# Best breweries in Santa Cruz, California

> The best breweries in Santa Cruz, California, ranked. 13 breweries within 13 miles, 3 rated Great or better. Updated weekly.

*Canonical page: <https://finding.beer/breweries/united-states/california/santa-cruz/> · data updated 2026-09-26*

Breadcrumb: Breweries → United States → California → Santa Cruz

Within 13 miles of Santa Cruz we track 13 breweries. 3 rate Exceptional. Private Press Brewing in Santa Cruz leads the list at 4.76 (Exceptional).

## Ranked breweries

1. [Private Press Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/private-press-brewing-22327.md) — 4.76, Exceptional — Santa Cruz, California
2. [Sante Adairius Rustic Ales](https://finding.beer/brewery/sante-adairius-rustic-ales-312.md) — 4.74, Exceptional — Capitola, California
3. [Humble Sea Brewing Co.](https://finding.beer/brewery/humble-sea-brewing-co-3657.md) — 4.53, Exceptional — Santa Cruz, California
4. [Shanty Shack Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/shanty-shack-brewing-415.md) — 3.90, Fine — Santa Cruz, California
5. [Woodhouse Blending & Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/woodhouse-blending-brewing-19256.md) — 3.87, Fine — Santa Cruz, California
6. [Discretion Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/discretion-brewing-5138.md) — 3.84, Fine — Soquel, California
7. [Soquel Fermentation Project](https://finding.beer/brewery/soquel-fermentation-project-372.md) — 3.83, Fine — Soquel, California
8. [Steel Bonnet Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/steel-bonnet-brewing-company-22.md) — 3.74, Fine — Scotts Valley, California
9. [Buena Vista Taproom](https://finding.beer/brewery/buena-vista-taproom-27881.md) — 3.54, Poor — Watsonville, California
10. [Bellpenny Brewing Company](https://finding.beer/brewery/bellpenny-brewing-company-32653.md) — 3.43, Poor — Santa Cruz, California
11. [Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing](https://finding.beer/brewery/santa-cruz-mountain-brewing-4146.md) — 3.09, Limited — Santa Cruz, California
12. [Seabright Social](https://finding.beer/brewery/seabright-social-5215.md) — 2.92, Limited — Santa Cruz, California
13. [West End Tap And Kitchen](https://finding.beer/brewery/west-end-tap-and-kitchen-32574.md) — 2.87, Limited — Santa Cruz, California

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Finding Beer scores breweries on the beer they brew rather than on the venue. Method: <https://finding.beer/how-we-rank.md>. Rankings by place: <https://finding.beer/breweries.md>. The iPhone app adds a live map of what is around you: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/finding-beer/id1082135126