5 Breweries to Visit on the West Coast

For any traveling fan of beer, no trip or vacation will be complete until they stop at a local brewery and sample the beer.

For a trip to the West Coast, there are tons of famous options for travelers to try. Many of the beers are famous to the point of having national distribution.

Ballast Point’s central location is situated in San Diego. Ballast Point offers a number of different styles for beer fans, including the popular IPA, porters and more.

Ballast Point was founded in 1996 when a group of friends simply wanted to get involved with brewing beer they wanted to drink. The attempts were successful, and Ballast Point now has nine locations spread throughout California, Illinois and Virginia.

While in San Diego, travelers should take the opportunity to stop by AleSmith Brewing Company. The brewery got its start in 1995 with a small team in a small space. That original location is closed, but there is a new location, boasting the largest taproom in San Diego.

Sierra Nevada is another homegrown California brewery that got its start when a home brewer wanted to make beer to fit his taste. Ken Grossman began home brewing in the 1970s. He opened the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in 1980. In 2014, a second location in North Carolina opened.

You can visit Sierra Nevada Brewing in Chico, California, to try some of its famous brews right from the source.

A little further north is the Seattle-originating brewery, Elysian Brewing Company. This brewing company now has five locations in and around Seattle, making sure any and all enthusiasts can get an opportunity to try the beer.

Elysian also enjoys wide distribution, so there is a pretty good chance you already are familiar with a few of the beers.

While in Seattle, travelers can take a quick trip to Pike Place Market, the historic farmers market. The market is home to Old Stove Brewing Company. Ownership makes a priority of putting a face to its product and produce beer on site, as well as offering other regional brews at a taproom.

These five breweries are just the tip of the iceberg and, while travelers with a true taste might not be happy until they sample all of the coast’s notable breweries, this is a great starting point.