San Diego Beer News

08/19/2024

When deciding which of his beers he would provide a homebrew-scaled recipe for as part of this year's HOMEBREW SUMMER program, Pacific Beach AleHouse's head brewer leaned into year-long drinkability, going with his helles bock, High Tide! |

If there's a fermentationist in America's Finest City who knows what it takes to brew up a super-dri

08/16/2024

The of the Week is a new offering from Ketch Brewing that gets its fruity flavor from peaches and...wait for it...a yeast strain recently discovered on the bellies of wasps! Intrigued? You should be. Get the story behind Pitted Peach! |

If you ask most beer fans what they’re favorite base ingredient is, most of them – especially in Sou

08/15/2024

TGI...Thursday? Why not? And why not check out this week's WHAT'S TAPPING list of new beers at San Diego County breweries (especially since there's a little Easter egg hidden in this one with info on a new brewery venue opening)! | https://bit.ly/sdbn240815

08/14/2024

Our latest FOX 5 beer segment toured the coastline and San Diego County's beach-adjacent breweries. We're not sure what happened, but when our founder, Brandon, donned a pair of shades he became a totally different person! | https://bit.ly/sdbnfox52408

08/13/2024

Get a first look at The Roadies Brewing Co., a brand new Vista brewery celebrating live music and the dedicated workers who, much like the brewers behind your favorite breweries, work hard to make magic happen. |

It took Diane and Sean Hilz more than a year to find a home for their business-to-be. During that le

08/12/2024

We love HOMEBREW SUMMER, especially when we get to take part in it. This year's pro-am beer from SDBN's founder and Nickel Beer Co. is a black barleywine emboldened by a malt bill inspired by a standout black IPA. Get the recipe and get a taste when it taps later this week at that Julian brewery and its sister biz, O'Brien's Pub. |

Part of what inspired me to develop San Diego Beer News' Homebrew Summer program, was the kindness o

08/09/2024

The of the Week is a (mostly) New Zealand-hopped West Coast IPA from Half Door Brewing, a stalwart East Village brewpub conveniently located less than a block from Petco Park, making it a killer pre-game spot for the Friar Faithful! |

Thanks to offseason and trade-deadline wheeling and dealing, plus a dedication to two things that, f

08/08/2024

This week's WHAT'S TAPPING list boasts over 60 fresh beers at breweries throughout San Diego, including these from Coronado Brewing, Deft Brewing and Harland Brewing (we're partial to that last one), plus recs on new arrivals from Bottlecraft! | https://bit.ly/sdbn240808

08/07/2024

What do you get when you convene four guys named Chris to brew Barrel and Stave Brewing's a third HOMEBREW SUMMER beer tapping at a venue housing two brewing companies? You end up with Shark Bait, that's what! Get all the details here. |

In addition to providing a mechanism for sharing information, ales and lagers, homebrew clubs serve

08/06/2024

Winners in the second annual Best of the West Coast India Pale Ale National Throwdown were announced over the weekend and a pair of San Diego brewing operations hailing from the very same neighborhood brought home medals. |

There’s a popular joke among professionals in the brewing industry that “nobody likes West Coast IPA

08/05/2024

BREAKING NEWS: Less than a year after opening an all-outdoor beer garden in San Marcos, Karl Strauss Brewing has made the difficult decision to close it down. Find out why and when The Outpost will pour its final beers. |

Last week, Karl Strauss Brewing announced the opening of a new North County location, an administrat

08/05/2024

Four years ago we launched the San Diego Beer News website. and this Friday we'll celebrate that milestone with our friends at Harland Brewing in Scripps Ranch. They brewed a special beer just for us and we're super-excited to share it with you! |

It was the summer of 2020, in a time and space when the world was mostly relegated to domiciles turn

08/03/2024

This week, our HOMEBREW SUMMER cups were filled to the brim. We had THREE pro-am creations hit local taps, the most recent of which is a porter brewed with Mostra Coffee by a homebrewer who is also one of Hopnonymous Brewing's longtime regulars. |

One of the greatest things about our Homebrew Summer program is when local beer companies are able t

08/02/2024

The of the Week is not only part of Kilowatt Brewing's nine-year anniversary celebration (happening tomorrow at their Kearny Mesa HQ), but also a part of the California Craft Brewers Association's annual show of camaraderie and collaboration! |

Nine years ago, Steve Kozyk and Rachel Fischer were getting ready to literally pull the switch and d

08/02/2024

There's all sorts of crispy, hoppy, oaky, boozy goodness in this week's list of new beers pouring forth from the taps at local breweries, and timely arrivals at Bottlecraft. Get your weekend started off right by taking a peek right now! | https://bit.ly/sdbn240801

08/01/2024

Tomorrow, a new HOMEBREW SUMMER pro-am beer will hit the taps at Burning Beard Brewing. It's a National Homebrew Competition gold-winning New Zealand Pilsner from a QUAFFer who united with longtime friends to brew it at the El Cajon brewery. |

Often homebrewing is as much about hanging out as cooking up a beer. After all, the beermaking proce

07/31/2024

After starting his business as an online-only resource, the owner of SoCal Brewing Supply has established his own brick-and-mortar homebrew store in Vista. Find out what it has to offer and what sets it apart. |

Travis Johnson got into homebrewing in a big way during his early-twenties. It’s a hobby he stuck wi

07/30/2024

San Diego's longest-running craft-beer op, Karl Strauss Brewing, has quietly moved into the North County city of Poway, setting up a new location after moving a significant share of its staff out of its longtime HQ in Pacific Beach. |

When brewing companies add locations, it’s typically big news, but when those sites lack a public co

07/29/2024

Our latest HOMEBREW SUMMER pro-am creation is different from all that have preceded it over the past four years. This time around, the Benjamins brewing out of My Yard Live Beer Co. went with something new, refreshing and non-alcoholic...hop water! |

Bine-borne character and hydration collide in the brewing industry's latest and most unexpected tren

07/27/2024

The of the Week is one of four specialty beers Kiwi brewpub Kairoa Brewing cooked up in honor of the New Zealand national rugby team's recent visit to San Diego. Get info on NZ-hopped Garston Gold 2.0 and its teammates. |

For the longest time, far too many local breweries acted as though craft beer and sports were mutual

07/27/2024

NEW BREWERY VENUE ALERT: Resident Brewing’s new satellite tasting room at the former home of Third Avenue Alehouse in Chula Vista is open for business! They’ll be serving up pints until 9 p.m. tonight, and from 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

07/26/2024

This week's lengthy list of new beers debuting around San Diego County has us wanting to knock off early on a Friday. How about you? Only one way to find out. Check out our latest WHAT'S TAPPING feature now! | https://bit.ly/sdbn240725

07/25/2024

Battlemage Brewing crafted their HOMEBREW SUMMER beer with a friend who recently brewed for The Lost Abbey but has since returned to amateur status. Get info on their rye IPA as well as a combo beer-release and going-away party they're holding for him. |

Before he was hired as a brewer for vaunted North County operation, The Lost Abbey, Andrew Konopak (

07/24/2024

BREAKING NEWS: Following its acquisition of Eppig Brewing, the Mason Ale Works group announces it will reopen that company's Vista tasting room, and that it has brought on Second Chance Beer Co. plus several other local beer and beverage brands. |

Can circling the wagons, bringing proven brands together and presenting their wares en masse create

07/23/2024

Our latest article for the Business Section of The San Diego Union-Tribune takes a look at the 20 new breweries and brewery-owned venues that have opened in San Diego County over the past several months, breaking them down by region. |

From expansions to relocations and ownership changes, San Diego County’s craft-brewing industry has

07/22/2024

The historic Home Brew Mart is open again and once more giving us everything they've got for our fourth-annual HOMEBREW SUMMER program, including sharing a staff favorite recipe for a righteous New Zealand-hopped Pilsner called Sleeping with the Fishes. Check it out! |

We're only two weeks into the second coming of famed, historic local craft-beer spot, Home Brew Mart

07/20/2024

Since new ownership took over San Diego Brewing Co., fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of new beers at the 30-year-old venue. The of the Week is worth the wait. Get the goods on Gimme Sim' Mo' West Coast IPA! |

Nostalgia is a powerful thing, particularly when it comes to beer and the companies that produce it.

07/19/2024

We made it. It's Friday! Time to check out the 60 or so new beers tapping at San Diego breweries and peruse a handful of new-arrival recommendations from our friends at Bottlecraft in our weekly WHAT'S TAPPING feature! | https://bit.ly/sdbn240718

07/18/2024

We have another cool HOMEBREW SUMMER pro-am beer release to announce. This is the first of two from Jacked Up Brewery in Escondido and will debut this Saturday. It's a "West Coast lawnmower lager" conceived by a Homebrew Summer veteran. |

Our annual Homebrew Summer program provides an opportunity for local breweries to reaffirm their con

07/17/2024

After more than 30 years, Encinitas finally has its own local brewery following last weekend's grand-opening of Fox Point Brewing, an all-draft farm-to-table operation that's part of a full-circle, sustainable "agrihood" development. |

Brian Carl is living a brewer’s dream, solely in charge of a brand-new, state-of-the-art facility of