OT: Just got a 64oz growler and want to try it out. Not really into the high IBU beers looking for a place with selection that will be willing to fill my generic stainless steel growler after I try a flight of beers. Most of them don’t seem to post their policy online when it comes to growler filling.
Check out Chuck Alek Biergarten in North Park for something a little different from the West Coast/SD hop bombs. They do unique old-world low-ABV styles of beer. A rare niche in SD’s crowded IBU tsunami.
If you go this month, you can get a Duff Adequate served by Duffman for half price – it’s the back-to-school special! If you go in the evening, you may even run into the Seven Duffs: Sleazy, Queasy, Surly, Edgy, Tipsy, Dizzy, and Remorseful.
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.
[quote=poorgradstudent]
I agree the growler fill policy is frustrating to find info on, as the majority really want you to buy their growlers.[/quote]
Actually the growler policy was by law until recently. You couldn’t fill a growler that didn’t bear you company’s logo. Now you can fill growlers that are blank or have the logo covered up if it isn’t your logo.
As for good breweries, it sort of depends on the style of beer you’re looking for. I like Coronado for being good at a variety of styles. Ballast and Pizza Port are pretty good in terms of being well rounded as well. I’m not a fan of Stone’s core brews but their specialty and smaller batch stuff has been quite good.
Regarding breweries, I live in SEH so I am surrounded by solid choices. Lost Abbey/Port, Toolbox, Iron Fist, Bagby, Rip Current, Belching, Mother Earth. I really hate being so far from Miramar because I love Alesmith and would like to get kegs of their stuff and hess.
Checked out CoinHaus during La Mesa Octoberfest and it was interesting. Only spent about $8 and sampled a bunch of beers, only liked a few, they were out of the root beer flavored beer and the wine was too expensive for me to try, $1.79/oz.
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