North Park Beer Company is the brewery that turned one of America’s most decorated homebrew recipes into a San Diego institution. Founder Kelsey McNair started brewing in a North Park garage, racked up major homebrewing awards, and opened the brewery in 2016 on University Avenue in the heart of the neighborhood it is named for. A decade later, it is one of the most awarded small breweries in the county, and a required stop on any serious San Diego beer crawl.

The basics

• Location: 3038 University Avenue, San Diego (North Park); plus Bankers Hill at 3067 Fifth Avenue and the Crown Point/Pacific Beach Pizza Shop at 3805 Ingraham Street
• Founded: 2016
• Known for: West Coast and hazy IPAs, GABF 2022 Brewery of the Year (2,001 to 5,000 barrels per year)

The taproom

The flagship taproom sits in a renovated craftsman-style building, with dark wood, brass, and globe streetlamps giving it a warm, neighborhood feel that stands apart from San Diego’s industrial taprooms. An upstairs mezzanine offers darts and shuffleboard, and the tap list runs deep, with rotating West Coast and hazy IPAs, hoppy lagers, and guest beers from other respected breweries. The food program changed hands for the brewery’s tenth anniversary in 2026, with culinary director Sam Navarro bringing the kitchen in-house after a decade leased to the Mastiff team. Expect shareable, beer-friendly dishes like Bavarian-style pretzels with queso fundido, tacos, fish and chips, and smashburgers, though it is worth checking current kitchen hours before a visit since the new program was still awaiting license approvals when it launched.

Standout beers

• Hop-Fu!: A double dry-hopped West Coast IPA, and the recipe the brewery was built on. McNair’s Hop-Fu! was the most award-winning homebrew recipe in California history before it became the flagship.
• Art is Hard: A hazy IPA that won silver at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival and remains one of the best hazies in San Diego.
• Covington: An American pilsner and one of the brewery’s four opening-day beers, crisp and clean.
• Panoramic: A double dry-hopped West Coast IPA, another opening-day tap, bright and resinous.
• Dublin Phenix: A nitro stout, a smooth lower-ABV pivot when the hop list gets overwhelming.

Our take

North Park Beer Company earns its reputation. The hop quality across the IPA lineup is elite, the taproom is one of the most comfortable in the city, and the satellite locations in Bankers Hill and Crown Point make the beer easier to find than ever. Our only caveat is the food transition: the in-house menu is a real upgrade in ambition, but it was still finding its footing in mid-2026. Come for the beer, stay for a second pint, and plan a full evening in North Park around the visit.