San Diego County Set to Welcome 31 New Craft Beer Companies & Microbreweries
It’s not a secret that the San Diego area is a mecca for craft beer aficionados. In fact, San Diego County has even been referred to as the “Craft Beer Capital of America.” This SOCAL destination for fine beer is now set to open the doors to over 30 new microbreweries within the coming year. That’s a lot of hops.
So, what makes San Diego County so desirable for craft beer makers? Well, the weather doesn’t suck, but if you look at it from a historical perspective you’ll see that there’s just something that makes the west desirable for craft beer makers. The San Diego Brewing Company was the pioneer of these companies and it opened its doors for the first time in 1896 as the first commercial brewery in San Diego County. Since then, we’ve seen a steady influx of new commercial breweries flooding the San Diego area, from Mission Brewery (opened in 1913 – now closed) to the Stone Brewing Co. (opened in 1996 and now the 10th rated craft beer company in all of America) and their in-your-face line of popular beers such as the uber-popular Arrogant Bastard Ale and with 31 new breweries set to open in the next year, San Diego is in the midst of their very own beer boom.
Whether you’re looking for a hoppy beer with a high alcohol content from AleSmith Brewing Company, the local favorite Karl Strauss Brewing Company, or the aforementioned Arrogant Bastard Ale (slogan: “Hated By Many, Loved By Few, You’re Not Worthy”), San Diego county features all of this and more, including some great eats at one of the many local gastropubs, such as the Blind Lady Ale House, you’re sure to find what you need while you soak up some sun and enjoy the suds.
In addition to a rich history of fine breweries and gastropubs, the craft brew scene in San Diego County can also attribute its success to hosting some of the biggest beer events on the planet. The World Beer Cup saw itself hosted in San Diego twice within the last decade and many smaller festivals that focus on educating a new generation of beer drinker, and featuring local brews, such as the Real Ale Festival (launched in 1997) are now commonplace. San Diego Beer Week, launched in 2009, is now a county-wide event that features some of the finest local breweries as well as educational events, tastings and even beer judging. The event kicks off each year with the San Diego Brewers Guild Festival and wraps up a week later with hundreds of small events at breweries, pubs, alehouses and gastropubs. Last year alone there were more than 500 scheduled Beer Week events.
This boom in microbreweries has had a huge economic impact on San Diego County as well. These breweries generated an estimated 600-million dollars of revenue in the past year, and a large portion of that benefits the county directly through taxes and a mindset of supporting the local economy amongst the brewers. An even bigger economic impact comes from the 2,000+ jobs created in the beer industry, not counting the numerous fringe jobs created through additional tourism, such as the local beer tour operators, niche educational academies such as the San Diego Bartending School, and hotel and restaurant sidewalk traffic during major beer-related events in the county.
When it comes to craft beer, all roads lead to Southern California. We’re looking forward to welcoming these new microbreweries over the next couple of year as well as enjoying the dozens that we already have. And if you haven’t been to San Diego Beer Week, you’re really missing out on a great time and a great opportunity to enjoy some of the finest beers in the country. See you next June!
This post was provided by our Intern Amanda. If you are interested in an internship with The Full Pint, please drop us a line at [email protected].
