Mike Hess Brewing is one of San Diego’s great growth stories. Founded in 2010 as the city’s first production nano-brewery, a tiny operation in Miramar run by Mike Hess and his wife Lynda, it has grown into one of the county’s largest craft brewers, with six locations across San Diego County and more than 50 industry awards to its name. The brewery went from the region’s smallest to one of its biggest without losing the approachable, community taproom feel that made it popular in the first place.

The basics

• Locations: North Park flagship, 3812 Grim Ave, San Diego; Imperial Beach beer garden; Alpine brewpub; Seaport Village Cantina and Taphouse; Ocean Beach
• Founded: 2010
• Known for: Claritas Kolsch, Habitus Double IPA, Grazias Vienna Cream Ale, Solis IPA, Hop Cloud hazy IPA, Umbrix stout; 50+ industry awards; Open Mike cans

The taproom

The North Park flagship is the heart of the operation, home to the 30-barrel brewhouse installed in 2013 and an airy indoor-outdoor tasting room with the full lineup on tap. A skybridge lets guests walk directly over the brewhouse, which is a nice touch for anyone who likes to see where their beer comes from. Flights are the way to go here, and the 32-ounce Purrowlers make it easy to take a favorite home. The Imperial Beach location has the most expansive beer garden in the group, just yards from the Pacific Ocean, and it is the best seat in the house on a warm afternoon. At Seaport Village there are two distinct spots steps from the bay: the Cantina, for tacos and sunset sips on a breezy patio, and the Taphouse, a more refined room with an extensive draft list and bay views. Every location is family and dog friendly, and the staff leans welcoming rather than beer-snob.

Standout beers

• Claritas Kolsch: The brewery’s crisp Kolsch-style flagship, a World Beer Cup gold medal winner in 2016. Clean, light, and endlessly drinkable.
• Habitus Double IPA: A spicy rye double IPA and World Beer Cup gold medal winner in 2014. Bold hop character with a rye edge that sets it apart from the usual double IPA crowd.
• Grazias Vienna Cream Ale: A gently nutty, toasty cream ale that a New York Times writer once praised as unlike anything else they had tasted. Smooth, refreshing, and quietly distinctive.
• Solis IPA and Grapefruit Solis: San Diego-style IPA and its citrusy grapefruit twist, a taproom top seller and a staple of the canned lineup.
• Hop Cloud: A juicy hazy IPA for the modern hop crowd, soft and fruit-forward.
• Umbrix: A bold, complex stout on the dark end of a lineup that otherwise leans bright and hoppy.

Our take

Mike Hess Brewing is the rare brewery that scaled up without getting corporate. The range is the strength: crisp lagers and Kolsch on one end, big stouts and double IPAs on the other, with something drinkable at every stop in between. The tradeoff is that the flagship lineup can feel safe next to the wilder small-batch beers coming out of San Diego’s newer breweries. Claritas and Habitus are excellent beers, but they are not the kind of beers that stop a conversation. What does stop a conversation is the taproom experience, especially at North Park and Imperial Beach, where the setting does half the work. This is a must-visit for anyone working through San Diego beer, and a reliable first stop for visitors who want to understand what the scene is about. The beer is consistently good, the rooms are consistently welcoming, and the growth story is the kind of thing that makes you root for the place.

Sources: San Diego Tourism Authority, Mike Hess Brewing Co., North Park, https://www.sandiego.org/members/meeting-planners/mike-hess-brewing-co-north-park/7177 ; Brewbound, Mike Hess Brewing Begins Canning, https://www.brewbound.com/news/2014/mike-hess-brewing-begins-canning ; Brewbound, Mike Hess Brewing Unveils New Branding, https://www.brewbound.com/news/mike-hess-brewing-unveils-new-branding/ ; San DiegoVille, San Diego’s Mike Hess Brewing Opens Second Seaport Village Tasting Room, https://www.sandiegoville.com/2023/06/san-diegos-mike-hess-brewing-opens.html