Deft brewing is located in The Garten along with 3 other establishments- a winery/cider (Oddish Wine) place, a meadery (Lost Cause) and a pizza joint (pizza cassette). There is some seating inside but the courtyard area is great. Deft has European style beers but they have IPAs too. I got a shandy and it was nice and light but again, they have lots of choices. The folks there were so friendly too. I would def suggest getting there early if you want seating. There is a lot of it but it gets quite busy. We will be back! read more

I'm a fan of the English IPA. My boyfriend enjoyed the English tan beer (brown). I am a sucker for puns and one of the beers is called Deft Poet's Society. I also appreciated that it's dog friendly and they defined the word "deft" on their merchandise. The place was clean and nice! The person who poured our beers was extremely friendly and answered all the questions we had about brewing beers. They also have a bunch of games. I recommend and could see myself coming back here! read more

Deft Brewing - Delicious beers!! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Great brewery! They have the best beer flight display I've ever seen and the laminated cards stay in place so you know what you are drinking. The bartender was gracious and helpful to us visitors. You get to sit right next to where the brewery. Cool place with good beers! read more

Deft Brewing - Beer flights - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Deft is a very traditional German/Oktoberfest style brewery so mostly lager type of beers. Which was cool, half our group couldn't partake however. I love hops so I had to settle for a more tame option. The bartender was super friendly and very attentive; the room felt very welcoming. The outside patio "the Garten" is really big, with tons of seating and a stage plus it's dog friendly! read more

Deft Brewing - Dog friendly, spacious patio! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

I so wish they had Hazy IPAs but it wasn't in the cards on the day we went. The beer we had was not hitting the mark for us, many European and German style beers offered it seemed. Patio was super cool and there was live music too! Pizza place was there as well as a "meatery" which seemed cool. Will keep checking the beer menu and may be back! Only three stars due to beer selection. read more

Deft Brewing - Beer on Patio - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Between google maps and the signs on the building it was easy to find this brewery. I was here very briefly with some friends and was amazed at how many people were there. We did two flight and a beer/ 7up that I have already forgotten what it is called and everything was quite unique. read more

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came here on a wednesday happy hour for work. similar to other breweries, this place had an outdoor area with benches and a good selection of house brews. no waiters, just order and grab. we split a couple of woodfire pizzas, they were fresh and good. i had the cider on tap, dry and strong. also, there was live music that night and an open mic if you want to entertain (if thats your thang). overall, cool place to hangout. i would go again. read more

Deft Brewing - cider - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

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Sweet cool spot. You can get beer, wine and pizza, all in one place. The brewery is small but has some good choices. The pizza was tasty and enjoyable. The service was good, everyone really friendly. Oh.. and Live music is there to keep you entertained. read more

Deft Brewing - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

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Good beer and awesome outdoor space for hanging out. The outdoor space is shared with a meadery and a pizza place. Plenty of street parking. Good selection of Belgian beers. read more

Deft Brewing - Flight 2 - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

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Love this place. I only ordered pizza today, delicious by the way, but I have sampled their beer before and it hit the spot. A great place to eat, drink and hang out with family and friends. As well as the brewery and pizza, they have a mead counter and wine bar. It's in an industrial part of town, a little off the beaten track but well worth finding. read more

/deft/ (adj): Neatly skillful and quick in one's movements. Demonstrating skill and cleverness. In the craft beer Mecca of San Diego, some people might think that it's absolutely daft to open a nano/micro brewery in what may seem to be a saturated market. The more the merrier, I say. The variety of European style options are worth exploring here. It's refreshing to find see a beer list that isn't overrun by palate numbing, aggressively Pine Sol scented ales. Don't worry, fellow Hop-heads, there are some tasty IPAs that you can enjoy. As my friend put it, the beer is good stuff when you get a mellow buzz after a pint (or two). I had an opportunity to chat with local Bay Park resident, co-owner, and brewmaster Moe. The fine quality and flavor profiles are a nice representation of how well they've established themselves in this neighborhood. As of this post, they've been open for roughly six weeks, and have also invited food trucks to provide snacks. One of them was not quite as prepared for the volume of beer enthusiasts with the munchies and that food truck apparently ran out of food. Other notables: kid & dog friendly. Tasters $2.50 or four for $9. Full pours $6.50 and growler fills $17. If I lived or worked nearby, Deft Brewing would be in my steady rotation of go-to spots. Cheers to the folks at Deft and I look forward to visiting again with friends. read more

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Located in Linda Vista in the business district. Several street parking in front & close by. Very friendly bartender! Great selection of beer. 4 tasters for $9. Kid friendly, they even have a play area for them. Defy & Witty (Belgian Witbier): Light, refreshing, nice to drink beer on a warm day. Biere Citrouille (Pumpkin Saison): Delicious & perfect for autumn, actually perfect for all seasons! read more

Very impressed by the beer selection here. I had a flight of 4 beers with all them tasting very good. My two favorites were the Golden Mule and Tourmaline Tan, the 2 non IPA's in my flight. It was refreshing to try a beer that was not very hoppy. Located in a quonset style building, it is easy to spot when driving by. Their is asome parking in the small lot but plenty of street parking when the local business are done for the day. I stopped by on a Sunday evening and it was not busy at all. Staff was friendly. Place is very spacious with plenty of windows. It is close enough to the bay you can feel the breeze. They have a little patio attached. Overall, well worth a visit even if your not close by. read more

Deft Brewing - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

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Had a great experience here tonight. They specialize in some European styles (British, Belgian) that you don't always see elsewhere. Beers were good, not great (I rated on Untappd), light versions of the styles. Get a flight. They share a space with Lost Cause Meadery, and they have food provided by an outside vendor. read more

Deft Brewing - Flight on the shared patio. - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

This spot is truly a hidden gem. Key word: hidden. Tucked away in Morena near the bottom of the hill below USD, you'd almost never know this awesome brewery exists! What a shame that would be because this place is awesome! I first learned about this spot after attending a USD reunion event here. It was the perfect spot for our gathering. There was space both indoors and outdoors. The patio is so cute and has lit up market lights. There's also corn hole. I looked at the calendar of events and they often have food trucks there as well as a variety of events including trivia on Thursdays. What was really great about this place was the beer! They had a wide variety of german style beers. I really enjoyed the snake bite one and the mule inspired one with a hint of ginger and lime. I was really impressed by their beers and would definitely go back just to taste some more. I'm glad to have discovered this little hidden brewery. It's such a great spot to relax and grab a beer either inside or outside! read more

Visited just after opening, so it was a relaxing affair. Excellent beers all around, but I highly recommend the following due to their drinkability. DeftHop Golden - The hops are showcased with nothing else stealing the spotlight; smooth finish Tourmaline Tan - A solid malty brown; toasty caramelized sugar notes Austere Abbot- Refreshingly light; Herbally/floral to the nose, and then it meets you again at the finish. read more

Love these guys! Beer tenders are super nice and if you want something outside of the regular IPA, this is a great place to get that! They have European style beers and a meadery next door. There's also a pizza place housed in their new gärten. Hop growing races are also awesome! read more

Deft Brewing - Gärten - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Great place to hangout and get beer. Specially if you have kids my son had a blast there. He loved the pizza we had gone to Luigi's earlier asked him what pizza was better he said this one. The beers are more Belgium style more taste I don't think they had an IPA on the menu which is okay with me. Deft also has friendly staff im sure I will go back. read more

Deft Brewing - Great pizza on Friday - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

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First time here , and it was by pure luck we needed to kill some time so I'm only judging based on a Belgian triple that was amazing but I think I would have to do a little more investigative work to finish rating it . Beer selection was 5/5 Ambiance 3.5/5 really depends what you're looking for . This feels much more like very casual group and like your neighbors patio. We were there just killing time before an appointment but are definitely planning on coming back to try some more . read more

Deft Brewing - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

I was only in town for a hot minute, but found deft on Yelp and I'm glad I stopped in! While it was trivia night, I couldn't stay long enough to participate. I wish I had something like this a little closer to me. For beer, I got a flight, trying two of the IPAs, a tart, and a Belgian. The tart and the Belgian were especially enjoyable. Good beers and good vibes! read more

Deft Brewing - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

I love coming here. Glad they are still doing well. Great selection of beers including a number of British style beers. Will continue to come here! read more

Our German-language meetup group, San Diego Stammtisch, has our meetings at Deft Brewing. During this time of Covid, I was just looking for practically any quiet place that would allow us to have our meetings outside, with beer. (We had been meeting in Balboa Park with no drinks.) Germans and students of German like good, fresh beer and are not so easy to please. We were pleasantly surprised by how good the beer is. The Naples-style pizza baked in a traditional wood-fired oven is also delicious at Cucina Caprese, which is associated with the brewery. Mo and the staff are very friendly, welcoming people. We hope to have many enjoyable get-togethers there. San Diego Stammtisch gives our stamp of approval to Deft Brewing. If you speak German, come and join us at Deft Brewing. Look for San Diego Stammtisch on Meetup.com for meeting info. read more

Deft Brewing - San Diego Stammtisch at Deft Brewing during Covid. - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

I am responding to Morris long response you talked about me you were a bad Judge of character because being happy vivacious and laughing a lot does not equate to being drunk especially considering after we went elsewhere we had absolutely no problem had a wonderful time we stayed for several hours our waitress was awesome! my friends did not threaten you my friends did not do any of the things that you are accusing anybody of it seems like you just want to save your reputation which I understand to some people you're wonderfulMy friends frequently call me the life of the party and that's with absolutely no alcohol it's just because I enjoy making people laugh I did send an email to all of my friends to read what was written about me on yelp they were beyond disgusted appalled and couldn't even believe anyone could say such things about me I actually laughed I thought it was silly -immature -disrespectful if those are the type of customers you bring in thats bad I'm guessing those type of people are more your circle of friends then my circle of friends who are wonderful fun and enjoy every moment of life ? I am actually in a beer group once a week we all go to different breweries we've always had a great time I brought as many as 40 people in at one time I did send my group and email on the way I was treated so of course none of us will go back to your establishment which I'm sure is no loss to you you may miss construed their loudness and laughter as being drunk and wouldn't serve them My friends said if I had a theme song about me they said it would be the song called happy by Pharrell what would your song be? read more

I've always enjoyed breweries that provide more options for consumers than whatever is trendy. beer is all about the culture and history of flavor, and deft is an homage to that perfect pint. It's not just about the "old school" beers on tap either. they have great service, a neighborhood/friendly atmosphere, and awesome "new school" beers as well. read more

Great time this past weekend at Deft. Delicious beers, nice beertenders, and in a great environment. We ended up hanging out outside on the picnic bench. I tried the Wheat Beer and also sampled the Mule beer, which was refreshing. Will be back again soon. read more

Deft Brewing - Wheat Beer - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Awesome staff and entertainment is always great on the patio. I love chatting with the staff and the patrons here! This is a great place to catch pizza and a beer with the whole family on a Saturday. (Please add more ipa's to the menu of beers tho ) read more

This is a SUPERB microbrewery. Good vibe, great service, and excellent beer. The Irish red stood out. Great location near the airport for a pre or post-flight brew. read more

Deft Brewing - Impressive array of beers on tap - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Awesome atmosphere!! Everyone should come check them out!!! Nice, dog friendly huge patio and indoor seating. read more

Deft Brewing - First annual Findmydogahome.org Foundation's fundraiser to help homeless find their forever homes! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

European inspired beers a-plenty. Went for two flights (8 different beers) and not one stinker in the bunch. Every beer is smooth, true to style and well balanced. Personal highlights for me were the Sticke Altbier, the Trippel and the Kolsch. Friendly service; the owner came over regularly to check in with us and chat. Cool, old warehouse with an open set up. Perfect for SD. If in the hood, give this place a go. read more

Stopped by the brewery on Friday at 8pm with 4 friends. Nice beer selection, good beer, dog friendly, military discount, and wonderful staff. Order at the counter and sit inside or outside. They also had food outside which smelled great, but I didn't have any. Last call was just before 9pm and the staff let us hang outside finishing up our drinks while they cleaned up. Thank you for a wonderful experience! read more

Thank goodness someone is doing something different in San Diego craft beer. Deft Brewing makes almost only European-style beers, which is a nice change from super-hopped American IPAs (and from my least favorite, the haze craze). Set in what looks like but isn't officially a Quonset Hut (one of those semi-circular sheet metal buildings), they have gone to some effort to make it look modern and pleasing inside. There are plenty of low tables, a good-sized patio on the side, and a longish bar. You can see the smallish brew system (they told me 3 barrel, if I remember correctly) as you walk in the front; there is plenty of room for them to expand the brewing system if needed in the future. Located in a quiet and somewhat hidden commercial/light industrial area of the Morena neighborhood (south of Bay Park, north of the Friars Road), Deft Brewing is near an intersection of major highways but probably few people will find it by accident. It is just 0.4 miles from Ballast Point's original Home Brew Mart location, and only a mile from the University of San Diego campus. Deft is family and dog friendly, and friendly in general. I chatted briefly with the assistant brewer who was on bar duty as well as the owner/brewer. It was the owner's homebrew success that led to the creation of this business venture. He lives in the area, too. Quite a San Diego craft beer story. Although European styles are generally not my favorite, I liked everything I tried here. I stayed away from the Belgian-style beers (of which there were several) and had mostly Germanic- and British-inspired beers. Apparently, Europeans who have visited have given their seal of approval to the beer. All in all, this new operation is off to a good start. They picked a good theme and have a good line up of beers that aren't just copies of things you can get anywhere else. They still need to dial in a few recipes, I think, but they are already good. The service and vibe are excellent, and the tasting room is fun and comfortable. They should do well. I'm on a quest to visit every brewery and tasting room in San Diego (this was my 166th review). read more

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Impressively clean and friendly industrial-euro brewery.. I'm a little mixed on this review.. love the environment, vibe and service yet beers were a little basic considering locale in 'craft beer country'.. very accurate representations of European style beers take me back to our last crawl through Central Europe that I did enjoy; However, in a palate-pleasing, hop-heavy, high-ABV, creatively crafted area such as SD one(such as myself) can be left wanting for more.. that being said, I would def come back, chill here and enjoy the environment, vibe, and a tulip of Bruxelles Trip(pel)!! read more

Deft Brewing - Flight of craft over scrabble don't miss out on the Bruxxels Trip and Half-a-Weizen on the lighter side!! - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Great selection of beers.....clean, family friendly, cool vibez and great ambiance outside. Very kid friendly, if not looking to having kids running then this is not the place for you. read more

Have been a big fan of Deft for last couple of years! Very friendly staff and owners! As German I appreciate the focus on German beers as well as British and Belgian brews given I am not a huge fan of IPAs and unlike some other San Diego breweries where you find 10 IPAs and 2 non-IPAs here it's quite the opposite. It's hard to picj a favorite given so far I've nit had a brew I didn't like. Also very dog friendly so our two pups love it here since they also offer some free treats. And the latest addition of a delicious Pizza place next door makes it even more appealing. Just hope the lockdown is lifted soon so we can hang out there again and socialize with a delicious brew instead of just picking up our beers and leave. read more

This place is fantastic! The beers, the atmosphere, the food truck that was there Friday night, the staff and the owner, Moe. I had the English IPA, the Half-A-Weisen, the Mule, and the Tripel. I took a growler of the English IPA and the Tripel home with me. I am a huge fan of the beers and any time my friends or family come into town, I will be taking them here to cheers some tasty beers. Great Job, Deft! read more

Deft Brewing - Breweries Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing award winning beers. Love stopping by there when in SD. Relaxed atmosphere and good crowd. Morris is a live wire on trivia nights :-) Good for families and large celebrations. Get Two flights, you won't be disappointed. read more

I was going to a show and needed a spot to hang out at before the venue opened. Looked on the map for breweries, and found this place. Tucked away in an industrial area, this place is a hidden gem! Solid beers, great atmosphere. Highly recommend! read more

Really nice patio area with a nice selection of beers. Came here when it was 98 degrees out and the patio area was nicely shaded, you couldn't even tell how hot it was. Would like to come here again in the future! read more

Deft is awesome! Great beer selection (complements more traditionally 'San Diego' options), terrific pizza, attentive staff, superb live music, and laid-back vibe. Can't beat it! read more

Great place, pizza, beer and music! One to go back for sure! Service is very nice as well!