In a city famous for hop bombs, Eppig Brewing built its name on patience. Lagers take longer, they hide nothing, and they punish sloppy brewing, which is exactly why Eppig’s rise in San Diego stands out. Founded in 2016, the brewery pairs a family story that stretches back to 1866 Brooklyn with a modern lineup of crisp lagers, balanced ales and one very popular West Coast IPA, served across four San Diego County taprooms.

The basics

• Locations: Vista brewery and bierhalle (1347 Keystone Way, Vista); Point Loma Waterfront Biergarten (2817 Dickens St, San Diego); La Jolla Bierhaus (1273 Prospect St, La Jolla); East Village tasting room (795 J Street, San Diego, by Petco Park)
• Founded: 2016 in San Diego (family brewing roots to 1866 Brooklyn)
• Known for: Traditional lagers, West Coast IPA, approachable and balanced beers

The taproom

Each Eppig location has its own personality, which is part of the appeal. The Vista mothership is the full experience: a 16,000-square-foot production brewery with a tasting room looking into the brewhouse, a spacious beer garden and a traditional German bierhalle for events, plus golf simulators for good measure. It is the place to go if you want to see where the beer is made.

Point Loma is the scenic pick. The waterfront biergarten sits right on the harbor with views of the San Diego skyline and boats lining the marinas, and it is hard to beat on a sunny afternoon. La Jolla’s Bierhaus, across from La Jolla Cove, is the village stop: smaller, walkable and surrounded by shops and restaurants. The East Village tasting room by Petco Park, opened for the 2024 Padres season, is the downtown stop. All four are dog and family friendly, with around a dozen approachable, balanced beers on tap.

Standout beers

• 10:45 to Denver: The flagship West Coast IPA and the brewery’s top seller, bold and hop forward.
• Special Lager: A crisp, refreshing German-style lager and a house staple.
• Harbor Cruise Kolsch: A light, easy drinking kolsch style ale, built for the waterfront.
• Natural Bridge Festbier: A true to style Oktoberfest lager, bready yet light, from Eppig’s family of Natural Bridge lagers.
• Try This West Coast Pale Ale: A hoppy, approachable pale ale that shows Eppig can do ales with the same balance as its lagers.

Our take

We like Eppig because it knows exactly what it is. The lagers are clean, precise and genuinely good, the kind of beers that remind you why lager brewing is a craft in itself, and the IPA holds its own without trying to out-shout every other IPA in San Diego. The four taprooms give you a reason to visit more than once, and the family history adds a story that most young breweries cannot match. If you are working through San Diego’s essential breweries, Eppig belongs on the list, and Point Loma at sunset is one of the county’s best beer settings.