San Diego Beer Recommendations

[buckinin]

I'm taking a cruise out of San Diego in a couple weeks. I can bring two 6 packs of 12 oz beer onto the ship ( can't bring pint cans unfortunately). Any recommendations for beer I should try that isn't nationally distributed? Or a good store to hit to have a good selection? I'm typically partial to IPAs, pale ales, saisons, or porters/stouts.

We're staying the night before at the spring hill suites bay front. I won't have a car so somewhere within walking distance of there would be ideal. It looks like there is a Stone store very nearby so that's my fall back. But I can get Stone here so would like to try something new.

Thanks for any help!

 

[toddo97]

When I went there with my wife we skipped Stone because it's so accessable on the East Coast. We hit Ballast Point and really enjoyed that even though that's easy to get these days as well. Our favorite place was Modern Times. Amazing sours and IPAs but everything we tried there was great.

 

[brewswithshoes]

When was there last we stayed at the Hilton next to the convention center. I recall there was a BevMo near the Stone World Bistro Gardens. It was about a 6 dollar Uber ride to the restaurant. We walked to BevMo then uber'd back. Great selection of beers there too. Modern Times, Belching Beaver, Karl Strauss, Pizza Port are a few west coast brands that I enjoyed and that I can't get here in Florida (or on East coast)

One day down the road I'll move there. Love me some San Diego !!! Have fun out there!

 

[buckinin]

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[Rob2010SS]

I was just there two weeks ago! I really like Coronado, Amplified Ales, and Pure Project. Coronado had an amazing maple porter on nitro. Just awesome!! Amplified had some nice IPAs and pales. Pure was unique. Have a good trip!

 

[LarMoeCur]

I lived in SD for 12 years.

Go to Little Italy easy walking distance from the pier. Ballast Point Brewery is a must stop! Stone has an outpost on Kettner right down the street from Ballast Point. Not the actual brewery but a tasting room. For sure those are the two must taste beers in SD.

Pizza Port is pioneer in SD craft beer seen. Been around the longest but away from the pier.

Coronado is good. Belching Beaver is good. Also quite a distance from the pier.

 

[kev211]

Being down in the port you'll be an easy Uber ride to north park. I would suggest, Modern Times, Belching Beaver, and Mike Hess. IMO, modern times is hands down the #1 brewery in San Diego at this moment. Theres a bottle shop in NorthPark called bottlecraft. If you can get some Alesmith, do it. Feel free to PM me with any questions. Born and raised here in SD

 

[buckinin]

Thanks!

Does modern times sell in 12 oz cans or bottles? Or just pints and bombers? I’d like to buy something from modern times to carry on the ship but it has to be 12 oz containers per cruise line requirements.

Some of the people in a cruise group I’m part of were talking about alesmith 394. (I think the tony Gwynn homage is pretty cool!). Is that a flagship for them?

 

[unviewtiful]

Modern Times only does bombers and 16oz cans. I agree that they're one of the best in SD, and I'm very happy they recently started distributing to southern AZ. Even if you don't take any beer to go, for sure check out the Lomaland Fermentorium. Everything they make is excellent and they even roast their own coffee beans, which they serve at the cafe inside the tasting room.

Both Stone locations are pretty awesome to visit. It sonds like you'll be closer to Liberty Station, so hit that up if you have time. The Alesmith taproom was really cool, and there are a lot of other breweries around there (the White Labs tasting room isn't too far and it was a neat place to visit).

The places I know offer 12oz bottles other than Stone and Ballast Point:
Alesmith
Pizza Port
Alpine
Karl Strauss
Green Flash

 

[kev211]

Thanks!

Does modern times sell in 12 oz cans or bottles? Or just pints and bombers? I’d like to buy something from modern times to carry on the ship but it has to be 12 oz containers per cruise line requirements.

Some of the people in a cruise group I’m part of were talking about alesmith 394. (I think the tony Gwynn homage is pretty cool!). Is that a flagship for them?

Modern times has 12, and 16 oz cans and bombers. So you should be good to go.

.394 is a freaking awesome beer. It comes in 12oz bottles and cans in addition to bombers and theyre pretty easy to find in the 12oz cans, so I doubt youll have any issues. I guess they developed .394 when Gwynn was still alive and kept tweaking it to fit his liking and finally settled on the current version just before he passed. If you have time to kill in SD and are a baseball/beer fan, its definitely worth the Uber trip up to Alesmith to check out the Tony Gwynn Museum and Alesmith speakeasy

 

[kev211]

Modern Times only does bombers and 16oz cans. I agree that they're one of the best in SD, and I'm very happy they recently started distributing to southern AZ. Even if you don't take any beer to go, for sure check out the Lomaland Fermentorium. Everything they make is excellent and they even roast their own coffee beans, which they serve at the cafe inside the tasting room.

I was at the Lomaland Fermentorium on Saturday and could have sworn there were 12oz cans there

 

[buckinin]

Modern Times only does bombers and 16oz cans. I agree that they're one of the best in SD, and I'm very happy they recently started distributing to southern AZ. Even if you don't take any beer to go, for sure check out the Lomaland Fermentorium. Everything they make is excellent and they even roast their own coffee beans, which they serve at the cafe inside the tasting room.

Both Stone locations are pretty awesome to visit. It sonds like you'll be closer to Liberty Station, so hit that up if you have time. The Alesmith taproom was really cool, and there are a lot of other breweries around there (the White Labs tasting room isn't too far and it was a neat place to visit).

The places I know offer 12oz bottles other than Stone and Ballast Point:
Alesmith
Pizza Port
Alpine
Karl Strauss
Green Flash

I’m doing a Disney cruise with the wife and two (underage) kids, so probably won’t be able to visit tap rooms, etc on this trip. (I’ll now be rooting for a work trip to San Diego in my future though!)

Can you get beers like these at a grocery store like Ralph’s? Or is bottlecraft the only way to go? I’ve seen states where grocery stores have as good a selection as liquor stores and others where you can only get BMC at grocery stores if that. Can’t remember if California falls into one category or the other. My wife might want me to Uber to Ralph’s to pick up snacks for the ship, so wondering if I can kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks again for all of the help!

 

[buckinin]

Modern Times only does bombers and 16oz cans. I agree that they're one of the best in SD, and I'm very happy they recently started distributing to southern AZ. Even if you don't take any beer to go, for sure check out the Lomaland Fermentorium. Everything they make is excellent and they even roast their own coffee beans, which they serve at the cafe inside the tasting room.

Both Stone locations are pretty awesome to visit. It sonds like you'll be closer to Liberty Station, so hit that up if you have time. The Alesmith taproom was really cool, and there are a lot of other breweries around there (the White Labs tasting room isn't too far and it was a neat place to visit).

The places I know offer 12oz bottles other than Stone and Ballast Point:
Alesmith
Pizza Port
Alpine
Karl Strauss
Green Flash

There was also a Pure Project Hibiscus Saison that I thought looked interesting. Looked pretty highly rated. Ever tried it?

 

[kev211]

I’m doing a Disney cruise with the wife and two (underage) kids, so probably won’t be able to visit tap rooms, etc on this trip. (I’ll now be rooting for a work trip to San Diego in my future though!)

Can you get beers like these at a grocery store like Ralph’s? Or is bottlecraft the only way to go? I’ve seen states where grocery stores have as good a selection as liquor stores and others where you can only get BMC at grocery stores if that. Can’t remember if California falls into one category or the other. My wife might want me to Uber to Ralph’s to pick up snacks for the ship, so wondering if I can kill two birds with one stone.

Thanks again for all of the help!

There was also a Pure Project Hibiscus Saison that I thought looked interesting. Looked pretty highly rated. Ever tried it?

Im not a huge saison guy, but Ive had it and it was pretty killer. Ralphs usually has a decent selection but its about 50-50 bombers and 12oz. Forgot, there is a bottle craft in little italy which is borderline walkable from the cruiseship terminals (maybe 1-1.5miles tops).

 

[stieg000]

I'm with everyone on modern times, great beer, lomaland, black house and their gose' s are excellent. Easy to find the brewery too, behind the old school neon sign le girls strip club on rosecrans. Probably my 2nd favorite is Alesmith. Both breweries are widely available in most stores in So Cal. Dunno if you can get pizza port other than draft, but their beer is good.

 

[buckinin]

View attachment IMG_1508082263.925778.jpg

Ended up with Karl Strauss. They only had pint cans of Modern Times. But these look good too! Saw Pizza Port too, but only pint cans too.

 

[kev211]

View attachment 417316

Ended up with Karl Strauss. They only had pint cans of Modern Times. But these look good too! Saw Pizza Port too, but only pint cans too.

Aurora hoppyalis is one of my go to IPAs. Super crisp and refreshing. Awesome for hot days. Good find! Enjoy the cruise!

 

[buckinin]

In Puerto Vallerta now! The Karl Stauss has bern very good! Quite a few Dos Equis today at a resort but loving he San Diego craft!