Lucrative, booming and increasingly popular: Craft Beer in Baja California is enjoying a well-deserved heyday giving the state a place to shine. With the perfect climate, landscape and culture, Baja California is fast becoming the place to be for craft beer fans. Get ready to join the movement and see why the region is now vying to become the best craft beer state in the country!
Baja California is rich in culture and unique geographical treasures, but its craft beer scene is gaining just as much recognition. Defined as “cerveza artesanal” in Spanish, craft beer has become an important component of the state's multicultural landscape.
When it comes to craft beer in Mexico, no state offers more options than Baja California. The northwestern state is situated on a strip of land that offers beer drinkers access to commodities statewide, while also including large cities like Tijuana and Mexicali where craft beer is widely available. The region is divided into two provinces, Baja California Norte (a.k.a Tijuana) and Baja California Sur (a.k.a San Jose del Cabo). Both offer several noteworthy craft beer bars and bottle shops, as well as an array of beer festivals and events. Get your passport ready and start planning your #brewcation - Baja California has plenty to offer when it comes to beer.
Baja California Sur is the southernmost state of Baja California, and it's home to craft brands like Telarana, a San José del Cabo-based brewery inspired by Old World brewing traditions. Their bottled beer selection include styles like a smoked porter, double IPA, and a Bavarian-style wheat beer. There are also a handful of other notable craft beer breweries in the region such as Cervecería Conclufo and Cervezas Especiales Valic, both based in La Paz, Mexico. The latter brewery produces a variety of beer styles including a hazy New England-style IPA, an experimental saison, and an organic pumpkin harvest ale. The craft beer scene in Baja California Sur is continuously growing and highly respected by beer professionals due to its quality brews.
Tijuana, the state capital of Baja California Norte, has recently become one of the most popular destinations for craft beer fans. The city is home to several craft beer bars and breweries, including Agua Mala, a brewery specializing in barrel-aged ales; La Mezcalera, a restaurant and bar serving Mexican craft beers; and Cerveza Fauna, which offers a range of artisanal beers made with locally sourced ingredients.
If you're looking for a place to sample some craft beer in Baja California, then look no further than Cervecería Insurgente. Located in Tijuana, this 30-barrel craft brewery produces more than 20 styles of beer, including pale ales, IPAs, blondes, and browns. The brewery also features several cask-conditioned beers, a “firkin bar” known as “El Salón de la Cervecería,” and a bottle shop called “La Tienda de la Cervecería.”
You can also check out Cervecería Wendlandt, a craft brewery located in Ensenada, about 40 miles south of Tijuana. Specializing in a variety of styles, ranging from barrel-aged imperial stouts to smoked chipotle porter, the brewery has become a sought-after destination for beer fans around the world. You can sample some of their beers, take a brewery tour, or purchase beer to go from the taproom.
La Cata Cervecera, a craft beer bar in Rosarito, is another great spot to sample a wide variety of Mexican craft beer. This bar serves over 200 different craft beers, including several rare and hard-to-find brews. They also offer food and craft beer pairings and have a bottle shop where you can purchase beer to go.
If you're looking to sample some of the best craft beer in Baja California, don't miss out on the state's beer festivals. The biggest beer festival of all is Cerveza Internacional Tijuana (CIT), which takes place over three days every year and features more than 30 local and international breweries, as well as food vendors, international DJs and live music. Be sure to also check out the Baja Beer Festival, held annually in La Paz, and the Brewers Guild of Mexicali's Craft Beer Festival, both of which offer a wide selection of craft beer and other activities.