Latest reviews from Poway

“Was on my list to visit for many San Diego trips, but finally came here on 18.2.2016. Typical industrial estate brewery outlet, which has not moved during the last 10 years. Very good and friendly service. Although we came before the opening hours they served us. Very much appreciate the breweries clear vision. They have stayed committed to German style beers while the whole area has become IPA crazy. The pilsner is world class and the Weissbier very good as well. I am very happy we finally made it and visited this good brewery. To have good lagers and pilsners is important for the SD area, therfore Lightning is an essential player in the local beer scene.“

Schlenkerla 3041 days ago

“A regular stop for me. They carry a decent selection of beers.“

X 3105 days ago

“This off-the-beaten-path craft brewery now has Cellar 3 as a neighbor, both being tucked neatly in the Poway Business Park. There are a few tables inside and a small patio for enjoying beers in 4-ounce tasters or pints. Two sizes of growlers are available and there is a double door fridge for bottled options. The service was friendly.“

BeerandBlues2 3178 days ago

“Sélection correcte mais on peut s’en passer avec le Distiller Outlet pas si loin. Un endroit en perte de momentum de ce que j’ai vu, beaucoup de produit défraichis.“

Marheb 3279 days ago

“This gem is located in Poway not too far off I-15 (for you passerby’s). The store is mostly devoted to beer but does have some wine and spirits. The beers are local, regional, and international (not just Mexico) with some Lambics. The staff was super nice and helpful. This is likely to be one of my main stores in the area now that I live in San Diego.“

BeerandBlues2 3361 days ago

“I didn’t think their selection was any better than Holiday or Best Damned Beer Shop. Prices were a little high. Noticed that they stored some of their beers above the walk-in cooler. Would not buy beers that you plan on aging from this place. No telling how warm some of those beers got.“

AguynamedTodd 3407 days ago

“This is a nice gem in Poway, easy to find in a shopping center. From the outside it looks like a shoddy cheap liquor store, but behold the beer inside! There is a nice selection of Cascade, Midnight Sun, a couple Hill Farmstead’s, and plenty of others. The staff are ready to talk beer. The prices are a little high but not over the top. A nice store on this side of town.“

BeerandBlues2 3410 days ago

“Dans un coin industriel de Poway comme c’est souvent le cas. La portique de dégustation est vraiment de base et les bières sont au mieux correctes mais en général médiocres et plutôt astringentes.. Dommage parce qu’on trouve leurs produits un peu partout, ça m’aurait donné une bonne option de Pilsner ou de Kolsch.“

Marheb 3424 days ago

“Une boutique de bières qui a une mentalité de prêteur sur gage. Superbe sélection en plus du facteur x: la possibilité de faire des échanges avec David. La première chose que j’ai vu en y mettant les pieds, c’est une bouteille de GI Vanilla Rye, vous voyez le genre.“

Marheb 3424 days ago

“Found a groupon for the place, so thought we’d give it a try. They had a good selection of their own beers, even a couple of barrel-aged versions. Parking was tough, not a lot of spots available. No chairs inside, so the thinking was they wanted you to have a couple and move along. The beer selection was good, nothing outstanding. Glad we made the trip, scored a couple of free pint glasses.“

jandd1983 3525 days ago

“Visited September 6, 2014.

Finally a good liquor store stop in Poway. After the gas station(s), Sprouts, and Stater Brothers I was due. I’ve heard some rumors about this place including accusations that they buy/trade stuff that is not sold here and put it on the shelf. There was a time where I cared about that. Considering how many mediocre choices we have and the fact that beer is getting ridiculously expensive I really don’t care at all anymore if this is hurting anyone. I just want a good beer. In the end all I bought was some of the habanero grapefruit Sculpin variations. They have a lot of beers to pick from here. They have a lot of the usual (fun) imports like St Bernardus, Rodenbach, Fantome, Mikkeller, and Chimay. They have a ton of American beers like AleSmith, Cascade, Deschutes, Lost Abbey, Dogfish Head, Logsdon, and Goose Island. I counted 7 different Cascade bottles if you’re into that. They also had at least one of the Hangar 24 Barrel Roll series bottles. Logsdon is usually a good bet.

Prices were high but the selection is solid. Stop in here if you’re heading up/down I-15.“

t0rin0 3546 days ago

“Visited September 6, 2014.

What to say? This is not very impressive, but on a hot day a cold glass of Sierra Nevada Kellerweis was perfect. They had a couple of Ballast Point taps, a couple of Firestone taps, Sierra Nevada, Rogue, and Sam Adams. Those are of course in addition to Bud and Michelob. As a beer destination I’d say: meh. If you’re stuck here then sure, go grab a Union Jack. It’s sort of a dive though. Pool tables, dark, bar flies present, etc.

edit: This place is actually called Poway Irish Pub now, rather than Patrick’s Irish Pub.“

t0rin0 3546 days ago

“Visited September 6, 2014.

I wonder what goes through people’s heads when they add a Stater Brothers to the database. "I do my grocery shopping here, so I might as well get a place tick out of it"? Or maybe "those clowns at RateBeer are encounraging people to add trash like this to their database, so here you go."

Sadly, this is the best selection I’ve come across at a Stater Brothers to date. About a third of the (one and only) beer fridge is taken up by Coors, Anheuser, and Leinenkugel products. Most of the rest is Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, and Hangar 24. Then there is a one shelf with some singles. Green Flash, Karl Strauss, Stone, Firestone, and Ballast Point. That’s about it. You’re better off doing your beer shoping across the street at Sprouts, or a mile or two up the hill at Welldeck.“

t0rin0 3546 days ago

“Visited September 6, 2014.

This is right across the street from a rateable Stater Brothers. So you get two grocery store places in one intersection. If that isn’t reason enough to visit Poway I don’t know what is. /sarcasm. At least this ISN’T Stater Brothers. The beer is in the back of the store and is split into two fridges. One contains 4/6/12 packs and the other contains singles. I saw lots of American staples like Ballast Point, Stone, North Coast, Lagunitas, Sierra Nevada, Firestone, Karl Strauss, Full Sail, Deschutes, Lost Coast, and Hangar 24. Nothing incredibly rare, or even moderately rare, but they have a few good beers so you can throw a 4-pack of Old Rasputin or a 6-pack of Lagunitas IPA into your load of groceries. Beyond that, head up the street to Welldeck or down the street to Distillers Outlet if you want interesting/expensive singles.“

t0rin0 3546 days ago

“Type. . . . . . . . . . ..Brewery Warehouse Tasting "Room"
Level. . . . . . . . . . .Medium
Location. . . . . . . .Poor, Middle of Poway
Prices. . . . . . . . . ..Token System
Tap Selection. . . .8+ House Beers
Bottle Selection. .Full House Lineup
Samplers. . . . . . ...Yes
Full Pours. . . . . . .No
Beer Level. . . . . ...Decent to Poor
Food. . . . . . . . . . .None
Food Level. . . . ...N/A
Staff. . . . . . . . . . ..Friendly
Growlers. . . . . . ...Probably
Noise Level. . . . ..Medium
Décor. . . . . . . . . ..Actual Brewhouse Space
Good for Kids. . ..No
Parking. . . . . . . ...Private Lot
WiFi. . . . . . . . . . ..Unknown
Cash Only. . . . . ..No
Recommended. ..Maybe
Comments: There is no tasting room to sit or chat, it’s just a cattle call into the middle of the actual brewhouse where you stand around with plastic taster cups that you pay with via prepaid tokens. Some BA specialty stuff takes more than one token. Beers were anywhere from okay to poor. Lots of specialty one-offs seems to make this place a fun stop every once in awhile if you are a big ticker. But their normal stuff is bottled, so you don’t need to come all the way out here. Funny thing is their motto is "Better Beer Through Science" or something like that, but a lot of the beer was lacking brewing science. “

GT 3614 days ago

“Has a few unusual thing. definitely worth a stop.“

mrhoppy 3821 days ago

“Visited there today and I was blown away by their selection. They are much better than expected, but the prices seemed just a buck or two higher than competing stores. Regardless of prices, I will make this a regular stop for a first rate selection.“

StefanSD 3900 days ago

“Back to the old-style of tasting in San Diego. Come into our brewery, stand among the hardware, and taste our beer. Lots of interesting brews. They leave the comfort zone of San Diego beer in a really good way.“

Lagunitasfan 3985 days ago

“Small store in a stripmall with a sign that just reads LIQUOR. Ok, perfect. A few rows of beer and several coolers. Lots of choice including some rather rare beer. Guys working here were incredibly friendly and truly love beer. I would recommend this store to anyone in the area.“

dresden 4066 days ago

“Tucked away in a business park. Small place but quite a few beers on tap. Most of them are available in bottles, too. Beers ranged from bad to interesting to halfway decent. The brewer and staff were friendly and helpful. A cool place.“

brokensail 4335 days ago

“Really small place. You can only get tasters of the beers. The people were really nice and friendly. The beers themselves are marginal in my opinion for the SD area. They are reasonably priced. I’m sure I’ll stop by again.“

JohnnyJ 4409 days ago

“This is a production only site and they do a great beer. Sure glad I got to stop here and try the brews. They are very passionate and super nice. If you get a chance stop on by.“

BrewDad 4422 days ago

“I like their beers--Ionizer Lager in particular--but have mixed feelings about their people. Some of them are nice, but one gal who works there is a nasty, snippy bitch. It’s close to home, so that’s a plus--but the folks at Green Flash down the road are a lot nicer!“

GrainBeltMan 4519 days ago

“Was there on a pre-conference brewery tour. Amazing how they could fit so much in such a small space! Different philosophy from many California brewers. While most beers are made slightly higher gravity than to style, none of them were hop bombs. The staff was knowledgeable and friendly and all of the beers we tried were great...although the Berliner Weiss was maybe not quiet ready to serve.“

dragonlady1010 4742 days ago

“This place is awesome!!!! I’ve been coming to this place for years, and they keep improving their beer selection. They currently have two 30 foot aisles packed with hundreds of different varieties. Their service and knowledge of their products is unmatched in San Diego County.“

stinkywinky619 4853 days ago

“Met a guy at O’Brien’s who recommended this place to me. He was right. Marvin or Martin (I don’t know, I think they’re brothers) dropped everything and cruised the store with me. It was after closing time by the time he was done, yet I never felt rushed at all. Great selection.“

Lagunitasfan 4868 days ago

“great small brewery one of my favorite spots to stop by in san diego. tasters are free and growlers and bombers are super reasonable. beer is great.“

capncali 5115 days ago

“I think every beer that i tasted had its own amazing character! As i walked in this place they greet you and immidiatly get you started on drinking! he expains everything about the beer as you taste and questions are answed!“

ocdrinker909 5185 days ago

“Head Brewer Jim Crute has a doctorate in biochemistry, and uses this great knowledge to make great strong beers.Most of Lighting brewery’s beer selection is over 8% ABV .Yet do not be afraid fortunately skilled techniques in the marsh process and Dr. Crute’s 25+ years of brewery experience pays off in great tasting beer even though they have high Percentage.Right now Lighting Brewery feels hidden in the hills of Poway and the service is very friendly.I strongly recommend any beer lover to go to Lighting brewery and don’t forget the Free pretzels!“

Getbetter 5227 days ago

“First time going to Lightning this past weekend. It was really cool. The guys that work there are really laid back and will answer any questions you may have. I mentioned that I had a bad bottle of the Black Lightning porter a few months back and the head brewer replaced it for me no problem. The tastings were completely free and they had some free pretzels to cleanse the pallet. The growler glassware is very inexpensive and I just had a great time sampling all their beers.“

JoeTheYounger 5241 days ago

“The kids picking the beers are very enthusiastic, even if they have no idea what they’re talking about. I love the place because it’s on the way home and they get keep a good rotation of seasonals and special beers. On the other hand, I’ve had a seriously skunked St. Peter’s English Pale Ale. Clear glass and bright flourescent lights don’t mix. Prices are about average. I’ve been overcharged a couple dollars here and there. Let’s not forget the outstanding "Adults Only" section in the back corner, it feels kinda ghetto.“

tarface23 5242 days ago

“A very good selection of beer including the occasional hard to find beer in San Diego. owners are very helpful in showing you what new goodies they recently have gotten.“

skmikeg 5416 days ago

“I agree with Naven, this is the best beer store in the Mira Mesa/Poway/RB/Scripps Ranch area. If they don’t have it, they will try to order it for you. Located next door to Michael’s, look for the red marquee of "liquor" and your at the right place. Huge selection of all the local breweries plus many Belgian imports.“

lupulus 5437 days ago

“Don’t let the name fool you, this is just a liquor store. Although, it has tons and tons of beer. This store certainly isn’t up to the quality of Southbay or Holiday, but it’s easily the best beer store in the Mira Mesa/Poway/Rancho Bernardo/Carmel Mountain area. “

Naven 5453 days ago

“Should you find yourself in the lovely town of Poway, this is probably the best spot to grab a beer and watch some sports. The selection here is not incredible, but it’s decent, and it’s the best I have found in the area, aside from Oggis in Carmel Mountain. They usually have a couple Stone beers on tap (Double bastard and IPA last time I was there), and usually one or two other locals. During my last visit they also had Green Flash 30th St, Chimay and a couple other decent beers. Lots of macros, but a few nice beers. Lots of TV’s, a nice patio and decent Irish food.“

Naven 5588 days ago