So you want to drink like a San Diego local — and do so at breweries that are the talk of the town? From North Park to North County, beach burgs to unincorporated eastern expanses, the following is a who’s who of the hottest San Diego craft operations right now.

Pure Project Brewing

Where: Brewery & Taproom: 1305 Hot Springs Way, Vista; Carlsbad Village Taproom: 2825 State St., Carlsbad; Brewery Igniter Taproom: 9030 Kenamar Drive, Ste 308, Miramar; North Park Taproom: 2867 El Cajon Blvd., North Park; Balboa Park Taproom: 2865 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill
From its humble beginnings in a small, leased space, Pure Project (a 1% for the Planet-certified company) has grown to include five locations offering one of the widest arrays of styles around and releasing new beers on a near-weekly basis. While “murky” (read: hazy) IPAs are what they are best known for, this operation’s barrel-aged sours, saisons, stouts, strong ales and spontaneously fermented beers set it apart, along with a company culture centered around diversity, inclusion and eco-friendly practices geared toward conservation and preservation.

North Park Beer Co.

Where: Brewery & Taproom: 3038 University Ave., North Park; Taproom & Kitchen: 3095 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill; Crown Point Pizza Shop: 3805 Ingraham St., Pacific Beach
Established in 2016 by a home-brewer with the most award-winning amateur India pale ale (IPA) of all time, this business honors hops and its namesake community with medal-garnering West Coast, hazy, cold and New Zealand-style IPAs, plus a craftsman motif blending wood, copper and intricate tilework. Popularity among beer geeks in and beyond San Diego has fueled the addition of a second taproom serving up suds with a side of smash burgers in Bankers Hill, and a parlor slinging NYC-style pies in Crown Point.

Seek Beer Co.

Where: 3052 El Cajon Blvd., Ste. 103, North Park
An accomplished Houston brewer and his wife were so enamored of San Diego’s craft-beer scene that they moved to town to build their passion project at a lease-to-brew facility in North Park. Over the past two years, that communal operation has captured hearts, minds and taste buds behind a rotating stock of lagers, sour ales and IPAs, many of which are collaboratively brewed with other local breweries, and all but one of which (a German-style Pilsner) are brewed once, then never again.

Goal. Brewing

Where: 3052 El Cajon Blvd., Ste. 101, North Park
Two doors down from Seek is this year-old, Asian-owned and -operated brewery, helmed by an award-winning San Diego brewer who has amassed an extensive following over a decade spent crafting cutting-edge beers. No recent addition to the local brewing scene has enjoyed as much runaway success as GOAL. (an acronym for its owner’s pandemic-era mantra “get out and live”), which garners high marks for its clean lagers, snappy/hoppy fare, barrel-aged and dessert stouts, and brews infused with Pan-Asian ingredients such as ube, coconut and pandan leaf.

Harland Brewing

Where: Brewery & Taproom: 10115 Carroll Canyon Road, Scripps Ranch; One Paseo Taproom: 3718 Paseo Place, Carmel Valley; Bay Park Taproom: 4112 Napier St., Bay Park; Bar & Restaurant: 2953 Beech St., South Park
A sharp aesthetic, well-appointed interiors and pool tables convey a cool factor at each of this 6-year-old beermaker’s quartet of venues, but ultimately, it’s the high-quality beer that has kept patrons coming back in droves. From traditional lagers, pale ales and West Coast IPAs to of-the-moment hazies, kettle-sours, pastry stouts and fruit-flavored smoothie ales, there is a little something for everyone. Visit their brewery in the heart of suburbia or either of their coastal taprooms, or add food to the mix at their South Park eatery.

Burgeon Beer Co.

Where: Brewery & Taproom: 6350 Yarrow Drive, Carlsbad; The Grove Taproom: 501 S. Santa Fe Ave., Vista; The Oasis Taproom: 649 Rock Springs Road, Escondido; The Arbor Kitchen & Taproom: 1326 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy
Eight years and four locations in, this North County powerhouse remains fresh and top-of-mind among local beerophiles behind biweekly releases of IPAs and pale ales of the clear and hazy ilk, plus lighter-side lagers, a number of which are conceived in collaboration with like-minded “it” breweries from across the country. Just as impressive as those surf- and sun-friendly offerings are the climate-neutral and ocean-positive-certified company’s initiatives to support nonprofit organizations’ efforts to combat climate change.

Green Cheek Beer Co.

Where: 601 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside
Many lamented this year’s closure of Bagby Beer Co., a decade-old brewpub operated by the most award-winning U.S. brewer in history … until they found out a wildly popular Orange County outfit was not only taking over the stronghold-like, two-story, indoor-outdoor space, but also keeping on the aforementioned fermentationist. Now the brewery-equipped eatery is busier than ever, matching a menu of pub grub, pizzas and plant-based vegan fare with an ever-rotating lineup of always-fresh beers, plus hard seltzer and cocktails, including sangria made with house wines.

Craft Coast Beer & Tacos

Where: Brewery Taproom & Kitchen: 1325 Grand Ave., Ste 100; Brewpub: 275 Mission Ave., Oceanside
There may be no more quintessentially San Diego experience than washing down SoCal Mexican fare – tacos, loaded nachos and mulitas (cheesy, protein-stuffed goodness) – with tasty cerveza. The latter consists of award-winning clara (light) and negra (dark) takes on the corn-infused Mexican lager, along with pales and IPAs crafted in the San Diego style, meaning they are bold yet extra-dry and easy-drinking. Indulge in all of the above at the OG brewpub steps from the Oceanside pier, or the company’s new HQ in San Marcos.

Mcilhenney Brewing Co.

Where: 2363 Alpine Blvd., Alpine
The father-son IPA pioneers behind the world-famous Alpine Beer Co. (which has since been sold) reacquired their original brewery and tasting room so they could get back in the game, this time under a new brand celebrating the family name. The result is a return to form in an East County town that’s worth the mileage for hop-bombs marrying old- and new-school craftsmanship, plus a variety of beers spanning the color spectrum from a bright helles lager to a chocolaty imperial stout.

Tasting Room Map