brewery tour 2013

I'm going to be flying into san Diego next summer and am going to be driving up the coast to Portland. Along they way I plan on stopping at as man breweries on the way as possible. I plan on starting at Stone and also stopping at Russian river, Laguanitas, anchor, and a few more. So what other breweries should I stop at out in California?

 

There are a number of breweries in Santa Barbara, Goleta, San Luis Obisbo area. Hollister, Figueroa Mountain, Telegraph Brewing Company, to name few. There are quite few more that I can't remember right now. There is also Sierra Nevada in Chico of course, which is pretty awesome, they give good tours.

 

Firestone Walker is just north of San Luis Obispo in Paso Robles. They have great beer! Lagunitas is in Mendocino county. Never been there but I love their beer!

 

Hit Pizza Port in Carlsbad- not for the tour, go for the beer and pizza. They are great. If you're driving all the way to Portland then hit Calapooia Brewing. It's off the 5. There are a ton of places in Oregon- Hair of the Dog and Giant were really fun when my wife and I went.

 

Also, be sure to time your Anchor visit well... tour reservations are mandatory, and tours are not offered every day.

 

If you are driving try and stop by Alpine Beer Co. in Alpine, CA. It's about 30-40 mins east of San Diego, and well worth the trip. It's fairly nondescript but the beer is outstanding.

 

And while you're driving from Carlsbad to Stone you'll drive right past Lost Abbey. it would be a shame to miss it.

Near the SAN airport White Labs has a tap room. It is designed to highlight the yeast, like the same IPA batch split and fermented with 3-5 very different yeasts. Hugely educational. Any brewer will learn a lot.

 

If you'll be hitting Stone anyway make sure to stop by Lost Abbey on your way to the 5 to start heading north. Awesome taproom.

 

http://www.thebruery.com/tastingroom/index.html

 

Dont forget North Coast (Ft. Bragg), Lost coast (Eureka), and Mendocino brewing Co.