Photo by Andrew Dyer
Gordon Biersch
Mission Valley is probably best known for two features—a massive, brutalist stadium surrounded by acres of asphalt—and malls. And while the mesas to the south are thick with homegrown independent breweries, options in the Valley are limited to fast-casual dining chains.
Craft beer enthusiasts have been conditioned over the years to resist and revile all things corporate when it comes to beer. The image of the independent, by-the-bootstraps brewer fighting corporate goliaths is a cornerstone in the architecture of beer culture.
But does a corporate storefront really equate to sub-par beer?
Not at Gordon Biersch (5010 Mission Center Road). Under brewer Doug Hasker, Biersch has earned its place in hop-heavy San Diego as a destination for true-to-style old world German lagers. Although it’s common around town to find a hoppy pilsner here or there—not to mention the ubiquitous Oktoberfest Märzens during the autumn months—at Gordon Biersch, these are more than just one-offs.
Ironically, this makes this so-called “corporate storefront” an outlier in the local industry, but it isn’t totally against the grain. There was a session IPA on tap when I visited, as well as a Thorn Brewery collaboration Zwickelbier that complemented the traditional year-round house lagers. Compared to most local breweries in the area, Gordon Biersch offers enough of a change of pace that it’s a solid drinking destination in a sea of retail.
BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse (1370 Frazee Road), another chain brew house, has a location just north of Gordon Biersch. Its house pale ale, Piranha, was not a fish I’d order again. In 2017 in San Diego, a pale ale should be hoppy, flavorful and refreshing—three traits I would not ascribe to Piranha.
BJ’s other house beers, however, were not too bad. The Blonde, usually a pretty safe style, was perfectly fine, as was the Hefeweizen. Hopstorm IPA, with its resinous, piney flavor, was the standout. BJ’s also has an extensive list of guest beers including several local favorites.
The last stop on our tour of beer in this retail hellscape is Yard House (1640 Camino Del Rio). Yard House is perhaps best known for its three-foot “yardie” glasses, which hold about two and a half pints of brew. It has an extensive tap list that ranges from basic macros to local micros. Its house IPA, which the server said was brewed for Yard House by Uinta in Salt Lake City, was passable, but not up to snuff when compared to even the least inspired local varieties.
Overall, it’s not the lack of quality options affecting beer in Mission Valley—it’s the neighborhood itself. There is room for little other than big box retail, which means there’s room for little other than big box breweries. The cavernous interiors of these restaurants do affect the atmosphere and sense of place, which probably has a significant, if not obvious effect on the experience of visiting a brewery.
But despite those traffic jams and confounding parking lots, there is decent to great beer to be found. And while chain breweries might not exactly fit into what we think of as “San Diego Beer,” they do have their place in the market, and, as is the case with Gordon Biersch, they’ve earned it.