San Diego has long been known for its sunny skies, expansive beaches and delicious fish tacos. However, in the last 20 years, it has also emerged as a craft beer Mecca with more than 120 breweries and counting. Not only that, but West Coast IPA, as a style, was pioneered and honed here in SoCal. OG breweries like Stone Brewing, Green Flash Brewing Company and Coronado Brewing Company, pioneered the hop-heavy trend and now west coast IPAs are becoming world famous, thanks to San Diego craft breweries expanding into Europe. Although all IPAs are hoppy, west coast IPAs are known for being hop-forward while also light on the malt, with a hoppy nose and a blistering ABV.
Every San Diego brewery puts out their own IPA and most will tell you their’s is the best with many local breweries winning awards in all sorts of beer competitions both near and far. Most of these contests are judged by experts and as exciting as it is to hear that your favorite brewery won…it’s way more exciting to taste test the delicious craft beer and decide for yourself!
Get ready for IPA Madness, kicking off this week at craft beer bar, Home & Away, in Old Town. This is the the ultimate IPA competition with 32 of the best breweries in San Diego going head to head to find out who has the best IPA in San Diego. This a bracket style competition where the people’s choice takes it all!
For the next three Sundays, from 1 pm to 6 pm, you will be able to head to H&A and cast your vote for what you think is the best IPA in town. This Sunday, 3/20, the first 16 breweries will compete and then next Sunday, 3/27, the last 16 breweries will go head to head. After that, the winners from the first round will go head to head on 4/3 with the finals happening that same day!
Here’s a look at the first round match-ups…
Breweries were seeded based on their date of opening. So the oldest breweries were seeded 1st and the youngest were seeded 8th, with a few last minute entries paired up not based on this metric. Thorn Street Brewery isn’t competing until 3/27, but you better believe we will there tasting on 3/20 too!
This is a blind taste test too, so you are sure to see a lot of local brewers and staff coming in to vote!
Any way you slice it, there are going to be some exciting, beer-soaked, Sundays coming up. We would love to see North Park Breweries prevail and, of course, hope that our own Relay IPA makes a strong showing on the 27th.
The real winners of this contest are all the lucky judges (that’s you!) who get to taste the best IPAs in San Diego, under one roof, over the next three weekends!
Where: Home & Away, 2222 San Diego Ave, San Diego 92110
When: 3/20, 3/27 and 4/3 from 1-6 pm
Who: See list of competing breweries below…
LIST OF COMPETING BREWERIES:
Karl Strauss Brewing Companys
NOVO Brazil Brewing CO.
Rough Draft Brewing Co.
Rip Current Brewing
Iron Fist Brewing San Diego
Modern Times Beer
Coronado Brewing Company
Fall Brewing Company
Pizza Port Brewing Co.
Duck Foot Brewing Company
Belching Beaver North Park
Mission Brewery
Mother Earth Brew Co.
Groundswell Brewing Company
Green Flash Brewing Co.
32 North Brewing Co.
AleSmith Brewing Company
O’Sullivan Bros. Brewing Co.
Jamul Brewing Co.
Societe Brewing Company
Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits
Legacy Brewing Company
Alpine Beer Company
Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment
Stone Brewing
Saint Archer Brewing Company
Thorn St. Brewery
Latitude 33 Brewing Co.
New English Brewing
Butcher’s Brewing
Port Brewing Co / The Lost Abbey
Bitter Brothers Brewing Co.
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