer. Pretty small shop, but they will give you a beer or two to drink and they do have some cool stuff.

Enjoy your trip mate.

Cheers, Justin

 

[Doc]

Thanks for all the info Justin.

MoreBeer at Riverside is too far for the time that I have to spare there. I figured their store wouldn't be huge which is why I just ordered online to have it delivered to my hotel. White Labs was the perfect fit for the afternoon I arrive.
I checked out Rock Bottom in Seattle last time I was there. Their beers were ok, but the brewer obviously like one particular hop and like using it a lot in all his beers.

Definitely giving Mexico a miss because of both time restrictions and being solo. Definitely want to come home in one piece. I've had my excitement in dangerous parts of the world in my younger years :huh:

Beers,
Doc

 

[Justin]

Ah cheers mate. Good to hear.

That's good thinking on getting the Morebeer stuff being delivered to your hotel, that would have been my recomendation also in hindsight. I thought the shop would have been a bit more extensive when I went there but was a bit disappointed. I didn't want to dampen your hopes if you were going to make the drive out there to have a look but in my opinion you get a much better shopping experience just flicking through the online catalogue. Plus with the minimal cost of shipping it would be cheaper than the fuel/train ticket to get there.

Nice work, enjoy your toys :beerbang: :beer:

 

[colinw]

San Diego is fun, and not just for the beer. The zoo is well worth a visit if you get time.

I quite enjoyed the Ballast Point beers when I was there. Didn't have time to visit Pizza Port, which was thoroughly recommended by locals in the know.

One disappointment was the Yard House at Irvine (I was staying in Lake Forest, east of Irvine). Great selection of beers but due to the huge selection some of the kegs must hang around too long, eg. I had an Anchor Steam which was stale & oxidised, and a Redhook ESB which tasted like pure diacetyl.

Agree about not walking anywhere. The distances are huge, and there seems to be little logic to where dodgy & good areas are located.

cheers,
Colin

 

[Trent]

Doc
Enjoy ya trip, San Diego is a great city, and you will have a blast. I used to live there, and had no idea there were so many good beer places, but then again, that wasa before I was a brewer, and was just a heavy drinker! I am back there in 4 weeks, and am afraid I will have to ride your coat tails, and reap the benifits of your hard research - I owe ya a few beers if we ever meet! Stone was the only definite target cause I loved arrogant *******, but now Pizza Port will definitely be my port of call for dinner and beers with my mates in Oceanside (10 min drive to carlsbad), that Mo Betta Bretta sounds too interesting to pass up. Ballast, Alesmith, Yard House and Liars are all now places for me to visit. Worst part is I have been to some of these places (like Pizza Port) and just drank things like SNPA. ALMOST a waste.
Downtown is easy to get around, and the gaslamp district is a really nice place to eat and drink. To get to Liars, it is pretty easy, just take the trolley to Old Town Transit Centre and catch the bus to Pacific Beach (number 9, I think), it goes all the way along Mission Blvd, just tell the driver when ya get on that ya wanna go to Liars bar and grill, they are pretty friendly, and should have no troubles dropping ya off there. Moondoggies in Pac Beach has a fairly extensive beer range, and $2 pints on sunday nights, but if ya hit up yard house, 130 beers on tap is a little more extensive than moondoggies. If ya like chocolate, get into the Godiva shop downtown, prohibitively expensive, but very very good. Also, the mexican food there is amazing, and cheaper in san d than it is for the first 200km into mex. California burritos are top notch, or if ya feel like a meat hit, have a carne asada, cant beat em, and they are only a couple of bucks. Steer clear of Tijuana, not worth the hassle. Heaps of fun stuff to do there, but if yer only there for 5 days, the conference and drinking will fill up ya time.
Have a good one,
All the best
Trent

 

[Trent]

Doc
I just checked out the map of where Alesmith is, and I hate to say it, but that will be almost as much of a mongrel to get to by public transport as Stone. The pub transport system there leaves alot to be desired, as others have stated. Are ya flying into san D? One of the craziest landing approaches in the US. Glide over the top of downtown, then drop like a stone onto the runway. Pretty hairy, i found, but they always make it OK (just incase ya thought I was trying to scare ya h34r: ) Forewarned is forearmed! If I hadnt have heard about if beforehand, I woulda been a little freaked out.
Trent

 

[Doc]

Cheers, Trent.

I hadn't heard that about SD airport, so thanks. Although it can't be any worse than the old Hong Kong airport :blink:

As for Alesmith I was planning a taxi trip for that one. But as I can get their beers over town, I might just give them a call for a t-shirt if I like their beers.

At Yard House I will see what everyone else is drinking so that I don't choose a beer that is stale (which is probable when you have 130+ taps). Although I'm hanging to try Pliny the Elder.

It looks like finding Dogfish Head beers on tap won't happen. I've found a few bottleshops in the area so hopefully I can find it in the bottle.

Beers,
Doc

 

[Scratchy]

Definately check out the Karl Straus joint. Very enjoyable and from memory pretty good brews, but that was a couple of years ago.

Great building too.

Have fun you lucky lucky *******.

Andrew.