![\"Mission](\"https:\/\/sandiegodowntownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/IMG_8305-web.jpg\")
<\/a>Mission Brewery<\/b><\/p>\n
Tucked away in an industrial area on the east side of Downtown in the shadow of Petco Park, Mission Brewery makes its home in the expansive and ancient Wonder bread factory, built way back in 1894. Mission changed little of the exterior from the location\u2019s bread-making days, and inside has a nicely crafted industrial feel. Large stacks of Mission\u2019s iconic tall brewing cans tower stories high all around the factory. The enormous interior is divided in two: one side has a long bar with a table seating area surrounding it; the other,<\/p>\n
very visible side is the production end that pumps out 10,000 barrels of beer each year. A forklift sits idly in the corner during operating hours, adding to authenticity.<\/p>\n
Walking inside Mission Brewery gives one the feel of walking straight into the production plant. It makes no effort to present a restaurant ambiance \u2014 the only food they have around is bar nuts, but you can bring in take-out food if you choose. Beer is what Mission Brewery does and beer is what they sell. That isn\u2019t to say it\u2019s totally void of good atmosphere.<\/p>\n
On one recent Saturday afternoon, there wasn\u2019t a single light on, as the warehouse floor filled with natural light from openings in the ceiling above. A couple shuffleboard tables and big-screen TVs kept the beer drinkers entertained. The absence of food also allows it to be one of San Diego\u2019s few dog-friendly breweries.<\/p>\n
In addition to some delicious beer, Mission Brewery allows an opportunity for visitors to view a production-grade facility right in the heart of San Diego. For $10, a weekend tour guide will give patrons extensive background on the facility and educate them on the brews currently in the works, which includes a flight of five three-ounce tasters.<\/p>\n
Location: 1441 L St., East Village<\/em><\/p>\n On tap: 14 Mission Brewery beers, six of which were seasonal. All ran for $5.50, although pouring size varies.<\/p>\n My recommendation: The Carrack Imperial Red Ale is intimidatingly dark, but unlike a porter or stout, it still retains a rich, malty flavor without giving one the feeling that they\u2019re eating their beer.<\/p>\n Website:\u00a0missionbrewery.com<\/a><\/p>\n Karl Strauss<\/b><\/p>\n Many don\u2019t realize that Karl Strauss\u2019s Downtown restaurant is the site perhaps most responsible for catapulting San Diego\u2019s brewing culture into the national spotlight. Opened in 1989, the original brewery of Karl Strauss Brewing became the first built in San Diego in half a century.<\/p>\n The company is now a titan of San Diego brewing, and that\u2019s largely because of the man behind the brew. Karl Strauss embodied all we could ever want a brewer to be. He was born on the second floor of his father\u2019s brewery in Germany in 1912. Again: The guy was born in a brewery.<\/p>\n Being of Jewish ancestry, Strauss fled Nazi-controlled Germany in 1939 to America, where the college-trained brewer took a lowly job handling bottles in a Milwaukee Pabst Blue Ribbon factory. Pulling himself up by his beer-soaked bootstraps, Strauss quickly impressed PBR\u2019s leadership, and ended up rising through the ranks, ending a 44-year-long career as its vice president of production.<\/p>\n After leaving PBR, he was contacted by a couple young men looking to start a brewery in San Diego. He lent them his enormous list of beer recipes, his leadership, and a thick German accent that made their commercials stand out.<\/p>\n Today, the original location has shrunk to a small restaurant with limited brewing capabilities, but it still retains Strauss\u2019s famous creations and the spirit of his work. Each Karl Strauss restaurant has its own brewer free to experiment with his own ingredients, usually taking up one of the taps on the site.<\/p>\n When I visited, the brewer\u2019s \u201cTank Tap\u201d \u2014 the custom creation \u2014 was a Double Yum Belgian Ale, which used candied yeast (obviously) to give it a sugary hint of gum. Not my cup of tea, but I can appreciate the originality. All in all, any true lover of San Diego brewing can appreciate this location purely for its historical relevance.<\/p>\n Location: 1157 Columbia St., Core-Columbia<\/em><\/p>\n On tap: This location has a conservative, compact selection of about ten beers on tap, and it makes a compelling argument for quality over quantity. All were easily recognizable Karl Strauss brews aside from the \u201cTank Tap,\u201d which changes regularly.<\/p>\n My recommendation: I usually don\u2019t go crazy for pale ales or IPAs, which I realize this nears blasphemy, but the hoppy kick that defines them usually drowns out all other flavors. The Pintail Pale Ale, however, had a more low-key hops flavor that allowed the other ingredients room to stretch their legs.<\/p>\n Website: karlstrauss.com<\/a><\/p>\n Ballast Point<\/b><\/p>\n From the atmosphere to its state-of-the-art production, Ballast Point has this business down to a finely-honed science. At first glance, its Little Italy tasting room appears to be little more than a bustling happy hour spot in a lively part of town, but there\u2019s some real science being done here, people.<\/p>\n In addition to being a tasting room, the location also serves as a \u201cresearch and development\u201d facility, which means they\u2019re concocting some pretty off-color batches at this place. While they carry all the well-known Ballast Point names, they also have a wide range of unique beers rarely seen elsewhere.<\/p>\n Another eye-catching menu item was the \u201cNITRO\u201d listed next to a few of their taps, which indicates a reliance on nitrogen in the carbonation process rather than carbon dioxide. (Let me explain before you say, \u201cCan it nerd and just tell me where the beer is the coldest.\u201d) This process, made popular by the thick, heavy Irish beers, gives the drink more body and much thicker foam, turning your run-of-the-mill stout into a stomach-filling Guinness-like concoction. It\u2019s worth a try \u2014 for science.<\/p>\n However, my favorite thing these guys had to offer was their \u201cRoots to Boots\u201d program, which just began late last year. It allows any Ballast Point employee to form a team, then work with a Ballast Point brewer to create their own specialty beers. Three such creations were on tap when I visited. Although some were a bit out there for my taste, they at least catered to my populist political views.<\/p>\n \u00a0Location: 2215 India St., Little Italy<\/em><\/p>\n On tap: 28 Ballast Point beers, as well as three Roots to Boots beers that change regularly.<\/p>\n My recommendation: The Roots to Boots creation, Something Nautical, is a punch-packing imperial stout filled to the brim with chocolate and hazelnut flavors. It was a strange blend, to be sure, and is not for the faint of heart (seriously, I feared heart failure after drinking it), but it was a unique drink you\u2019d be hard pressed to find elsewhere. Even if stouts aren\u2019t your thing, go out on a limb with one of the Roots to Boots beers.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>