America is undergoing a drinking revolution. Across the board, people are seeking out great drinks, from delicious cocktails to pleasing glasses of wine and creative craft beer. And helping to lead the way in this drinking renaissance are some of America’s greatest cities.
Everyone thinks their town is the best drinking town in America, but we wanted to know, who is really leading the way? If you’re a lover of all things booze, and even coffee, where should you be headed in 2015 for the best drinking experience?
Over the next couple of months, we’ll be conducting our search. We’re looking for a city that encompasses everything that is awesome about drinking in America right now, and that means it has all of the great things that go along with it, from food to music to social scenes.
Next up, San Diego, home to Southern California’s only professional football team – sorry LA – and enough great craft beer for most of the United States.
Craft Beer Is King
It is very possible that the best craft beer you will ever have will come from San Diego. The city is home to more of the country’s top 50 Craft Brewers than any other place in the country, and there are a mind-boggling 85+ breweries total. That many breweries makes for an incredible culture of collaboration, and the result is supremely excellent beer. The movement really started in 1989 when Karl Strauss, now one of the largest brewers in the city, opened their brewhouse and introduced a huge population of the city to craft beer. It was the first brewery to open in the city since 1953 and other famous breweries soon followed including Stone, Ballast Point, Lost Abbey, and Green Flash.
But you don’t have to simply stick to the big names to enjoy a great craft beer in San Diego. Because the city is filled with breweries, you’d have a hard time finding a beer you don’t enjoy at most restaurants and bars. Everyone in the city loves beer, and the only thing they love more than their craft beer is telling others how much they love it, and which ones to try.
The Weather Is Pretty Awesome
Part of the American Dream is the ability to drink on the beach, and San Diego has more beautiful beaches than most, not to mention great weather and delightful water temperatures. That makes the idea of grabbing a blanket, towel and a few of the city’s awesome craft beers a pretty easy proposal to accept.
San Diego’s Little Italy Is Actually A Culinary Destination
Sure many of the restaurants making a name for the hood aren’t actually Italian in cuisine, but that doesn’t matter, finally there’s a Little Italy that’s actually a destination. Two of the Neighborhood’s hottest restaurants right now are Juniper & Ivy, from Top Chef Richard Blais, and Ironside Fish & Oyster. Both have awesome seafood, which is appropriate since the neighborhood used to be home to Italian fishing families, and killer drinks.
If You Aren’t Having A Good Time You Can Always Head To Mexico
We kid, sort of, but San Diego is just a hop, skip and a jump from the Baja peninsula, so if for some reason you don’t like great beer, delicious food, and awesome weather, there is always surfing and delicious fish tacos across the border.
All in all, San Diego is a pretty great town for drinking.
Live/From San Diego? What’d we miss? Tell us what else makes San Diego the best drinking town in America.
