Region
We track 852 breweries in California, United States. 26 rate Exceptional and 134 rate Great. everywhere in Orange leads the list at 4.79 (Exceptional).
Exceptional
A short list of extraordinary breweries worth planning a trip around.
Great
Consistently produce world-class beer.
Fine
Make genuinely good beer, if not the pint you will still be talking about next year.
Poor
Not bad beer so much as unremarkable beer.
Limited
Most craft beer drinkers pass these by.
Orange, California, United States
everywhere produce's exceptional beer and is ranked #2 in California. They are most well known for "exercising demons", which is an Imperial New England IPA and "walking backwards", which is a New Zealand Pilsner. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
Santa Cruz, California, United States
Private Press is a barrel-aged brewery focused exclusively on composing Imperial Stouts and Barleywines. Private Press Brewing is owned and operated by Brad Clark, who brings over a decade of professional brewing experience specializing in crafting malt forward beer styles and barrel aging. Private Press is a dedicated pursuit to craft the beers Clark loves and admires, without compromise.
Emeryville, California, United States
Wondrous Brewing Company produce's high quality beer and is ranked #40 in California. They are most well known for "Wondrous Hell Lagerbier", which is a Helles Lager and "Creek Park", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
Capitola, California, United States
Sante Adairius Rustic Ales is a small, but daring, brewery located in the coastal city of Capitola, CA, just south of Santa Cruz. Sante Adairius is a brewery founded on respect for quality and authenticity. We focus our attention on producing well-constructed beers with an eye towards simplicity and character. SARA takes liberty in emulating those memorable beers, their brewers, and the experiences they foster, never forgetting those giants on whose shoulders we stand. Our approach to beer making is one of whimsy, highly inspired by the Belgian tradition, but also in harmony with brewers all over the world who push against boundaries of style with a nudge, not a shove. Often our beers are barrel-aged, usually in wine barrels, with various yeast and bacteria. As often as not though, Sante Adairius brews beers more approachable and traditional in nature, yet no less flavorful or distinctive. Owned and operated by Adair Paterno, Sante Adairius Rustic Ales is an attempt to bring people together over great beer. SARA is an expression of our many years of beer geekery, the rabbit hole of tasting every beer we could get our hands on, and trusting we could contribute to the canon of those beers of the highest esteem. We believe great beer comes first. We stay true to our brewing roots. We take seriously the fact that we are brewing for you, and for ourselves. We appreciate your interest in our efforts. Sante!
Oceanside, California, United States
Horus Aged Ales is a 100% barrel aged brewery located in Oceanside, California. We believe in pushing the boundaries on how much beer can evolve through resting in oak by using a variety of different wine and spirit barrels, adding exotic fruits, and fermenting spontaneously. The complexity of the beer portrays our passion for experimentation and patience required to produce such a unique beverage. Horus has been a decade-long dream that is finally coming true and we look forward to introducing our exclusive beer to the fine people of San Diego County.
San Diego, California, United States
2022 GABF Brewery of the Year (2001-5000BBLS)!! We are a community-focused Brewery & Taproom in San Diego, California! We love beer and have tons of fun making all types of IPAs, new school and traditional lagers, barrel-aged stouts, funky fruited sours, and everything in between.
Torrance, California, United States
Monkish Brewing Co. produce's world class beer and is ranked #3 in California. They are most well known for "Foggier Window", which is an Imperial New England IPA and "Foggy Window", which is an Imperial New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Belgian Ales.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Founded in 2014, Highland Park Brewery is pumped to provide the freshest lagers and hoppiest beer to Los Angeles. In addition to seeking out quality and innovation in brewing, HPB is on a mission to contribute to the quality of life and betterment of our community through social and environmental stewardship. For more information, & to stay up to date with Highland Park Brewery, visit HPB.LA or follow us on Instagram, @highlandparkbrewery.
Rocklin, California, United States
A small independently owned brewery located in Rocklin, California, 25 minutes from Sacramento. The brewery contains a sizable tasting room. All beers are gluten reduced. Check Facebook, Instagram, or our mobile app for updates on beer releases and taproom happenings.
Santa Rosa, California, United States
Russian River Brewing Company was founded by Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville, CA, in 1997. Vinnie was hired as the brewery’s brewmaster and initially sole employee. For the next 6 years, Vinnie continued to set the bar high for super hoppy and Belgian-inspired beers. Pliny the Elder, first brewed at the Korbel location in 1999, was one of the first commercially brewed Double or Imperial IPA’s in America and won numerous awards over the years. It is still our most popular beer more than 20 years later. in 2003, Korbel decided to get out of the beer business and transferred the rights to the Russian River Brewing Company name, all beer names, and the recipes to Vinnie and his wife, Natalie. They wrote a business plan, found 2 managing partners, and convinced 30 friends and family to invest in their new brewpub venture. In April 2004, they opened the doors to the next chapter of Russian River Brewing under their ownership.
Orange, California, United States
Green Cheek Beer Company produce's world class beer and is ranked #18 in California. They are most well known for "Swim Test", which is a Triple New England IPA and "Radiant Beauty", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Dark Beers.
Lincoln, California, United States
We are a small brewery and taproom focused on creating a culture of beer lovers who crave fresh, heavily rotated beers on tap. Our initial focus is on hoppy, west coast and hazy IPA’s but we live for the excitement of making something new. Being small isn’t a disadvantage, it’s our purpose. We are dedicated to brewing high quality beers for everyone to enjoy. Come join us at our taproom. Be a part of our culture of fresh.
San Francisco, California, United States
We are an Bay Area based brewery producing our beers in small batches one beer at a time. It is our goal to keep your taste buds intrigued by constantly producing different flavors. To us, making the same 3-4 beers all the time would be boring. We hope you feel the same way. Our limited output and choice to abandon the common concept of a set production schedule will allow us to constantly experiment with different hops, barrels, and yeasts.
San Luis Obispo, California, United States
There Does Not Exist produce's exceptional beer and is ranked #15 in California. They are most well known for "Psychic Advisor", which is an Imperial IPA and "Sowing the Sun", which is a Kölsch. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Anaheim, California, United States
While California has no shortage of quality craft beer, we feel that Bottle Logic is something special. Our commitment to excellence combined with a willingness to break and rewrite the rules makes us different. We aren't experimenting randomly; each experimental beer provides new insight on flavor combinations and techniques that are as of yet unexplored.
Rocklin, California, United States
2023 GABF Brewery of the Year! Shred Beer Company is a small craft brewery located in Rocklin, CA. We specialize in highly aromatic and flavorful hoppy offerings, bright lagers, and eclectic styles.
Pomona, California, United States
Homage Brewing is inspired by the many breweries, musicians, and artists who push forward by taking risks and experimentation to help keep our world innovative. Beer is our passion. It serves as our blank canvas, allowing us to express our creativity one beer at a time. Our hand crafted ales are an homage and direct representation of our contribution to the on going pursuit of creating meaningful art that defines a generation. We will continue to evolve in our ambitions by brewing some of our favorite ales making it our duty to create a consistent and quality product.
San Diego, California, United States
At Pure Project, we believe every beer should tell a story; just like a world class meal, a perfect cup of coffee or a timeless wine, and we aim to bring that same level of passion, creativity and artistry to the ever evolving craft beer community. We look forward to sharing our art with that movement by focusing on quality & experience to give context to the beer in your glass. We blend distinctively Southern California style with unique flavors & ingredients. It is a big world out there and we are committed to sourcing quality from across the globe to right down the street. We hope to see you soon.
Auburn, California, United States
Moonraker Brewing Company produce's world class beer and is ranked #18 in California. They are most well known for "YOJO", which is a New England IPA and "Electric Lettuce", which is an Imperial New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Torrance, California, United States
Cellador Ales is a 100% oak-barrel fermented mixed-culture brewery/blendery focusing on the creation of sour and wild Beers in LA. #CelladorAles www.CelladorAles.com
Santa Cruz, California, United States
A coastal brewery making beer in the kook capital of the world — Santa Cruz, California. The latest can and bottle relase details can be found at @humblesea on our Instagram.
Salinas, California, United States
Central Coast brewery and hospitality group with locations in Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Salinas. From our Salinas production brewery we focus on hop-saturated IPAs, precision lagers, bold stouts, and a steady stream of small-batch experiments. Simple ingredients, thoughtful process, and an obsession with quality in the glass.
Placentia, California, United States
We are a boutique craft brewery located in Orange County, California specializing in experimental and barrel aged beer. Our name is a fusion of 'brewery' with our family name, Rue. Our calling is to create beers with character and depth using the simplest and purest of means. We strive to use unconventional ingredients, and we will proudly state what we put in our beers.
San Diego, California, United States
Founded in 1995, AleSmith Brewing Company is a San Diego based artisanal craft brewery that specializes in handcrafted ales inspired by the European classics. Deeply rooted in the amateur and craft brewing communities, AleSmith ales continue to garner both national and international recognition.
Bakersfield, California, United States
Dionysus Brewing Company produce's flawless beer and is ranked #34 in California. They are most well known for "Super Funkadelic", which is a Traditional Gose and "Hazy Mazzy", which is a New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Sours.
San Diego, California, United States
Abnormal Beer Company began pouring beer in April 2015 and is located in San Diego, California. The brewery is dedicated to creating beers that are approachable, full flavored, gluten reduced, and easily paired with food. The brewery is located inside a "refined comforts" restaurant, The Cork and Craft, which serves as its home base for all beer releases and events. The commitment to creativity and quality will be the driving force that lead Abnormal Beer Co in the future.
Napa, California, United States
Hanabi Lager is exploring and developing what we are calling grain-forward lager. We see this as distinct from hop-forward beers that showcase the flavors of hop flowers, or malt-forward beers whose flavors are largely derived from the malting process rather than from the grains themselves. We use lager brewing as a methodology to explore the delicious range of flavors that grains can bring to beer, from our workshop brewery in Napa, California. We design our processes to allow the flavors of the grains to shine, and the results are beers that are simultaneously refreshing and flavorful, distinguished by their elegance and complexity. For more information: www.HanabiLager.com. Cheers!
Groveland, California, United States
Located just 25 miles from Yosemite National Park, Around The Horn Brewing Company was born out of our passion for craft beer and the beautiful nature of the Sierras. After spending years traveling to breweries across California, we decided to create our own space outside of Yosemite where groups of friends and families can enjoy a cold beer and a good time together. We're all about elevating your Yosemite experience with our rotating selection of craft beer brewed on site (we've got a style for everyone!) and sharable snacks and sandwiches. We are excited to welcome you to Around The Horn Brewing Company! Born in Yosemite. Brewed in Gold Country.
Costa Mesa, California, United States
Part brewery, part living instrument. Synth Beer Company is the brand-new world we’ve been composing for some time now that has officially launched! Our vision is a polyphonic cascade of sound, flavor, color, and comfort, all harmonizing to leave a wild and lasting impression. Every pour is tuned with intention, blending the artistry of beer with the energy of music, and crafted to make our community feel right at home.
Alpine, California, United States
Welcome to Mcilhenney Brewing, a family-owned and -operated craft brewery proudly located in Alpine, California, just 30 miles east of downtown San Diego. Founded in 2021 by Shawn, Jamie, Pat, and Val Mcilhenney, we brew all of our beer onsite and offer styles to please every taste. Enjoy them in the homey atmosphere of our tasting room and outdoor patio or grab a growler to go. Either way, we’re sure you’ll be back to visit us again soon!
Oakland, California, United States
Tenma Beer Project produce's high quality beer and are regularly brewing different ones. They are most well known for "Pulsewidth Modulation", which is an American IPA and "Prismatic Daydream", which is a New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
Graeagle, California, United States
Ronin Fermentation Project produce's high quality beer and is ranked #37 in California. They are most well known for "Alpenglow", which is a German Pilsner and "Fairly Extinct", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
Truckee, California, United States
Founded in 2007 in Truckee, California, FiftyFifty Brewing Co. makes world class beer for anyone living their big life. FiftyFifty is an authentic mountain town brewery and pub that pushes the boundaries to create award-winning beers. We continue to surprise experts, aficionados and ourselves with innovative new offerings for our global and local customers. At FiftyFifty we believe everyone deserves a beer to celebrate their version of a big life.
San Diego, California, United States
Seek Beer Co. produce's high quality beer and is ranked #44 in California. They are most well known for "Fortune Pilsner", which is a German Pilsner and "Infinite Scroll", which is an Imperial New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
Arroyo Grande, California, United States
Great beer and food in the village of Arroyo Grande. Independently owned by two passionate brewers who strive to bring the best beer to this community. While working on a relatively small 5 BBL brewhouse with 4 fermentation vessels we churn out just enough beer to share with our town. The brewpub has a full kitchen with a staff that is as passionate about food as we are about beer. Plenty of choices for all appetites guaranteed to fill that void in your belly!
Carlsbad, California, United States
Burgeon Beer Company produce's flawless beer and is ranked #21 in California. They are most well known for "Treevana", which is an American IPA and "Juice Press", which is a New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Sacramento, California, United States
Urban Roots is an independent craft brewery and smokehouse located in Sacramento, CA. We’re here for YOU — whether you’ve traveled two blocks or two hundred miles. We opened our doors in 2018 and set out to create a space that embodies the things which inspire us the most: extraordinary people, beer and food. Come kick it with your family, your community, your friends or make some new ones. Throw back a few beers, break some bread, and have a good time with us. Because good times are what we’re all about.
Walnut, California, United States
Common Corners Brewing produce's high quality beer and is ranked #45 in California. They are most well known for "Lolo's", which is a Farmhouse Ale and "Mochi IPA", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Lagers.
San Jose, California, United States
Small batch nano-brewery located in San Jose, California. Specializing in beers made with California ingredients, as well as modern interpretations of classic style beers. Check out our taproom at 370 S. 22nd St at William St.
Los Angeles, California, United States
Cerveceria Mundial produce's high quality beer and is ranked #46 in California. They are most well known for "Haze Twins", which is an Imperial IPA and "Nuestra Ciudad", which is a New England IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Elk Grove, California, United States
Flatland Brewing Company produce's world class beer and is ranked #28 in California. They are most well known for "Year 8 - Black: BA Imperial Stout", which is an Imperial Pastry Stout and "Beachfront Avenue", which is a Fruited Sour. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Sours.
Long Beach, California, United States
ISM Brewing produce's high quality beer and is ranked #47 in California. They are most well known for "Western Standard Time", which is an American IPA and "Kiwi Fingers", which is an American IPA. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Long Beach, California, United States
Ambitious Ales produce's high quality beer and are usually experimenting brewing new ones. They are most well known for "Central Perk", which is a Blonde / Golden Ale and "Gandalf The Crisp", which is an Other Pilsner. Their primary focus is brewing IPAs and Pale Ales.
Clovis, California, United States
Artisanal Brewery crafting beer in the "Gateway to the Sierras" - Clovis, California. Our brewery is committed to always strive to bring creative and quality brews to our community. Independently owned and operated gives us the amazing freedom to brew a wide spectrum of whatever our hearts desire. We brew everything from soft, aromatic, hoppy beers to mixed culture barrel aged sours to bold imperial stouts. Creatively Crafted and Defiantly Brewed.
Burbank, California, United States
Brews Brothers produce's high quality beer and is ranked #39 in California. They are most well known for "Kingpin IPA", which is an American IPA and "White Girl Wasted", which is a Pumpkin / Yam Beer. Their primary focus is brewing Dark Beers and IPAs.
Oakland, California, United States
Ghost Town Brewing is a craft brewery founded in West Oakland, CA. Our beers are served in our West Oakland taproom and at the finest craft beer-focused joints throughout Northern California.
Showing the top 50 of 852 breweries we track here. See all 852
Ranked number #10San Diego64 breweries
Ranked number #18San Francisco / Oakland60 breweries
Ranked number #44Santa Rosa19 breweries
Ranked number #54Los Angeles65 breweries
Ranked number #57Sacramento28 breweries
Ranked number #64San Luis Obispo12 breweries
Ranked number #72Santa Cruz13 breweries
Ranked number #92Napa14 breweries
Ranked number #99San Jose21 breweries
Ranked number #105Fresno14 breweries
Ranked number #112San Bernardino18 breweries
Ranked number #122Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura10 breweries
Ranked number #189Vallejo-Fairfield8 breweries
Ranked number #199Visalia-Porterville7 breweries
Ranked number #202Chico7 breweries
Ranked number #203Modesto8 breweries
Ranked number #224Bakersfield5 breweries
Ranked number #227Stockton-Lodi7 breweries
Ranked number #232Redding4 breweries
Ranked number #261Salinas4 breweries
Ranked number #287Santa Maria-Santa Barbara3 breweries
Ranked number #329El Centro21 breweries
