This place is a hidden gem! I have been here quite a few times and enjoy all their beers on tap. The beers are made in small batches and rotate every time I come in and they are always refreshing. You can also brew your own beer here, all the equipment is provided for use on site, you can also buy grain and supplies needed. The owner, Judd, is very welcoming and knowledgeable, he will go above and beyond and will walk you through the process to help you make the best beer possible. We have participated in a few large group brew sessions for competitions, which was fun. The service here is great, anyone that wants to brew some beer here will have an outstanding experience, I highly recommend checking this place out. read more

See all

I'm amazed at what one will find when walking around. I was getting an estimate for our car with some body repair and happen upon this gem! The owner, Judd, and a gentleman who was in the process of brewing his own beer greeted me with a huge smile. They were very enthusiastic in describing the process and the advantages of getting assistance from a very knowable young man to brew your own beer. The space is open with seating for a lecture of a group or bar stools to sit and down a few outstanding beers! read more

See all

We needed a spot for our one year olds' birthday party very last minute and Judd couldn't have been more helpful. He gave a great deal to rent his space, provided tasty beers, and was happy to rearrange things in order to set up for the birthday party. The space turned out to be perfect for the 30 of us and everyone had a great time. Highly recommend if you need a place to party or just grab a casual drink. read more

Judd and the team at Citizens Brewers are amazing. They crafted an Irish red that was delicious. If you want to do a corporate team building or low key event, Citizens Brewers is a 5 star experience. read more

This place is a hidden gem. It is mostly a brew on premise place but I like to go for the "tasting room". They always have really good beers on tap and they are all small batches so they rotate often. Great service too! read more

Outstanding experience, highly recommended! We went to celebrate a birthday and loved it. Would also make a great work offsite activity. Judd is awesome and highly knowledgeable. It was our first time brewing beer and he patiently walked us through the process. read more

Came here on a whim. Super satisfied that i did. I had a great time learning the "ways" of a Brew Master and the superior amount of ways you can brew beer with pretty much any edible source. Definitely will be back to possibly brew my own stouts and whits ! read more

See all

Wanna brew your own beer?! Don't know how? This is the place to go! Judd, proprietor, will hold your hands and walk you through each step of the process while peppering you with interesting bits of knowledge about beer. Reservations are a MUST! We were lucky enough to be there on a weekday afternoon and were the only other "brewers" there. His facility has all of the ingredients and necessary brew gear to brew your own. Spend about 4 hours in your first session and then return to bottle after your beer has fermented. We haven't bottled our beer yet, but have already made a second appointment next week for our second batch of brew. Still considering buying our own equipment for home brewing- but after this experience we might just stick with Citizen Brewers for our future needs! Thanks to Judd for imparting his vast knowledge so enthusiastically! read more

See all

Citizen Brewers is a great way to commemorate a special occasion! I surprised my partner with a trip here for our three year anniversary. Neither of us had ever brewed before, but Judd was very helpful without ever making us feel like we weren't running our process. We came back 5 weeks later for the finished beer to bottle our product, and it turned out great! We'll definitely come back for another run! read more

Citizen Brewers - Trying out our very own custom beer! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing experience, highly recommend. You don't need to know anything about brewing (although if you do, you could do a less hands-on brew if you wanted). The owner Judd is an awesome, generous guy that knows his stuff and will make sure you have a good time / come away with some great beer. read more

Citizen Brewers - Bottling beer - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing place gives you more appreciation for beer... Amazing knowledge here and tasting beer at the different stages.... read more

See all

Me and my friends had a great time brewing our own beer. I can't wait to do it again. I can't recommend this enough.

First review! Came here with some buddies on a bachelor party and had a great time learning about the brewing process and shooting the shit with Judd. He's a laid back guy and obviously very passionate about both making beer and educating folks about it. The facility is pretty big and we were one of 2 groups in that bad. Luckily we were staggered enough that Judd was able to give both groups ample attention. I've homebrewed with buddies on a much smaller scale so it was really helpful to have Judd explain and oversee the process - he was very patient and attentive, really a good attitude for folks who were pretty new to this. He even had a batch of beer that he'd brewed to share with us. We had a to return the favor with some Modern Times that we'd brought (yup, BYOB). Fun experience and I'd imagine more experienced Brewers could really make use of Judds awesome equipment. If you're interested in how beer is made or just want to try something new, I highly recommend it. And guess what? Our beer tastes like beer! read more

What an amazing experience! If you have any interest in beer please call Judd up and schedule your own beer making adventure. You will not regret it. His personality is amazing, his space is amazing, his equipment is amazing, and the beer you make will be amazing. Just remember that if you make beer because of my recommendation, you owe me a beer. read more

Citizen Brewers - Thanks Judd - Awesome experience! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Judd helped me make a clone of a really famous IPA. Not only was he personable and helpful but the beer.....the beer! It came out amazing! I used it as Christmas gifts to many of my friends and clients and the compliments keep coming in. I actually just booked another brewing session to make my St. Pat's Stout with Judd. Super helpful and fun place cause you can drink beer while brewing and hanging out with your friends. Highly recommend this place! read more

This is the perfect option for the homebrewer who places a premium on quality but can't or won't keep heaps of expensive equipment in a cramped San Diego apartment, or just doesn't want to deal with storage and cleaning. Judd has a fantastic brew house with really nice equipment, and he's really dialed in the brewing process. I made a great all-grain beer here, and he carefully oversaw the fermentation process, keeping an eye on it when the cranky yeast got stuck. If you know what you want then you can just come here and brew it. Or if you're brewing for the first time, Judd will gladly offer really good advice or even share a stock recipe. I can't recommend this place highly enough. read more

A lot of fun with a very knowledgeable brewer named Judd. Could not have been any easier and he cleans it all up after you! Brewed a Nut Brown Ale that was highly complimented at my Oktoberfest. Planning another brew this month. Great gift to give someone. Easy to do alone or with a group. I have many plans to return. read more

Great place to and brew some beer. Judd, shop owner, is awesome and so knowledgable. We brewed a mosaic wheat that came out with excellent results. A+ recommendation here! read more

My boyfriend was driving by and saw a sign stating you could brew your own beer. We thought that would be a great Christmas gift so he popped his head in. A month later we were walking out with 72, 22oz bottles of amazing tasting IPAs with custom labels. Judd made the whole process very fun and informative. Not only did we walk out with amazing beer but we walked out with a new knowledge of beer and the brewing process. Judd will source all the materials you need for the beer you would like to make. He walks you through every step of the way and is very very professional. This is something I would highly recommend to somebody who wants a unique personal gift for people or just somebody who loves beer. You can bring multiple people as well, meaning you can bring bachelor/bachelorette parties, work groups or just friends. It's just a really cool concept done extremely well. Thanks Judd!!! read more

See all

As a mildly experience home brewer myself, I really appreciate the fact that I can make the brew of my choosing, without having to wreck my kitchen. Citizen Brewers is the best way to make your own craft batches and with owner Judd onsite, it's like having your personal brewer consultant by your side. The man knows his stuff. They have a great variety of grains, hops, yeast and if you don't have your own recipe to follow, they have plenty for you to choose from. It was about a 2-3 hour process for the first day so feel free to BYOB or walk right next door to Kensington Brewing Co for a pint or two while your beer is brewing. Can't wait to go back and bottle our beer and start another batch. This is a great way to spend time with fellow beers enthusiasts or company team building events. It's a must do for your San Diego brewery experience!! read more

Last weekend was the third time I've been here. It just keeps getting better. This time, I brought my wife and another couple. We all had a great time. Judd is amazing. He has a passion for beer, will explain as much as you may want to know and you will end up with exceptional beer. Our son is hooked and always has some brewing - not a bad plan. If you love beer and want to make your own with commercial grade equipment at very reasonable prices, do this. read more

So fun! I loved learning the science behind the brew with Judd, an exceptional guy whose business you will want to frequent. He's personable, passionate and knows his craft. Citizen Brewers brings together product and people in a super cool culminating experience that you will really enjoy - just all around cool. read more

Brewing our own beer with Judd was AWESOME! I surprised my boyfriend for his birthday by bringing him here and we had our own private session with Judd, learning how to brew beer. Both of us are brewing newbies but Judd walked us through everything, explaining in detail the process and ingredients, etc. You can really tell Judd is super passionate about what he does, which made it that much more fun! The facilities are beautiful as well...and the price is great for the experience/amount of beer you brew. Highly highly recommend!! read more

I was a first time "home" brewer. Judd helped us through the process and monitored our beer while it fermented. We're looking forward to our next session. Thanks Judd. read more

My boyfriend and I made an oatmeal stout and a blonde ale using this facility. Phenomenal deal if you know what type of beer you like or if in a group. Being in San Diego, we are blessed with a unique beer culture and this facility was the perfect venue to take the next step and try it myself. Judd is a wealth of knowledge, who was open to share and experiment with ideas outside the norm. He narrated the whole processes and had me engaged both times. The second time, I was a little more confident, I wanted to do more of it myself. Plus, I took home 6 cases of beer! It was awesome! read more

My friends surprised my boyfriend and I with brewing our own beer and it was a great experience! Judd was very educational and helpful with the whole process. He gave us plenty of space to go at our own pace. The price was amazing- including the educational experience, a choice of whatever type of beer we wanted to make, 72 22oz bombers (bottles and all materials included in price), and he printed out our personalized label for each beer! Our IPA turned out amazing. the 6 of us had a great time making and bottling the beer. I have been recommending this small brewery to all my friends! Definitely would do again. read more

Brew great beer for a nice price. Easiest way to brew your own. Got together with 3 friends and brewed a tasty English Brown Ale. Judd has great recipes and all the necessary ingredients. We tweaked ours to our tastes with his advice. The brewing process was flawless (Judd made certain we didn't screw it up) and bottling was easy. We threw together a label design and Judd print the labels for us. Now we reap the rewards. A resource we plan on using again in the future. read more