Best of SoCal
The biggest concentration of independent craft in America. San Diego County alone produces more interesting beer than most states. LA and Orange County add West Coast IPA giants, hazy specialists, and increasingly serious lager programs. Plan to drive — distances are deceptive.
Covers: San Diego County, Orange County, Los Angeles, Inland Empire
Brewery
Bottle shop
Beer bar / brewpub
Tap a marker to see the spot
One day
Pure Project Miramar → North Park Beer Co → Bine & Vine. SD only — don't try to add LA in a day.
A weekend
Day 1: SD North Park crawl. Day 2: SD Vista/Carlsbad (Pure Project HQ, Mikkeller Vista). Day 3: drive north to OC for Green Cheek + Bottle Logic in Anaheim.
A week
Add LA: Highland Park Brewery + Mumford + a day trip to Riip in Huntington Beach.
San Diego
Brewery
Miramar · 9990 AleSmith Ct, San Diego, CA 92126
Old-guard SD brewery with one of the best beer halls in the country and a barrel program that punches at top-tier BCS levels. Speedway Stout (and its variants) is a cellar staple.
Known for: Speedway Stout, .394, Sublime Mexican Lager
Mikkeller San Diego
Brewery
Miramar · 9368 Cabot Dr, San Diego, CA 92126
Mikkeller's American outpost in the old AleSmith building. Strong mixed-fermentation program plus collaborations with the global Mikkeller network.
Brewery
Point Loma · 3725 Greenwood St, San Diego, CA 92110
Bean-to-cup coffee program built into the brewery, plus a strong hazy IPA lineup and ambitious mixed-fermentation work. The Lego mural alone is worth the visit.
Brewery
North Park · 3038 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92104
2022 GABF small-mid Brewery of the Year. Hop-Fu IPA is one of the cleanest, most aromatic West Coast IPAs being made anywhere. Walking-distance from a half-dozen other quality stops.
Known for: Hop-Fu IPA, Choka Hazy
Societe Brewing
Brewery
Kearny Mesa · 8262 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, San Diego, CA 92111
Quietly one of the best hop-forward breweries on the West Coast. The Pupil and The Apprentice are reference-grade IPAs.
Bine & Vine Bottle Shop
Bottle Shop
Normal Heights · 3334 Adams Ave, San Diego, CA 92116
Best curated craft bottle shop in San Diego. Fresh inventory, deep selection of local releases, and staff who know the difference between a 2-week-old NEIPA and a 6-week-old one.
Toronado San Diego
Brewpub / Beer Bar
North Park · 4026 30th St, San Diego, CA 92104
Sister bar to the SF original. Forty-plus rotating taps with a strong local emphasis. Great post-brewery-tour landing spot.
Orange
Everywhere Beer Co.
Brewery
Orange County · 1501 W Orangewood Ave, Orange, CA 92868
Founded by four ex-Bruery employees (Daniel Muñoz, Jeremy Grinkey, Stefan Weber, Keith Pumilia). Aggressively NZ-hop-forward across hazy and West Coast IPAs, plus stouts and Belgian-leaning experiments. Multiple OC + Portland locations now, planned LA Union Station expansion.
Known for: hazy IPAs, NZ-hopped West Coast IPAs
Brewery
Orange County · 2294 N Batavia St, Orange, CA 92865
Orange County's best independent craft. Nelson! West Coast IPA and Lightning Drops hazy IPA are both reference-grade.
Vista
Brewery
North San Diego County (HQ + multiple SD locations) · 1305 Hot Spring Way, Vista, CA 92081
Murky, high-impact hazy IPAs alongside an unusual mixed-fermentation program. Multiple SD-area locations including Miramar, Carlsbad, Balboa Park, North Park, and the Vista mothership.
Known for: Murklands hazy series, Cosmic Reflection, mixed-culture saisons
El Cajon
Burning Beard Brewing
Brewery
East San Diego County · 785 Vernon Way Suite F, El Cajon, CA 92020
Small but serious East County operation making excellent traditional German lagers and clean West Coast IPAs.
Anaheim
Brewery
Orange County · 1072 N Armando St, Anaheim, CA 92806
Stout specialist with the Fundamental Observation lineage. Annual stout releases are chase-tier; the IPA program holds its own.
Huntington Beach
Brewery
Sunset Beach · 17214 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach, CA 92649
GABF award winner, Sunset Beach SoCal brewery, self-distributed. Fresh-focused IPAs.
Los Angeles
Brewery
Highland Park / Chinatown · 1220 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
LA's most celebrated independent. Timbo Pils is one of the best American pilsners; Hello, LA is a benchmark West Coast IPA.
Solana Beach
Brewpub / Beer Bar
North San Diego County coast · 135 N Hwy 101, Solana Beach, CA 92075
Pizza Port has won more GABF medals than nearly any brewery in America (100+). The Solana Beach flagship plus locations in Carlsbad, Ocean Beach, and Bressi Ranch all serve their own beer brewed on-site. Hop-forward focus, beach-shack vibe, family-friendly.
Known for: Swami's IPA, rotating West Coast IPAs