I like Belching Beaver a lot, and I’ve become a fan of Mike Hess. Ballast Point and Stone are both solid choices. Alesmith is good. Green Flash is a great one to go the growler route with, they are crazy expensive in store but quite affordable in bulk.
I’m not the biggest fan of Modern Times. Societe is just okay in my book too, the beers aren’t bad, but there’s nothing special about them and the actual facility screams “lumberjack hipster” to me.
I agree the growler fill policy is frustrating to find info on, as the majority really want you to buy their growlers.
