Breweries Visited

I like beer. If you haven't been able to gather that by now, allow this list of breweries that I have visited be a token of evidence that one of my favorite hobbies is going to craft breweries and trying their beer.

Qualifications for Making the List

• Beer consumed is brewed on-site (mostly adhered to, a few exceptions)
  
• I have consumed at least 3 different types of beer

This does not mean I have literally had 3 beers at every brewery, as my preference is to do a flight of most, if not all, of their beers. It really is the best way to understand if a brewery is any good. At some point I will flesh out which breweries are the standout ones, but for the time being, here's my list.

Breweries Visit (most recent at the bottom)

1. Stone (Escondido, CA)
2. Bike Dog (Sacramento, CA)
3. YOLO (Sacramento, CA)
4. Sudwerk (Davis, CA)
5. Rubicon (Sacramento, CA)
6. New Helvetia (Sacramento, CA) 
7. Hoppy (Sacramento, CA)
8. Track 7 (Sacramento, CA) 
9. Rhustaller (Sacramento, CA) 
10. Bj’s (Orange County, CA) 
11. Granville Island (Vancouver, BC) 
12. Green Leaf (Vancouver, BC) 
13. Steamworks (Vancouver, BC) 
14. Oak Park (Sacramento, CA) 
15. Jack Russell (Camino, CA) 
16. 21st Amendment (San Francisco, CA)
17. Sierra Nevada (Chico, CA)
18. Russian River (Santa Rosa, CA)
19. Lagunitas (Petaluma, CA)
20. Western Pacific (San Francisco, CA)
21. Yaletown (Vancouver, BC) 
22. Steelhead (Burlingame, CA)
23. Gordon Biersch (Palo Alto, CA)
24. Faction (Alameda, CA)
25. Alpine Dog Brewing Company (Denver, CO)
26. Baere Brewing (Denver, CO)
27. TRVE (Denver, CO)
28. River North (Denver, CO)
29. Crooked Stave (Denver, CO)
30. Great Divide (Denver, CO)
31. Epic (Salt Lake City, UT)
32. Stem Ciders (Denver, CO)
33. Southern Pacific (San Francisco, CA)
34. Triple Voodoo (San Francisco, CA)
35. Drakes (San Leandro, CA)
36. Speakeasy (San Francisco, CA)
37. Diving Dog (Oakland, CA)
38. Bear Republic (Cloverdale, CA)
39. Out of Bounds (CA)
40. New Glory (CA)
41. Device (CA)
42. Fogbelt (CA)
43. Lockdown (CA)
44. Bloodline (CA)
45. Stumptown (CA)
46. Roseville Brewing (CA)
47. Dragas (CA)
48. Twelve Rounds (CA)
49. Marin Brewing (CA)
50. Baeltane (CA)
51. Mare Island (CA)
52. Rock Bottom, OR
53. Deschutes, OR
54. Rogue, OR 
55. Fat Head's, OR
56. 10 Barrel, OR
57. Upright, OR
58. Cascade, OR
59. BricktownE, OR
60. Widmer, OR
61. Black Dragon Brewery (Woodland, CA)
62. Blue Note Brewing (Woodland, CA)
63. Knee Deep (Auburn, CA)
64. Ol Republic (Nevada City, CA)
65. Cool Beerworks (Cool, CA)
66. Mraz Brewing (El Dorado Hills, CA) 
67. Placerville (CA)
68. Calastoga (CA)
69. Flatland (Elk Grove, CA)
70. Handcraft (Elk Grove, CA)
71. Berryessa (Winters, CA)
72. Handcraft (Elk Grove)
73. American River (Rancho Cordova)
74. Loomis Basin (Loomis)
75. Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)
76. Firestone Walker (Paso Robles, CA)
77. Devil's Canyon (San Carlos, CA)
78. Freewheel (Redwood City, CA)
79. Fifty-Fifty (Truckee, CA)
80. Tahoe Mountain (Truckee, CA)
81. Black Hammer (San Francisco, CA)
82. Lodi Beer Company (Lodi, CA) T
83. The Dancing Fox Winery & Brewery (Lodi, CA)
84. Valley Brew (Stockton, CA) - Brewery that doesn't brew (1 beer)
85. Weed (Weed, CA)
86. Backside Brewery (Roseburg, OR)
87. Ninkasi (Eugene, OR)
88. Labrador Beer Hall (Portland, OR)
89. Ecliptic (Portland, OR)
90. NW Peaks / The Bergschrundy (Seattle, WA)
91. Hillard's (Seattle, WA)
92. Optimism (Seattle, WA)
93. Falling Sky (Eugene, OR)
94. Island Brewing (Carpenteria, CA)
95. Topa Topa (Ventura, CA)
96. Three Weavers (Inglewood, CA)
97. El Segundo (El Segundo, CA)
98. Sac Town Union (Sacramento, CA)
99. Claimstake (Rancho Cordova, CA)
100. Maui (Lahaina, HI)
101. GoatHouse (Lincoln, CA)
102. Boneshaker (Rocklin, CA)
103. Monk’s Cellar (Roseville, CA)
104. Heretic (Fairfield, CA)
105. Three Mile (Davis, CA)
106. Corralitos (Watsonville, CA)
107. Seabright (Santa Cruz, CA)
108. Tilted Mash (Elk Grove, CA) T
109. Fountainhead (Sacramento, CA)
110. King Harbor (Rodondo Beach, CA)
111. HopSaint (Torrence, CA)+
     
112. Monkish (Torrence, CA)+
     
113. Brouwerij West (San Pedro, CA)+
     
114. San Pedro (San Pedro, CA)-
115. Temblor (Bakersfield, CA)-
     
116. Fair Oaks BrewPub (Fair Oaks, CA)
117. Discretion (Soquel, CA)
118. Sante Andairius Rustic Ales (Capitola, CA)
119. New Bohemia (Santa Cruz, CA)
120. West End Tap & Kitchen (Santa Cruz, CA)
121. Highway 1 (Pescadero, CA)
122. Hop Dogma (El Granada, CA)
123. Black Vinyl Ale Project (Rocklin, CA)++
124. The Power Club (Auburn, CA)
125. Moonraker (Auburn, CA)
126. Black Diamond (Concord, CA)
127. Quantum (Kearney Mesa, CA)++
128. Guinness (Dublin, Ireland)
129. Ballast Point (San Diego, CA)
130. Chapman (Orange, CA)
131. Rip Current (San Marcos, CA)
132. Offbeat (Escondido, CA)
133. Breakwater (Oceanside, CA)
134. Bagby Beer (Oceanside, CA)
135. Wavelength (Vista, CA)
136. Hillcrest (San Diego, CA)
137. Heineken (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
138. Bruery (Placentia, CA)
139. Heartland (New York, NY)
140. Back Street (Irvine, CA)
141. Ursula (Denver, CO)
142. Ratio (Denver, CO)
143. Fiction (Denver, CO)
144. Little Machine (Denver, CO)
145. Zephyr (Denver, CO)
146. First Draft (Denver, CO)
147. Spangalang (Denver, CO)
148. Dry Dock (Denver, CO)
149. Cheluna (Denver, CO)
150. Station 26 (Denver, CO)
151. Bull & Bush (Denver, CO)
152. Grandma's House (Denver, CO)
153. Angel City (Los Angeles, CA)
154. Barrelhouse (Paso Robles, CA)
155. Garage Beer (Barcelona, Spain)
156. Santa Monica Brew Works (Santa Monica, CA)
157. Rob Rubens (El Segundo, CA)
158. Green Flash (San Diego, CA)
159. Societe (San Diego, CA)-
160. Kilowatt (San Diego, CA)+
161. Craft Beer Market (Vancouver, BC)
     
162. Faculty Brewing (Vancouver, BC)+
163. Big Rock (Vancouver, BC)
164. Brieux Carre (NOLA)
165. Parleaux (New Orleans, Louisiana)
166. Courtyard (New Orleans, Louisiana)
167. Yazoo (Nashville, TN)
168. MacLeod Ale (Van Nuys, CA)
169. Dos Desperados (San Marcos, CA)
170. Jacked Up (Escondido, CA)
171. Indian Joe Brewing (Vista, CA)
172. River Rock (Galt, CA)
173. Cold Water (South Lake Tahoe, CA)
174. Anacapa (Ventura, CA)
175. LA Ale Works (Hawthorne, CA)
176. Alvarado Street (Monterey, CA)
177. Thirsty Bear (San Francisco, CA)
178. Northern Pine (Oceanside, CA)
179. Bottle Logic (Anaheim, CA)
180. Asylum (Anaheim, CA)
181. Arts District (Los Angeles, CA)
182. Modern Times (Los Angeles, CA)
183. Mumford (Los Angeles, CA)
     
184. Ten Mile (Signal Hill, CA)
     
185. Renegade (Denver, CO)
186. Intrepid Sojourner Project (Denver, CO)
187. Black Sky (Denver, CO)
188. Crazy Mountain (Denver, CO)
189. Declaration (Denver, CO)
190. Black Project Spontaneous & Wild Ales (Denver, CO)
191. Edgewater’s (Denver, CO)+
     
192. Hogshead (Denver, CO)
193. Seedstock (Denver, CO)
194. Oasis (Denver, CO)
195. Call to Arms (Denver, CO)
196. Briar Common (Denver, CO)+
     
197. Zuni Street (Denver, CO)
198. Diebolt (Denver, CO)
199. Mockery (Denver, CO)
200. Black Shirt (Denver, CO)
201. Copper Kettle (Denver, CO)
202. Comrade (Denver, CO)
203. FERMÆNTRA (Denver, CO)
204. Cerebral (Denver, CO)*
205. Bluejacket (Washington, DC)
     
206. Barley Forge (Costa Mesa, CA)
207. Gunwhale (Costa Mesa, CA)
     
208. Beachwood (Huntington Beach, CA)
     
209. The Brewhouse (Santa Barbara, CA)
     
210. Singlecut Beersmiths (Astoria, NY)
     
211. Boomtown (Los Angeles, CA)
     
212. Iron Triangle (Los Angeles, CA)
     
213. Four Sons (Huntington Beach, CA)
     
214. Liberation (Long Beach, CA)
     
215. Steady (Long Beach, CA)
     
216. Strange Fellows (Vancouver, BC)+
     
217. R&B (Vancouver, BC)
     
218. Electric Bicycle (Vancouver, BC)
     
219. Tortugo (Inglewood, CA)+
     
220. Common Space (Hawthorne, CA)
     
221. Ximix (Gardena, CA)
     
222. Bluebird Brasserie (Sherman Oaks, CA)
     
223. M.Special (Goleta, CA)
     
224. Hollister (Goleta, CA)
     
225. Timeless Pints (Lakewood, CA)
     
226. Postmark (Vancouver, BC)
     
227. Reuben’s (Seattle, WA)
     
228. Dirty Couch (Seattle, WA)
229. Holy Mountain (Seattle, WA)
     
230. Pasteur Street (Hanoi, Vietnam)+
     
231. Big Bear Lake (Big Bear, CA)
     
232. Hermosa (Hermosa, CA)
     
233. Brewhall (Vancouver, BC)
     
234. Dry River (Los Angeles, CA)
     
235. Indie (Los Angeles, CA)
     
236. Smog City (Torrance, CA)
     
237. Phantom Carriage (Carson, CA)
     
238. Gamecraft (Laguna Hills, CA)
     
239. Turtle Lake (Hanoi, Vietnam)+
     
240. Berestroika (Bucharest, Romania)
     
241. Ground Zero (Bucharest, Romania)
     
242. Grand Canyon (Williams, AZ)
     
243. Banger (Downtown Las Vegas, NV)
     
244. 6th & La Brea (Los Angeles, CA)
     
245. Cellador (North Hills, CA)+
     
246. BeerFest (Pattaya, Thailand)--
     
247. Reserve of California (Costa Mesa, CA)
     
248. Mountain Rambler (Bishop, CA)
     
249. Three Chiefs (El Segundo, CA)
     
250. Schlob Premium Ales (Torrance, CA)
     
251. Absolution (Torrance, CA)
     
252. Strand (Torrance, CA)
     
253. The Dudes (Torrance, CA)
     
254. Bole Microbrew (Addis Abeba, Ethiopia)
255. Upshift (El Segundo, CA)
     
256. Lake Bottom (Corcoran, CA)
     
257. Trademark (Long Beach, CA) 
     
258. Lengthwise (Bakersfield, CA)
     
259. Great Change (Bakersfield, CA)
     
260. O.H.S.O. Eatery + nanoBrewery (Phoenix, AZ)
     
261. BrewLab (Carpenteria, CA)
     
262. Draconum (Santa Clarita, CA)
     
263. Old Town (Portland, OR)
     
264. Double Mountain (Hood River, OR)
     
265. Alibi (Incline Village, NV)
     
266. June Lake (June Lake, CA)+
     
267. Indian Wells (Inyokern, CA)
     
268. Left Coast (Irvine, CA)
     
269. Laughing Monk (San Francisco, CA)
     
270. Barebottle (San Francisco, CA)
     
271. Alpha Acid (Belmont, CA)
     
272. The Den & Smokehouse (Kerman, CA)
     
273. HUDL (Las Vegas, CA)+
     
274. Hop Nuts (Las Vegas, CA)
     
275. Zion (St. George /Zion, UT)
     
276. Policy Kings (Cedar City,UT)
     
277. Moab (Moab, UT)
     
278. Strap Tank (Springville, UT)+
     
279. Bohemian (Midvale, UT)
     
280. Squatters Pub (Rio Grande, UT)
     
281. Wasatch (Sugar House, UT)
     
282. T.F. (Salt Lake City, UT)
     
283. Uinita (Salt Lake City, UT)
     
284. Toasted Barrel (Salt Lake City, UT)
     
285. Epic (Salt Lake City, UT)
     
286. Red Rock (Murray, UT)
     
287. Fisher (Salt Lake City, UT)
     
288. Boise (Boise, ID)
     
289. Barbarian (Boise, ID)
     
290. Mad Swede (Boise, ID)
     
291. Sunriver (Sunriver, OR)+
     
292. Deschutes (Bend, OR)
     
293. Bend (Bend, OR)+
     
294. Silver Moon (Bend, OR)
     
295. Crux Fermentation Project (Bend, OR)
     
296. Bevel Craft (Bend, OR)
     
297. Three Creeks (Sisters, OR)
     
298. Initiative (Redmond, OR)
     
299. Two Bit Hooker (Hines, OR)
     
300. Revision (Sparks, NV)
     

Highly Recommended Breweries (mostly lesser known)

On a warm Sacramento summer day in 2014, 3 work friends got together on the front lawn of one of their homes and brewed a small batch of beer. After explaining to a bewildered neighbor who was convinced they were dumb enough to be making meth or some other drug out in plane sight, they decided to set their sights on something bigger, a real brewery.

I am one of those 3 proud friends who helped build a small brewery known as Santos Brewing.

Due to a series of both unfortunate personal events and big life decisions, we decided to cease operations of the brewery. This was right after we turned down an offer for a $1 million dollar investment which would have allowed us to do some serious expansion and taken the brewery even further than any of us thought would be possible in such a short period of time. 

While one day I would like to try again and brewing beer and opening up the doors of a new brewery (or re-open Santos), I am extremely proud of the 3 of us and what all we managed to accomplish. 

We built a partnership with Rhustaller beer, who taught us so much about what it takes to bring beer to the market. Thanks to their ownership, they were our training wheels as we entered the craft brew arena.

We distributed all around California and got into Whole Foods and Costco. Costco even did a re-order of our beer! For a small little brewery surrounded by dozens of breweries much larger than us, it was a thrill to see that on the distribution front, we had made way more progress than a lot of our peers in a very short amount of time. That's not to say that we were that much better, simply that we focused almost entirely on distribution, while (nearly) all other breweries focus on the tap house and self distribution; we were backwards in a number of ways.

Jon Motz