14 San Jose Breweries for Craft Beer Lovers 2023 [+Beer Gardens]

For you thirsty craft beer lovers, there is some really good beer being produced by an evergrowing list of talented and creative breweries in San Jose, CA. 

Now it’s your turn to dig in and taste your way through the best breweries in San Jose. 

This list will provide you with all the information you will need, from how many beers they have on tap, if they offer food, other drink offerings, outdoor seating and if they’re kid or pet friendly. 

If you are a serious craft beer connoisseur, you might visit every craft brewpub in San Jose. 

14 Best San Jose Breweries

San Jose’s craft beer scene was first established in 1889 with the opening of trailblazing breweries such as the now-defunct Fredericksburg Brewing Co. 

Only a few made it before the Prohibition Era. Yet the local beer culture witnessed a revival through the rise of modern microbreweries in San Jose led by Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in 1988. 

Since then, the new generation of local brewers has continued the legacy of superior craft beer in San Jose. 

By improving on the traditional brewing methods and incorporating unique pub experiences, it’s no wonder that the county’s beer culture has reached national notoriety.

1. DTSJ Brewing Co.

• Beers on tap: 8-10
• Untappd Rating: 3.97
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: via rotating food trucks
• Other drink offerings: N/A
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

DTSJ Brewing Co. is a small-batch brewery in San Jose that offers a laid back atmosphere that is inviting to customers young, old, and furred (yes, your pets are allowed!). 

It takes live and ambient music seriously with its two audio systems playing current DJ favorites and old-school tunes via special vinyl nights. 

When it comes to beers, this brewery in San Jose specializes in beer styles featuring signature California ingredients. 

It adds interesting notes on classic beer styles and experiments with fun combinations of hops. 

So whether you’re coming for West Coast IPA or a new version of German lager, DTSJ has you covered.

The people who run this place are very welcoming and knowledgeable about their craft, so you know you’re in good hands.

2. Hapa’s Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 14
• Untappd Rating: 3.74
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: Occasional food trucks and bar snacks like pretzels and chips
• Other drink offerings: Beer only
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

This brewpub in San Jose is named after the Hawaiian word for “mixed,” which is in reference to the mixing of ingredients during the brewing process. 

But looking at the crowd they serve, it seems like “mixed” means that this brewery is a place for the community to come together with their kids and pets for a wholesome good time.

Don’t be intimidated by Hapa’s Brewing Company’s reputation as a serious spot for local craft beers, as the place has a relaxed vibe that is perfect for hanging out with friends. 

They even offer up board games, dart boards, corn holes, and big screens for live sports. 

You can even take your laptop and work over pints of beer and some live music. 

The bestsellers at Hapa’s Brewery include their American Pale Ale called “Experience Azacca” and a light lager, “Hapa Light.”  

3. S27 Alehouse Brewery

• Beers on tap: 15
• Untappd Rating: 3.69
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: On-site taco vendor
• Other drink offerings: Milkshake
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Established in 2019, S27 is among the top emerging microbreweries in San Jose that offer homebrew-quality artisanal beers in the tradition of European, Belgian, and French breweries. 

But what makes this brewery special is its mix of old-world style combined with West Coast influences in its beer. 

S27 has a neighborly feel and an inclusive laidback atmosphere that is complemented by live music and comedy nights. 

Anyone is welcome to visit the brewery, including your fur babies. 

They offer a large range of beer styles, including sours, pub-style ales, Bavarian-style hefeweizen, and dry IPAs.

If you can’t decide which craft beer in San Jose to try, order a tasting flight so that you can taste several of their beers.

4. Narrative Fermentations

• Beers on tap: 9-11
• Untappd Rating: 3.95
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: via food trucks and pop-up food vendors
• Other drink offerings: N/A
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes, but not many people bring kids

Narrative Fermentations, located downtown, is one of the best breweries in San Jose with food. 

Their beer board features a diverse lineup of artisanal drafts that range from hazy double IPAs to berry and vanilla sours. 

If you get hungry while sipping on a pint, pop-up food vendors and food trucks serve up grub that changes daily, including birria tacos and fried chicken sandwiches. 

Narrative’s taproom features live music, industry day, trivia nights, and even yoga at the brewery if sipping on a beer with friends wasn’t fun enough. 

Watch out on weekends, when they would feature slushie beers like Frooot, which is a mixed-berries beer concoction.

5. Clandestine Brewing

• Beers on tap: 12
• Untappd Rating: 3.69
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: food trucks are sometimes on-site, and it’s ok to bring your own
• Other drink offerings: fruit-flavored seltzers that pack a punch
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes, but they cannot sit at the bar

This brewery in downtown San Jose is another establishment that began as a homebrew venture and bloomed into a full-blown brewery. 

If you’re a fan of sours and berry-flavored beers, you’re in for a treat. 

Clandestine Brewing offers a wide variety of constantly rotating beer varieties, including several styles of Belgium beers, British pub ales, and stouts. 

They also produce some excellent IPAs that pay homage to the West Coast style that is highly bitter, citrusy, and features a bolder hop aroma. 

Food is available via occasional food trucks with a rotational specialty for guests young and old. 

There are also board games to keep you occupied while tasting through their lineup. 

The place is very relaxed and stress-free, even for your dogs. 

Trivia night is held every Thursday, so be sure to gather your friends and win the game as a team.

6. Fox Tale Fermentation Project

• Beers on tap: 12
• Untappd Rating: 3.87
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: salads, sliders, crudite platters with fun fermented sides
• Other drink offerings: Kombucha and creative non-alcoholic mock tales
• Pet friendly: No
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

As its name implies, this brewpub in San Jose began as a passion project right off the garage of couple Wendy Neff and Felipe Bravo. 

Established in 2017, Fox Tale Fermentation Project specializes in crafting artisanal beers inspired by fermented food such as vegetables, seeds, and even mushrooms. 

The interesting beer concoctions are more than just experimental, and they have a decent following among passionate beer drinkers and adventurous folks. 

While they make beers in the usual styles, they give them a twist by adding unusual ingredients like ume plums and quinoa. 

Foxtale also goes beyond beer, with its unique menu focused on fermented vegetables, artisan bread, and other organic ingredients. 

Foxtale supports local artists by featuring their work on their merchandise and in the brewery.

If you’re looking to do your own San Jose brewery tour, make sure to stop here.

7. Floodcraft Brewing Co.

• Beers on tap: 19
• Untappd Rating: 3.83
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: classic pub food – fries, buffalo wings, nachos, burgers
• Other drink offerings: Full bar
• Pet friendly: Yes, but only on the ground floor
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Floodcraft Brewing Co. is a small brewery attached to the Wholefoods market in downtown San Jose. 

It may be small, but they offer up a wide selection of draft and canned beers that they make and from other breweries from the region and around the globe. 

This is one of the breweries in San Jose with food offering classic pub classics that include anywhere from chicken wings to juicy burgers with fries. 

The upstairs has a cool outdoor deck which is a nice place to hang out in, but they do close early at 8pm.

8. Strike Brewing Co. & Warehouse Taproom

• Beers on tap: 12
• Untappd Rating: 3.6
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: via food trucks
• Other drink offerings: N/A
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Named the “Best Craft Canned Beers” by Metro Silicon Valley, Strike Brewing has made a reputation as one of the premier breweries in San Jose and the Bay Area. 

It has previously collaborated with Santa Cruz brands on a campaign for the American sports equipment label NHS. 

The partnerships produced a craft beer lineup that includes Screaming Hand Red IPA, Classic Dot Blonde Ale, and Nor Cal Pilsner.

Brew-wise, Strike adopts a philosophy of crafting fresh and tasty beers that are equal parts experimental and traditional to pay homage to the county’s craft beer industry. 

Although popular for its canned beers, this brewpub in San Jose is also known for its draft favorites, such as Haze of Fame and a purple Saison called “Ascension.”

9. Uproar Brewing Company

• Beers on tap: 10
• Untappd Rating: 3.64
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: They offer a full restaurant menu featuring burgers, beer-battered fries, and salads
• Other drink offerings: Rotating ciders
• Pet friendly: No, except for service dogs
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Located in the SoFa neighborhood downtown, Uproar Brewing Company features a wide range of brew styles, including some additional guest drafts from other local and national brewers. 

The brewery offers a variety of games, including a foosball table, corn hole, Skeeball, arcade games, and a big screen for when a local team is playing. 

Uproar is one of the microbreweries in San Jose with homebrew roots, whose artisanal beers gained a loyal following despite being a relative newbie to the craft beer scene. 

If you’re seated next to the brewing equipment, you’ll get a glimpse of how their amazing local craft beers are made.

10. Pour Decisions Taproom

• Beers on tap: 24
• Untappd Rating: N/A
• Outdoor Seating: No
• Food offerings: Order from next door at the Littlest Little Italy
• Other drink offerings: Kombucha, Hard Ciders
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes
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The San Jose branch of Pour Decisions Taphouse is the second of their facilities, which first opened in 2023.

For those that love everything Italian, this taphouse is the perfect spot to embrace the Little Italy vibes in one destination.

This taphouse features amazing beers from breweries across the Golden State, ranging from New Glory Brewing in Sacramento to Alvarado Street Brewing in Monterey.

The taproom is attached to several great spots for food and wine, where you can order a panini from Torino Panino sandwich spot, pizza from Bibo’s, or a meat and chees board from Salami Board.

This is a great spot to grab a cold pint and something to eat before heading to the SAP Center to watch a San Jose Sharks hockey match.

San Jose Beer Gardens

If you want a change of scenery and simply unwind from a long day, there are several beer gardens in San Jose where you can go for a pint or two. 

Most of the beer gardens in San Jose offer a large selection of beers from the best producers in the region. Some chose to focus on a specific international region like Bavaria. 

11. Camino Brewing Co. and Beer Garden

• Beers on tap: 11-14
• Untappd Rating: 3.72
• Food offerings: via food truck
• Other drink offerings: Topo Chico, Sodas
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Allen and Nathan, Camino’s founders, have always been fond of having a pint of beer or two, along with good food and an adventure. 

Their long-time friendship inspired them to proceed to build something that can extend to other people with similar views on life.

Camino Brewing Co. and Beer Garden came to life because of their inspiration from a trip across the Camino de Santiago. 

They have a wide selection of great beers on draft, as well as canned beers to go.

This beer garden offers a large rustic outdoor patio that is full of communal picnic tables where people can come together over a couple of pints. 

They have live music a couple of nights a week and some tasty tacos from the Mexican food truck.

12. ISO Beers

• Beers on tap: 20+
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: None, but you are welcome to bring food from one of the neighboring restaurants
• Other drink offerings: Ciders
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

If you’re looking for a beer garden with a large selection of beers on tap, ISO Beers is your place. 

This is the spot if you are a serious beer connoisseur, as they always have some serious heavy hitters in their lineup from the best breweries in the country. 

If you come at the right time, you may even be lucky enough to try some limited or allocated releases that disappear as fast as the keg is tapped.

ISO Beers is not an actual brewery but a tap house and a bottle shop. 

Although this bottle shop and beer garden take their beer seriously, they are happy to assist and offer zero snobberies or pretension. 

This makes this a great stop for those who want to learn about and taste great beer.

13. Out of Barrel Taproom

• Beers on tap: 22
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: None
• Other drink offerings: Wine
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: No

When the owners founded this taproom, they envisioned the visitors to have a personalized craft brewery experience. 

They want to give beer enthusiasts and newbies a taste of different California-produced beers that small and independent suppliers produce with the help of their expertise.

Out of Barrel Taproom focuses on small independent breweries as they are big fans of supporting the little guys and promoting their craft. 

Don’t miss out on pairing one of their empanadas with your beer.

14. Ludwig’s German Table (Mountain View)

• Beers on tap: 15
• Outdoor Seating: Yes
• Food offerings: They offer up classic German dishes like schnitzel and currywurst
• Other drink offerings: Kombucha, cocktails, wine
• Pet friendly: Yes
• Family/Kid-Friendly: Yes

Ludwig’s German Table is a taphouse and beer garden that specializes in imported German beers. 

They also provide authentic German food, including classic dishes like giant pretzels and schnitzels. 

Ludwig’s offers the opportunity to be transported away to a beer garden in Germany, but you will have to drive out to Mountain View. 

You can get a liter of beer and a giant schnitzel while sitting in their quaint outdoor patio. 

Aside from the beer garden, they also provide an event space where you can book special celebrations, such as birthdays, weddings, and even reunions with friends and loved ones.

San Jose Breweries with Food

To make it easier for you, here is the list of the San Jose breweries that offer food. It ranges anywhere from breweries with in-house kitchens to food trucks that come on-site.

• DTSJ Brewing Co.
• Hapa’s Brewing Company
• S27 Alehouse Brewery
• Strike Brewing Co. & Warehouse Taproom
• Narrative Fermentations
• Clandestine Brewing (outside food ok)
• Fox Tale Fermentation Project
• Floodcraft Brewing Co.
• Uproar Brewing Company (in-house kitchen)
• Camino Brewing Co. and Beer Garden
• Ludwig’s Biergarten Mountain View

Wrap-up: Best San Jose Breweries

Whether you’re visiting San Jose for the day or just looking for a good pint of beer, there are plenty of options that offer great local craft beers as well as good food.

The San Jose breweries all have unique traits that make them charming in their own right. As such, this makes you come back for more. 

Related:

• San Jose to San Francisco
• SJC Airport to SFO Airport
• SFO Airport to SJC Airport