Craft Breweries: A New Wave in Town
Mar 01, 2025 11:26AM ● By Melissa Mattingly
by Melissa Mattingly
About 22 years ago, the iconic surf town of San Clemente caught new wave - the craft beer wave.
In the early ‘80s, homebrewers (mainly in the Pacific Northwest and California) grew increasingly disenchanted with the bland, mass-produced beer on store shelves, and started crafting bold, European-inspired brews - spawning the likes of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in Chico and Anchor Steam in San Francisco.
SoCal, with its burgeoning food scene and reputation for pioneering trends, became the perfect backdrop for this brewing revolution. Relaxed regulations and growing hype made it easy for a full-on craft beer boom by the early 2000s, and San Clemente was quick to hop on it.
Plan a brew-crawl soon and visit them all!
Pizza Port
Originating in Solana Beach in 1992, Pizza Port was the first in town, opening its San Clemente location in 2003. They brought their surfer-friendly, family-focused vibe and quickly became a community hub with a casual setting and emphasis on craft beer classics like Chronic Amber Ale and Swami’s IPA, and of course, pizza. San Clemente welcomed the Port as a laid-back alternative to traditional bars, a place that families and beer enthusiasts alike could enjoy. They definitely boosted the local brewery scene, paving the way for others.
Left Coast Brewing Company.
Co-founded in 2004 by Tommy Hadjis, born in OC and a San Clemente native since 1987 (with family hailing from New York, inspiring the name), it’s respected as one of SC’s first microbreweries, and celebrated for its award-winning IPAs, garnering accolades from the Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup. It’s also the most distribution-focused, with their beer (like the hometown-inspired Trestles IPA) showing up country-wide, even internationally. Their reputation draws traffic to the bright, spacious taproom, located in an industrial building in the Talega Business Park, and having food trucks visit and hosting promotional and fundraising events help make the space convivial.
Brewery Hill
Traveling five miles southwest, we come upon ‘Brewery Hill,’ site of Artifex, RŌM and Judgebreweries, known as the ‘Homies on the Hill’, all located within several blocks of each other in the Rancho San Clemente business district off Calle Amanecer. Like Left Coast, these breweries are located in industrial-type buildings, which are ideal for several reasons: lots of space, necessary infrastructure (strong floors, water access and drainage, easy access for deliveries and distribution, etc.) They also say the industrial look gives a kind of “no-frills” vibe that customers like.
Tom Cordato at Artifex on Avenida Del Mar.
Artifex
Artifex (Latin for Art + Hands) and co-founded in 2013 by Tom Cordato, emerged as a favorite, featuring IPAs like ‘Trigger Finger’ and ‘Sober in the Morning,’ and many other options like the Corona-style ‘Artifexican,’ along with some popular seltzers. Artifex has consistently been a reliable participant in community events and fundraisers for groups like Friends of San Clemente, SC Girls Softball, and others. During the covid pandemic, the public gave the love back, helping them survive the shutdown. Like the other breweries, they have benefitted greatly from word of mouth, as well as social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, where they share updates on their upcoming roll-outs and event schedules.
Chris and Ashley Leanders opened Judge Brewery in 2021.
Judge Brewery
Up the street is Judge Brewery, founded by Chris and Ashley Leanders in 2021 in the space previously occupied by Lost Winds Brewing. Their philosophy is “more drinking, less judging,” and their aim is to provide a cozier environment and “intentional brewing” - having just 10 rotating beers on tap at a time (“we don’t want to overwhelm the customer” says Chris) as well as having a food menu soon. “We want to tie in things we love with our beer making process. Having a brew and a warm bite to eat and a warm welcoming spot to do it in. ‘Filling needs,’ so to speak.” They too are community-centric, stepping in to host over 150 Marines from Camp Pendleton for Thanksgiving when H.H. Cottons closed and couldn’t continue the tradition, or offer cool events like ‘Trivia Night’ and the ‘Pints and Pistons’ car show.
Speaking of food…two places on the scene stand out …
ROM Head Brewer Noah Lunt.
RŌM
On to RŌM, the third ‘Homie,’ started by Noah Lunt and his group in 2023, when they took over the Delahunt Brewing space. Asked about their name and the unusual play on the word, Noah explained wryly, “we wanted to emphasize our enthusiasm for the outdoors, and ‘ROAM’ was already taken.” They were able to expand the existing clientele with their “dedicated brewing” process. “We want to go beyond ‘is this good enough for us?’ and take it to the level of ‘is this great enough to share proudly with our customers?’” Their brew selection is truly varied, with ‘When In RŌM’ (an Italian-style pilsner) being a personal favorite. They host numerous outdoor gatherings, including the annual rotating ‘Homies on the Hill’ collaboration. While they currently rely on food trucks for such events, they too hope to include dining options on the menu soon.
Proprietor Bryan Giesen of Docent Brewing on Avenida Del Mar.
Docent Brewing
Docent Brewing opened its San Clemente location in 2023 in the former Mediterranean Villa space on Del Mar, and quickly gained a reputation as a more intimate, communal area (almost European-like) to gather with friends. They are serious about their beer, an impressively varied selection of styles, but equally serious about their food; the menu features pub-style dishes, elevated to an innovative and delicious level. Favorites include the Korean Reuben, the Smashburger and Spicy Cucumber Salad, and it cannot be overstated how well these pair with the beer! While deeply committed to their beer crafting, “having a truly great space to gather is more important than having our beer all over the county,” says proprietor Bryan Giesen.
The Los Molinos Crew; Roman Krecu, Gustavo Barajas (makes your stomach smile) Chef Kyle Kruhmin (tour guide to a good vibe), Manager Shannon Eckelberger (curator of stoke) General Manager Jon Eckelberger (creator of conversation lubricants) Head of Brewing Operations.
Los Molinos Beer Co.
Finally, we come to Los Molinos Beer Co., founded in 2022 on that street in the ‘Surf Ghetto’ by Shawn Haven and Roman Krecu. Catering to the “active-lifestyle crowd,” they offer an open, bustling-yet-relaxed venue with lots of outdoor seating. While proud of their finely crafted beer and delicious food options, they are equally focused on contributing to the town’s unique vibe of creativity and connection, hosting surf-video releases and live music by local artists, and collaborations with the hugely popular Rhythm and Resin Fest helped make them a destination spot.
You might think there would be some intense competition here, but because of their proximity, the teams at all these locales thrive instead on cooperation, cheering each other’s success and proving there’s room for everyone. Events like ‘Homies On The Hill’ and other creative ‘collaborations’ - where they join forces to craft new beers and host those epic neighborhood Parties - capture this vibrant, synergistic spirit, the very essence of San Clemente. The ultimate way to soak it all in!
Plan a brew-crawl soon and visit them all!
Artifex Brewing Co.
Tom Cordato
artifexbrewing.com
919 Calle Amanecer, ste. A
760-613-4769
Artifex Tasting Room
98 Avenida Del Mar
Docent Brewing
123 Avenida Del Mar
docentbrewing.com
949-500-9553
Judge Brewery
924 Calle Negocio, ste. C
judgebrewery.com
949-361-5922
Left Coast Brewing Co.
1245 Puerta Del Sol
leftcoastbrewing.com
949-276-2699
Los Molinos Brewing Co.
151 Calle De Los Molinos
losmolinosbeer.com
949-599-5029
Pizza Port
301 N. El Camino Real
pizzaport.com
(949) 940–0005
ROM Brewing
1101 Calle Recodo
rombeer.com
949-244-1524
NOW OPEN!
Station Craft Taproom & Pizzaria
818 S El Camino Real
stationcraft.com
(949) 620-6901
