San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...

, has been called "the Craft Beer Capital of America". , the county was home to 155 licensed craft breweries – the most of any county in the United States. Based on 2016 sales volume, three San Diego County breweries – Stone, Green Flash, and Karl Strauss – rank among the 50 largest craft brewers in the United States. San Diego County brewers pioneered the specialty beer style known as Double India Pale Ale (Double IPA), sometimes called San Diego Pale Ale. Its beer culture is a draw for

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

, particularly during major festivals such as San Diego Beer Week and the San Diego International Beer Competition. San Diego County breweries including Stone Brewing Co.,

AleSmith Brewing Company AleSmith Brewing Company is an American craft brewery located in San Diego, California. It specializes in handcrafted ales in a variety of styles. As of 2015 it produces about 25,000 barrels of beer a year. History The brewery was founded ...

and

Ballast Point Brewing Company Ballast Point Brewing Company is an American brewery founded in 1996 by Jack White in San Diego, California. Ballast Point Brewing Co. started in the back of Home Brew Mart, a homebrew supply store White founded in 1992. As of 2015, it was the s ...

are consistently rated among the top breweries in the world.

History

The

San Diego Brewing Company The San Diego Brewing Company was a historic brewery in San Diego, California. History The San Diego Brewing Company opened in 1896 as the first commercial brewery in San Diego County. It was financed by wealthy locals including John D. Spreckel ...

opened in 1896 as the first commercial brewery in San Diego County; Alonzo Horton, the father of modern San Diego, was one of the founders. At the time it was the largest manufacturing enterprise in the county. It was located on 32nd street in San Diego. It closed in 1920 because of

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. It reopened in 1935 and continued in operation until 1942, when it was displaced by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

's 32nd Street Naval Station. A brewpub by the same name now operates in the

Mission Valley Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east–west in San Diego, California, United States, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes the city of San Diego divides it into two neighborhoods: Missi ...

neighborhood. Mission Brewery Southeast Northeast Facades

Mission Brewery Mission Brewery Plaza is a historic brewery building in the Middletown neighborhood of San Diego, California. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 6, 1989. It is also the name of a San Diego microbrewery which ...

, located in the Middletown neighborhood of San Diego, opened in 1913 and closed due to Prohibition. It was never reopened as a brewery, but the landmark five-story brick building was repurposed several times, for kelp extraction until the 1980s and ultimately as an office building, still in operation. The building was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1989. The name Mission Brewery was revived in 2007 by a brewery located in the historic Wonder Bread building in

Downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the city center of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. In 2010, the Centre City area had a population of more than 28,000. Downtown San Diego serves as the cultural and financial center and ...

. The

Aztec Brewing Company The Aztec Brewing Company (also known as the Aztec Brewery) was a regional brewery founded in Mexicali, Mexico in 1921, which moved to San Diego, California in 1933. It closed in 1953, and was revived as a brand in 2011. It is the only brewing co ...

was founded in

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California. The city, seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali metropolitan area is home to 1,000, ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, in 1921 as Cerveceria Azteca SA. During Prohibition it helped to supply Americans with the beer they could not legally buy in the United States. The company moved to San Diego in 1933, following the repeal of Prohibition, and became San Diego's largest brewery. It was located on Main Street in

Barrio Logan Barrio Logan is a neighborhood in south central San Diego, California. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of East Village and Logan Heights to the north, Shelltown and Southcrest to the east, San Diego Bay to the southwest, and National Cit ...

. It featured a large Rathskeller, or basement beer hall, decorated with murals, paintings, and woodcarvings by

Jose Moya del Pino José Moya del Piño (1891–1969) was a Spanish-born American painter, muralist and educator. He associated with the Post-impressionists of Spain and the Depression-era muralists in the San Francisco Bay Area. He taught classes at the San Fran ...

. By 1944 Aztec was the only brewery still operating in Southern California. The company was purchased by

Altes Brewing Company ''For people with the surname, see Altès (surname).'' In Greek mythology, Altes was a Lelegian king who resided at Pedasus, which was situated in or near the Troad. According to Homer's ''Iliad'' Altes was the father of Laothoe, one of the many ...

in 1948; Altes was then bought by the

National Brewing Company The National Brewing Company was an American brewing company that was founded in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1885. Its Baltimore brewery was located in the city's Highlandtown neighborhood. After World War II, it grew to be the largest brewer in Balti ...

, which closed Aztec Brewing Company in 1953. For the next 36 years there was no local commercially brewed beer in San Diego County. The name Aztec Brewing Company has been revived in a

Vista Vista usually refers to a distant view. Vista may also refer to: Software *Windows Vista, the line of Microsoft Windows client operating systems released in 2006 and 2007 *VistA, (Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture) ...

brewery which opened in 2011. During Prohibition (1920–1933), San Diegans could still drink beer by crossing the border into Mexico. In the formerly small town of

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

more than 180 cantinas were built to serve American visitors, and the city's population grew tenfold between 1920 and 1930. Several modern breweries were built in Mexicali to supply the demand. Before Prohibition there had been seven breweries in San Diego. After repeal there were three: Aztec Brewing Company, San Diego Brewing Company, and Balboa Brewing Company. These were soon either purchased by the Big Three national brewing companies (Anheuser-Busch, Coors, and Miller) or driven out of business by the aggressive marketing practices of the Big Three. From 1953 until the 1980s the local beer market was dominated by the large national brewers, with the alternative being imported beer from Mexico. But changes in national and state law in the late 1970s made home brewing legal, and in 1982 California allowed breweries to operate restaurants on their premises, which made

brewpub Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

s possible. Karl Strauss Carlsbad

In 1989 the

Karl Strauss Brewing Company Karl Strauss Brewing Company is a San Diego, California-based Craft beer, craft brewery with eleven brewpub locations across Southern California and an onsite tasting room at their main brewery in the Pacific Beach, San Diego, Pacific Beach neighb ...

opened a brewery and brewpub on Columbia Street in Downtown San Diego and expanded into distribution brewing in 1991. This was the first commercial brewery in San Diego since 1953, and for many San Diego consumers it was their first exposure to freshly brewed beer and to styles such as

amber lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...

and

pale ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Diff ...

. In the mid-1990s a second wave of craft breweries appeared, led by

Pizza Port Pizza Port Brewing Company is a brewpub with five locations in Southern California: Solana Beach, two in Carlsbad (Downtown and Bressi Ranch), Ocean Beach and San Clemente. A former Pizza Port location in San Marcos spun out of Pizza Port in 2 ...

, Stone and Alesmith. The local

craft beer Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...

movement was inspired in part by

homebrewing Homebrewing is the brewing of beer or other alcoholic beverages on a small scale for personal, non-commercial purposes. Supplies, such as kits and fermentation tanks, can be purchased locally at specialty stores or online. Beer was brewed dom ...

hobbyists, supported by the storefront Home Brew Mart, which opened in 1992 and later spun off the

. Beer festivals promoted the new styles and educated a new generation of beer drinkers. In 1997 local brewers Tomme Arthur and Tom Nickel organized the first such event, the Strong Ale Festival (still an annual event), and in 1998 they added the Real Ale Festival (discontinued after 2012). Other festivals were added, and in 2009 the San Diego Brewers Guild launched an annual Beer Week. San Diego became so well established in the brewing world that the biennial

World Beer Cup The World Beer Cup is an international beer competition organized by the Brewers Association, a trade group representing America's small and independent craft brewers. It is the largest competition in the beer industry and has been described as " ...

competition was held there in 2004; 11 medals (out of more than 200) went to locals. San Diego hosted the event again in 2008, taking 14 medals, and in 2012, taking 16 medals. At the 2015 Great American Beer Festival, San Diego County brewers brought home a total of 20 medals (6 gold, 2 silver, and 11 bronze). The Great American Beer Festival's "Best Small Brewer" Award has gone to San Diego County brewers multiple times: 2004 (Tomme Arthur for Pizza Port Solana Beach), 2007 (Arthur for Port Brewing / Lost Abbey), 2008 (Alesmith), and 2011 (Yiga Miyashiro, Pizza Port Ocean Beach). Pizza Port Carlsbad won the Best Large Brewpub award in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The GABF "Best Mid-sized Brewery" award for 2016 went to Karl Strauss. The World Beer Cup's biennial "Best Small Brewer" award went to San Diego County Brewers in 2004 (Tom Nickel for Oggi's Pizza and Brewing), 2008 (Arthur for Port Brewing / Lost Abbey), 2010 (Ballast Point), and 2014 (Coronado Brewing Company). In 2013–2014, the

San Diego History Center The San Diego History Center is a museum showcasing the history of San Diego, located in the city's Balboa Park. Description and history Founded in 1928 by businessman and civic leader George W. Marston, the San Diego Historical Society was h ...

featured a special exhibit on the history of beer in the county, titled "Bottled and Kegged: San Diego's Craft Beer Culture".

Beer styles

San Diego County brewers produce the full range of craft beers, but they are best known for strongly-hopped, high-alcohol beers such as India Pale Ale (IPA), and particularly for an even stronger, hoppier style known as Double IPA. Double IPA beers are made with intensely aromatic, bitter hops, which result in a very bitter beer. A standard mass-produced American beer scores less than 20 on the International Bitterness Units (IBU) scale; an average IPA scores about 60 IBU; and a double IPA commonly scores 100 IBU or higher. The style was pioneered by brewer Vinnie Cilurzo at the now-defunct Blind Pig Brewery in

Temecula Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a t ...

in 1994; most breweries in San Diego County now produce a double IPA. Double IPA has been called San Diego's signature beer, and some people refer to Double IPA beers as San Diego Pale Ale.

Economic impact

Brewing has been one of the fastest-growing business sectors in San Diego, with seven new licenses issued in 2010, fifteen in 2011 and eighteen in 2012. As of January 2019 the county contained 155 independent craft breweries - the largest number of craft brewers in a single county in the United States. For the year 2018 the industry was reported to have an economic impact of approximately $1.2 billion in 2018 and a total industry revenue of $848 million, providing an estimated 6,480 jobs. Beer-related tourism is an important part of San Diego County's visitor industry throughout the year; the county is described as a "beer city destination". Many breweries offer tours of their facilities and tasting rooms, and dozens of commercial tour operators market "beer tours" in San Diego County.

Annual events

San Diego Beer Week, launched in 2009, is now a ten-day county-wide festival, held in early November and aimed at both local residents and tourists. It showcases the local beer scene and fosters knowledge about the area's brewing heritage. The festival kicks off with the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival and continues with hundreds of large and small events hosted by breweries, nano-breweries, pubs, and alehouses. In 2012 there were more than 500 events scheduled during Beer Week. The San Diego International Beer Festival takes place during the

San Diego County Fair The San Diego County Fair (formerly called the Del Mar Fair) is a county fair held every summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar, California. The fair is a major draw for San Diego County residents; in recent years, attendance figures have ri ...

every June. It includes seminars and classes,

beer tasting Beer tasting is a way to learn more about the history, ingredients and production of beer as well as different beer styles, hops, yeast and beer presentation. A common way is to analyse the appearance, smell and taste of the beer. Then a final judg ...

, and beer judging. Participating breweries in 2013 came from 22 states and 16 countries. Other special beer events throughout the year include the San Diego Beer Festival in July, the San Diego Festival of Beer in September, and the Strong Ale Festival in December.

Notable breweries

One-third of all the breweries in the county are located in the

North County North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second-most populous region in the county (after San Diego), with an estimated population of 869,322. North County is well known for its affluence, especiall ...

along the stretch of

California State Route 78 State Route 78 (SR 78) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Oceanside east to Blythe, traversing nearly the entire width of the state. Its western terminus is at Interstate 5 (I-5) in San Diego County and its e ...

from Oceanside to Julian. The route is sometimes called the "Hops Highway." Stone Brewing Co. is the largest brewery in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

and the ninth largest craft brewery in the United States. Located in Escondido in San Diego's North County, it is known for hoppy, high-alcohol beers and an in-your-face attitude. (The company's best-known brand, Arrogant Bastard Ale, uses the slogan "Hated by many. Loved by few. You're not worthy.") Arrogant Bastard Ale is regarded as a "watershed beer" that "put San Diego on the craft brew map." Stone Pale Ale is their flagship brew. The company produces eight beers year-round, as well as special releases and collaborations. In addition to the brewery and tasting room it has two brewery restaurants, in Escondido and San Diego, and five "company stores". In 2014, Stone announced plans to open brewery restaurants in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

and in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Both facilities opened in 2016; the Berlin operation was sold to a Scottish company in 2019.

was the first brewery in San Diego since 1953 and launched the current wave of breweries. It is now the third largest brewery in San Diego County. It operates a production brewery in San Diego's Pacific Beach neighborhood as well as eight brewery restaurants in San Diego,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and

Riverside Riverside may refer to: Places Australia * Riverside, Tasmania, a suburb of Launceston, Tasmania Canada * Riverside (electoral district), in the Yukon * Riverside, Calgary, a neighbourhood in Alberta * Riverside, Manitoba, a former rural m ...

counties. The company's flagship brew is Karl Strauss Amber Lager. Its best selling beer, Red Trolley Ale, won gold medals in its category at both the

Great American Beer Festival The Great American Beer Festival (GABF) is an annual beer festival hosted by the Brewers Association, held in Denver, Colorado. Typically held in late September or early October, the event is currently held at Denver's Colorado Convention Center. ...

(2011 and 2013) and the

(2010 and 2012).

was opened in 1996. In 2010 the company was named the World Champion Small Brewery at the World Beer Cup. In 2015, the company was acquired by

Constellation Brands Constellation Brands, Inc., a Fortune 500 company, is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 percen ...

The five brewpubs of

, together with its spinoffs Port Brewing Company (

San Marcos San Marcos is the Spanish name of Saint Mark. It may also refer to: Towns and cities Argentina * San Marcos, Salta Colombia * San Marcos, Antioquia * San Marcos, Sucre Costa Rica * San Marcos, Costa Rica (aka San Marcos de Tarrazú) ...

) and Lost Abbey (San Marcos), have won dozens of medals in international competition. Pizza Port started brewing commercially in 1992; in 1994, it became the first-ever San Diego brewery to win a medal at the Great American Beer Festival. The Great American Beer Festival named Pizza Port's Carlsbad location the "best large brewpub" in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Port Brewing/Lost Abbey was named the "Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year" at the Great American Beer Festival in 2007, and the Best Small Brewing Company at the World Beer Cup event in 2008.

, located in San Diego, was founded in 1995. Many of their beers are strongly hopped and high in alcoholic content. It was the most popular brewery on RateBeer's surveys in 2004 and 2005. In 2008, AleSmith was awarded "Small Brewing Company and Small Brewing Company Brewer of the Year" at the Great American Beer Festival.

References

External links

San Diego Beer Week website

San Diego Brewers Guild: SDBG
{{Beer in the United States San Diego County, California

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the fi ...