Where to Eat During San Diego Beer Week

In a town in which craft beer is celebrated every single day, San Diego Beer Week is a special opportunity for local breweries to team with their fellow brewing brethren and beer-centric restaurants on one-of-a-kind collaborations that showcase their tasty work. There are annual hallmark events, including the can’t-miss VIP Brewer Takeover kick-off and the first-rate Beer Garden finale at The Lodge at Torrey Pines with 10-plus restaurants and breweries participating, both organized by the non-profit San Diego Brewers Guild (SDBG). Across the city, from November 4 to November 13, there will be a dizzying number of events ranging from tap takeovers, beer releases, pairings, dinner and more, so we’ll break it down. Here’s where we’d eat for San Diego Beer Week.

Venissimo Cheese Pairing at Thorn Street Brewery, November 5 from 1 to 3 p.m. This popular event returns to the North Park brewery as Venissimo's cheese expert Rob Graff joins Thorn co-founder and master brewer Eric O'Connor for at least four rounds of craft beer and artisan cheese pairings. Tickets are $30.

Brews, Views and Chews at Tom Ham's Lighthouse, November 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. The third edition of this event teams up seven chefs and breweries at the Harbor Island restaurant, with bay views and live music. Pairs include Tom Ham's and New English Brewing, Cowboy Star and The Lost Abbey and the soon-to-open Lionfish with Acoustic Ales. Tickets are $45.

Modern Times Vegetarian Beer Dinner at Mess Hall, November 7 at 6:30 p.m. Blue Bridge Hospitality executive chef Tim Kolanko, who runs Liberty Station's signature sit-down restaurant, will cook up a one-night-only five-course vegetarian dinner paired with pints of Modern Times Beer's vegan beers, including golden pineapple-blended IPA with woodfire-roasted Belgian endive with toasted barley and white balsamic and spiced cauliflower steak with Aurora Red IPA. Call for seats; the dinner is $65.

BYOBIB: Beer and Seafood Boil at Coronado Brewing Company, November 11 at 5 p.m. Bibs will be provided, but feel free to bring your own to the brewery's Knoxville Street tasting room, where Park Boulevard's Big Front Door will be on hand serving up an array of freshly-cooked seafood. Specially-paired beer flights will also be available; no tickets needed.

Donuts, Coffee & Stout at Benchmark Brewing Company, November 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Three of our favorite indulgences will come together at Benchmark Brewing Company, which will be tapping coffee-spiked casks of their multi GABF medal-winning Oatmeal Stout and Here's Your Damn Stout (Imperial Stout) while WestBean will be pouring cold press on nitro. And Donut Panic will be curating doughnut pairings to go with the beverages.