San Diego Series: Scavengers Beer Tours
In case you were unaware, San Diego has had a burgeoning craft brewery scene that sits atop the list of the best beer towns in the country. Scavengers provides a fun, safe, taste-of-the-scene (no pun intended) outing like no other tour. Meet at one of the convenient North County pick up spots, hop in the back of the scrappy Pinzgauer military vehicle and start your customized tour with a Schlitz freebie. Revelers, beer connoisseurs, and reveling beer connoisseurs can be found on these tours. You'll feel like a star exiting your open air ride with your bigger-than-average tasting glass as brewery patrons' heads turn. Or barreling down the freeway as your favorite tunes blast through the whipping wind. And the red carpet treatment keeps coming with 3 brewery stops, a minimum 5 tastes per brewery and a behind-the-scenes production tour along the way. Thankfully you've got a famous Phil's BBQ lunch to savor and soak up all that crafty goodness.
Locals' tips: Hands down, a brewery tour is the best, safest, most comprehensive way to experience the SD craft beer scene and Scavengers is the coolest tour company out there. If you're into beer (and you must be if you're considering this tour), tell Adam, the owner whom you'll likely speak to upon booking your tour, what type of beer you like and he'll arrange a trip to meet your tastes. Smaller, lesser known breweries like Latitude 33 or Iron Fist (gotta try the heavy-hitting Velvet Glove oatmeal stout) offer great tasting and atmospheric experiences as some of the big guns like Lost Abbey or Stone (famous for its IPAs) which should not be missed. Customizing your tour is one of the perks of going with Scavengers vs. other companies who stick to set breweries. Try to drum up a party of 10 if you can as you get a private Pinzgauer for your group. Parties of less than 10 join others in a vehicle so just be ready to socialize. Plus parties of 10 or more get a bit of discount on tour price (range $99-$120). Best meet up option is the Carlsbad Train Station (a stop on the Coaster train which serves Stone on board!) which is easily accessible to downtown Carlsbad (http://www.amtrak.com/home). When you're dropped off, you can walk over to Pizza Port a few blocks away for great pizza and their own microbrews.
See more info at Scavengers.
Hey Locals! Which are your favorite local craft breweries in San Diego? Chime in below.
