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SD County tap houses

Where San Diego’s beer culture really lives

Toronado San Diego, seen here during an orderly, attendance-capped beer brunch, is often quite crowded
Toronado San Diego, seen here during an orderly, attendance-capped beer brunch, is often quite crowded

Tap houses are where beer enthusiasts comingle to talk about the great ones and the weird ones, to compare notes and to show off their respective palates. In the best tasting rooms you may find the best and rarest beers, and everybody’s an expert.

Place

O'Brien's Pub

4646 Convoy Street, San Diego

O’Brien’s Pub

The OG craft taproom that helped get many a San Diegan hooked on a better beer maintains longstanding relations with some of the nation’s finest brewers, meaning some of their finest beers pour through its doors.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Toronado

4026 30th Street, San Diego

Toronado

This outpost of San Francisco’s seminal tap house gets some of the world’s best beer and serves it to the thirsty masses. Belgian styles get special consideration, but locals and top-shelf domestic brands also abound.

Place

Hamilton's Tavern

1521 30th Street, San Diego

Hamilton’s

Local bands looking to make their mark aspire to play the Casbah. Local breweries have something similar going on with Hamilton’s. Get on this tap list and you might not hit it big, but you know you’re playing to the right audience.

Place

Barrel Republic

1261 Garnet Avenue, San Diego

Barrel Republic

A trick of technology makes this place worthwhile to those looking to discover something new. You draw your own beer from electronic taps, and you pay by the ounce. So you may try a sip of every beer on tap before you settle on a pint.

Place

Project Bar & Grill

3683 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

The Brew Project

This converted house features a comfortable patio and upstairs lounge, but the carefully curated locals-only tap list is the real attraction. Suddenly Hillcrest is a place to explore San Diego beer without leaving your seat.

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Toronado San Diego, seen here during an orderly, attendance-capped beer brunch, is often quite crowded
Toronado San Diego, seen here during an orderly, attendance-capped beer brunch, is often quite crowded

Tap houses are where beer enthusiasts comingle to talk about the great ones and the weird ones, to compare notes and to show off their respective palates. In the best tasting rooms you may find the best and rarest beers, and everybody’s an expert.

Place

O'Brien's Pub

4646 Convoy Street, San Diego

O’Brien’s Pub

The OG craft taproom that helped get many a San Diegan hooked on a better beer maintains longstanding relations with some of the nation’s finest brewers, meaning some of their finest beers pour through its doors.

Sponsored
Sponsored
Place

Toronado

4026 30th Street, San Diego

Toronado

This outpost of San Francisco’s seminal tap house gets some of the world’s best beer and serves it to the thirsty masses. Belgian styles get special consideration, but locals and top-shelf domestic brands also abound.

Place

Hamilton's Tavern

1521 30th Street, San Diego

Hamilton’s

Local bands looking to make their mark aspire to play the Casbah. Local breweries have something similar going on with Hamilton’s. Get on this tap list and you might not hit it big, but you know you’re playing to the right audience.

Place

Barrel Republic

1261 Garnet Avenue, San Diego

Barrel Republic

A trick of technology makes this place worthwhile to those looking to discover something new. You draw your own beer from electronic taps, and you pay by the ounce. So you may try a sip of every beer on tap before you settle on a pint.

Place

Project Bar & Grill

3683 Fifth Avenue, San Diego

The Brew Project

This converted house features a comfortable patio and upstairs lounge, but the carefully curated locals-only tap list is the real attraction. Suddenly Hillcrest is a place to explore San Diego beer without leaving your seat.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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