Best Breweries in Poway

Latest News Blog

Breweries in Poway area

Poway boasts a small but lively craft beer scene, with standout breweries and taprooms that locals and visitors love. Here are the top breweries in Poway, complete with their addresses, signature beer styles, and a few insights from recent reviewers to help you plan your next tasting adventure. 

Lightning Brewery – Poway
13200 Kirkham Way STE 106, Poway, CA 92064

Lightning Brewery is Poway’s flagship microbrewery, known for its diverse lineup of European-inspired and creative craft beers. The brewery’s tasting room has a cozy, welcoming atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable staff. The brewery also offers fun extras like free tastings, occasional, artisan snacks, and themed events, making it a must-visit for beer enthusiasts in Poway.

• Beer Styles: Known for their German-style lagers (Elemental Pilsner, Biergarten Helles), Bavarian-style hefeweizens (Thunderweizen Ale), French farmhouse ales (Electrostatic Ale), and bold offerings like Blue Sky IPA, Double Integral, and Black Lightning Porter. Most of these beers have won state and national awards. 

• Reviewer Comments:
  • “Great place with great beer and great service! Hidden gem of a brewery tucked back in an industrial park setting.”
  • “Dog-friendly, which is important to me. Great food trucks on occasion. Highly recommend you give this place a try.”
  • “Approachable staff and a wide variety of beer styles, from crisp lagers to hoppy IPAs and robust stouts. Favorites include Double Integral, Biergarten Helles, and Black Lightning Porter.”
  • The brewery also offers fun extras like free tastings, occasional snacks, and themed events, making it a must-visit for beer enthusiasts in Poway.

The Hop Stop – Poway
14055 Midland Rd, Poway, CA 92064

• Beer Styles:
  The Hop Stop is a spacious, family- and pet-friendly beer garden specializing in local and Northern California craft beers. With 20 rotating taps, they feature a curated selection of IPAs (including their own Hop Stop IPA), lagers, sours, and seasonal releases from top breweries like Russian River. The beverage menu also includes wine, hard seltzer, hard kombucha, hard cider, and non-alcoholic options.
• Reviewer Comments:
  • “Great place to hang out, grab a bite to eat and a drink or two. Hop Stop is laid back, casual and just plain fun. The staff is incredibly nice and always smiling. .”
  • “Glad we stopped at the hop stop. Great beer. Try the Hop Stop IPA.  Another great spot in Poway. Kid friendly.”
  • “Seating is first come first serve. The tables were spaced pretty far apart and the seating area is pretty wide. I highly suggest grabbing seats and telling someone to order for the table if you go while the farmers market takes place…”
  • “Poway has been in desperate need for a place like this. The food is good if not great, but the atmosphere and beer menu make up for it.”
  • “What a special little place to go hang out with family and friends. The selection of beers is great and the food, so delicious! My family and I went over the Christmas holiday’s and every one of us said we would definitely go again soon…” 

Harland Brewing Co. – Scripps Ranch
10115 Carroll Canyon Rd, San Diego, CA 92131

• Beer Styles: Known for their Japanese Lager, Hazy IPA, Pink Boots Pale Ale, Melona Sour, Ube Milkshake IPA, and creative sours and IPAs.
  
• Reviewer Comments:
  
  • “Harland Brewery is a gem for beer lovers seeking a fun and welcoming atmosphere. The vibe is effortlessly cool… perfect to catch up with friends!”
    
  • “I definitely recommend some unique flavors – Ube milkshake IPA, Melona Sour, and Tropical Fluff are amazing!”2
    
  • “Very spacious indoor and outdoor seating. Plenty of TVs and games and it’s dog friendly. The service is quick and the beer is excellent.”
    

Second Chance Beer Company – Carmel Mountain
15378 Avenue Of Science, #222, San Diego, CA 92128

• Beer Styles: Wide variety; standouts include Legally Red (Red IPA), Seize the IPA, Seize the Coffee (coffee IPA), and Fool Me Twice (Imperial IPA). Also known for curated flights: smooth/malty, specialty, and IPA/hoppy.
• Reviewer Comments:
  
  • “The vibe here completes the experience–lots of people out to have fun, and good music to help that happen.”
    
  • “Legally Red… is especially good. Nice balance, good flavor, very drinkable.”
    
  • “It is VERY unusual for me to be able to rate three of four beers in taster flight at 4/5. That tells me that this brewery is really doing something right.”
    

Oggi’s Carmel Mountain Ranch
10155 Rancho Carmel Dr, San Diego, CA 92128

“Service is always friendly, and there’s a great selection for both beer geeks and casu

Beer Styles: Known for classic American and West Coast styles, including Oggi’s California Gold Blonde Ale, Torrey Pines IPA, Duck Dive Hefeweizen, and Black Magic Stout. The brewpub also features rotating seasonal releases and guest taps.

Reviewer Comments:

“Perfect spot for pizza and beer after a day out-family-friendly and lots of TVs for sports.”

“The Torrey Pines IPA is a solid, hoppy West Coast IPA-one of my go-tos.”

Let’s drink together

If you have a creative project in mind, get in contact with … We are looking forward to hearing from you.Lightning Brewery
4716 Kemper Lane
Salt Lake City, Utah, 84104
Phone: 801-927-7117