San Diego Craft Beer Breweries
~Cheers to spring with SoCal craft beer🌸~
Hello, this is REIKA from the SOCALIZATION Marketing Department. Everyone, spring is almost here.
There are plenty of events to enjoy during this time of year, such as picnics in the warm sunlight, cherry blossom viewing parties when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, and welcome parties for new employees at school or work.
Of course, food and drink are essential! (laughs)
This time, we will introduce some delicious craft beers that can be enjoyed at such spring events.
table of contents:
What is craft beer anyway?
"Craft beer" has become a hot topic in Japan recently, but what exactly is it?
Simply put, craft beer is high-quality, unique beer that is painstakingly produced by artisans in small breweries.
It's like a traditional craft in the beer world.
Definition
According to the Brewery's Association definition, craft beer is brewed in a brewery that:
- Micro Brewery: A brewery with an annual production of 6 million barrels or less. This is just 3% of the annual sales volume in the United States.
- Independent of any other alcoholic beverage manufacturer: The second requirement is that the brewery cannot be owned or operated by an alcoholic beverage manufacturer that does not brew craft beer in-house.
- Traditional: Made with traditional ingredients and fermentation methods, and retaining traditional aromas. Craft beer is one that seeks innovation while retaining traditional characteristics.
Craft beer is original beer made by small-scale brewers who pay careful attention to the ingredients and brewing methods.
Types of craft beer
Craft beer can be categorized into over 100 varieties based on ingredients, brewing method, taste, color, etc., but it can be broadly divided into two types based on the fermentation method: "ale" and "lager."
- Ale: Craft beer characterized by a fruity aroma, sweetness, and richness.
- Lager: A refreshing beer with a crisp taste and easy-to-drink flavor. 99% of the beer sold in Japan is lager beer.
Taste characteristics
Craft beer is a type of beer that has its own originality depending on the brewer. As mentioned above, the taste differs between ales and lagers, but even within the same genre, there is a greater diversity in taste between different styles.
The typical styles and flavors of each category are as follows:
<Ale type>
- IPA
- IPA = India Pale Ale
- Has a strong bitter taste
- The rich, gorgeous aroma of hops, one of the ingredients, is also characteristic.
IPAs available at SoCalization
- stout
- Characterized by aromas of fragrant nuts, chocolate and coffee
- Rich taste
Click here for stouts available in SoCalization
- Weizen
- Fruity banana-like scent
- Mild bitterness and soft taste
<Lager>
- Pilsner
- Craft beer that is easy for most people to drink
- Smooth and dry
- It accounts for about 80% of the beer consumed around the world, and is a familiar taste to Japanese people.
- Jerez
- Overall it is light in flavor.
- Compared to Pilsner, it is slightly sweeter and less bitter.
- "Heres" means "bright" in German.
Craft Beer Mecca:
SAN DIEGO
San Diego is a city in southern California where you can experience the craft beer culture that is currently in the spotlight. It is a very comfortable place to live with its warm climate all year round.
San Diego is known as the world's largest craft beer brewery and the craft beer capital of the world. Innovative breweries such as Stone Brewing Company and Karl Strauss were born here, sparking the craft beer boom.
San Diego's craft beer and breweries are widely recognized as pioneers and have earned a worldwide reputation.
There are over 150 breweries, and today we would like to introduce some of our favorites.
5 recommended craft breweries in San Diego
Karl Strauss
- A long-established craft brewery founded in 1989
- The beer garden attached to the brewery is also popular.
- Refreshing beer and a laid back atmosphere embody the Southern California lifestyle
- Variety is abundant
<Recommended craft beer>
Mosaic Session IPA , Boat Shoes IPA , Aurora Hoppyalis
Modern Times
- The fastest growing brewery
- In addition to their ever-popular flagship products, they also regularly release seasonal beers.
- The brewery is also a coffee roaster, so you can enjoy not only beer but also coffee, and even beer made with home-roasted coffee.
- The brewery is very stylish and Instagrammable.
<Recommended craft beer>
Dungeon Map , Fruitlands PF&Guava
Belching Beaver Brewery
- They offer a wide range of beers, from "Blonde Ale (Golden Ale)," which has a clean taste with little bitterness, to stouts that are aged in barrels for a rich, bitter taste.
- Unique flavors: Mexican Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, caramel, mild biscuit
- Founded in 2012, this is a relatively new brewery.
- Brewmaster Thomas Peters is a two-time recipient of the Alpha King award.
<Recommended craft beer>
Peanut Butter Milk Stout , Here Comes Mango
Stone Brewing
- It is San Diego's largest craft beer producer and one of the largest independent breweries in the United States.
- They are particular about the ingredients used in their beers, and even the food menu at the brewery uses locally sourced ingredients.
- Long-time favorites include Arrogant Bastard Ale and Imperial Russian Stout.
- The brewery also has a restaurant and a beautiful garden.
- It has also been selected as "Best California Brewery" and "Best Place to Grab a Beer" by the beer specialty website RateBeer.
- World Bistro & Gardens in Escondido offers 36 different beers in a landscaped garden setting with a running stream.
Society Brewing Company
- Founded in 2012
- Primarily brewing IPAs
- The brewery's name "Societe" pays tribute to the important social role that beer plays in connecting people across race, religion, gender and age.
- In 2018, it won the gold medal in the Mixed-Culture Brett Beer category at the World Beer Cup.
- This talented brewery has won awards at the San Diego International Beer Festival and the Great American Beer Festival for consecutive years.
<Recommended craft beer>
The Butcher , The Pupil , The Coachman
