Lightning Brewery

Cute little tasting room, very clean, nice bathroom! :) The bartender was nice but not overly friendly. We sampled a few beers and found a couple we liked, but honestly I can’t remember what they were. The bartender asked us if we had a Groupon and we said no… but when I got home I saw the deal was still on so I bought one. I’ll wait a little while and go back and see if they have a better variety. At a much lower price the beer might be a lot more interesting, haha!

We had four tasters of different homecrafted beers. I had Electrostatic Ale (very good), Blue Sky IPA (citrusy bitter), Thuderweizen Ale (nice!theirs Hefeweizen version), Saison Noir (dark beer with softer taste). My boyfriend had Black Lightning (he really likes this one), Elemental (he said it was good), Saison Noir and Blue Sky.
I read the reviews in Unilocal prior to coming here. Many commented that this brewery didn’t have anything to sit on. Now, they do. They bar table and bar stools. They also have a patio with two picnic tables.
Also they commented that they don’t have food or snacks. Today, they had nuts, chips and Bavarian pretzel. We ate at Papa Duke’s Deli nearby prior to coming here. (It’s only open for breakfast and lunch and they close at 3pm).
I used a Groupon, it included four tasters for 2 people, 2. Souvenir glasses and a 6pk. It was definitely a deal!
Overall, it’s a nice decent newbie brewery.

First timer
Great bartender and great employees
I tasted all 13 beers they offer. I really loved 3 – 4 of them I asked to buy my favorite in a keg.
I went to the owners office I asked him politely will you please sell me my favorite one. I live local I will definitely be a repeating customer. Out of no where he told me to go f myself and kicked me out.
No clue what happened, went from very excited i found a local brewery! To very disappointed and will never go back.

Would recommend if you are in the area you stop on by. Great spot and right next to sysco distribution center. Come here if you have the time you will
Enjoy!

I highly recomment the Thunderweizen, Fig Honey Barrel Aged Wheat, Black Lightning Porter and Dark Currant Ale… one of the best microbreweries as far as number of brews that very much please my palette.

We been to quite a few breweries, and some much larger than this one, but this place is hands down the Best that we’ve been too!

Type.. .. .. .. .. .Brewery Warehouse Tasting «Room»
Level.. .. .. .. .. .Medium
Location.. .. .…Poor, Middle of Poway
Prices.. .. .. .…Token System
Tap Selection.…8+ House Beers
Bottle Selection. .Full House Lineup
Samplers.. .. .. …Yes
Full Pours.. .. .. .No
Beer Level.. .. . …Decent to Poor
Food.. .. .. .. .. .None
Food Level.. .. …N/​A
Staff.. .. .. .. .. .Friendly
Growlers.. .. .. …Probably
Noise Level.. .. .Medium
Décor.. .. .. .…Actual Brewhouse Space
Good for Kids.. .No
Parking.. .. .. . …Private Lot
WiFi.. .. .. .. .. .Unknown
Cash Only.. .…No
Recommended. .Maybe
Comments: There is no tasting room to sit or chat, it’s just a cattle call into the middle of the actual brewhouse where you stand around with plastic taster cups that you pay with via prepaid tokens. Some BA specialty stuff takes more than one token. Beers were anywhere from okay to poor. Lots of specialty one-​offs seem to make this place a fun stop every once in awhile. But their normal stuff is bottled, so you don’t need to come all the way out here. Funny thing is their motto is «Better Beer Through Science» or something like that, but a lot of the beer was lacking brewing science.

time to kill while in Poway… what’s there to do? i know! let’s find a brewery. and we did.
Lightening is super cute and intimate…
service was friendly.
it’s a bit hidden in the back of a warehouse complex…
parking was easy.
beer was good.
nice =)
i was a bit confused by the whole token purchase thing… since we just got all our samples at once… i believe it was 6 samples for $ 5…i guess if i wanted them one at a time the token’s would have a good thing.

This is one of my favorite breweries, and a hidden gem in Poway, right next to Costco.
The staff is easy going, the prices are the cheapest in San Diego (6 for $ 5, or $.83 per taster), even cheaper than Societe ($ 1 per taster), and most beers are great.
The beers are an interesting departure from the standard SD fare — mostly German styles. My favorites are the Thunderweisen, the Electrostatic (Biere de Garde), and whatever barrel aged beers they have on tap.
When you’re done here, make sure to visit the newly built Cellar 3 by Green Flash for some sours.

There is a lot that can be said about Lightening. I believe that this place does not receive the credit that it deserves. As a few other reviews have stated, this is not your typical SoCal brewery. This place is primarily focused on German style ales, lagers and pilsners, and they do them well. When I first came to the brewery a few years ago, I don’t think i realized what great work that they were doing here. Since then, I have traveled to Germany and upon re-​tasting these beers, I feel that their beer is well crafted and definitely true to style. Now for the detailed breakdown:
New tasting room: I like it because it is much larger than the old space, but it does not depart from the no frills (you sit next to the malted barley) brewery tasting room.
Service: Good!
Beer highlights:
Elemental Pilsner: Excellent Pilsner, very true to style. It reminded me of my favorite pilsner from Eastern Germany called Jever Pilsener
Kolsch: Probably the best kolsch I have tasted. Perfect malt balance and a great mouthfeel.
Double Strike with Nelson Hops on Cask with Passion fruit: Wow this was a rare treat that was juicy from both the Passion fruit and the Nelson hops.
They didn’t have the Lager on tap that day, but it is also good.
The only thing that I worry about is that these guys are having a bit of a hard time with the hopaholics of SoCal. This is apparent with the mixed beer offerings ranging from lagers to double IPAs (and the recent re-​branding of their Amber to a Red IPA). My advice (for what it is worth) is to stick with what makes this place great. I will be back and I have already told a few of my friends.

I bought a Living Social deal some months ago and the deal was expiring soon. I bought the deal not b/​c I love beer but b/​c the deal also included pint size glasses you get to take home.
A friend works close by so we were actually able to make this tasting into a catching-​up kinda get together. All four of us haven’t hung out in ages so we were excited to visit this brewery mid week.
The tasting room closed at 7p that day so that kinda sucked as we all met around 5:30p after work. The room is quite small (maybe 4 little tables) and it was completely empty when we got there. One lone bartender woman worked the counter that evening.
Friend and I each received I think 4 tokens for a small tasting. I had heard the tasting pours were generous so we were a bit disappointed at the tasting size (so stop exaggerating about the sample pours on here everyone! — jk). Tasting pours should be just that — tastings. So we get it.
I don’t remember which beers people had so can’t really offer any input there.
The girl was nice explaining that we can trade in our two (?) tokens for a bigger pour than what we’d get in our medium pour (from the Living Social deal) I believe. So that was really cool of her to offer that tid bit.
The tasting room eventually got busy and someone told us there’s a private bday party at 7p. So it’s nice to hear that this brewery has a following.
It’s hard not to compare this brewery to Ballast or Green Flash as the two aforementioned breweries are huge here in SD. I think I read that Lightening is expanding to hopefully have an outdoor space or beer garden (something like that). So I hope they succeed as there’s potential here at Lightening.

A tasting room that leans on the smaller side, but finished with several high tables and counter space along the edges of the room makes for a cozy little experience.
The bar area is quite small so it can be somewhat difficult to order, especially if the bar seats are full. Service was quick and very friendly, though, and I’m glad they’re open for longer hours on weekends now!
I believe they’re beginning to host food trucks on Fridays and they’re also attempting to build a biergarten (per the sign posted near the restroom), but it’s a great little stop to try their many special brews that you won’t find elsewhere.
Their pricing is run via tokens, however. $ 5 will get you 6 tokens. 4oz tasters run between 1 – 2 tokens, so depending on which beers you choose, you can either get 6 tasters of most beers, or fit in fewer tasters of rare beers (i.e. bourbon barrel aged) which run 2 tokens each.
If you’re headed to/​from Costco the back way, you can spot their gray flag on the edge of the driveway. Keep going straight in the plaza until you turn the first corner and you’ll see the brewery on your left!

Excellent find!
I was extremely impressed with Lightning’s German-​style beers, particularly the Thunderweisen, their Dunkel variety, and the pilsners. The Thunderweisen had the real Hefewisen taste I’ve grown to love, the slightly banana and clove taste associated with a mouthful of a name like Weihenstephaner, and absolutely not that blandly sweet taste associated with a name like, say, Shock Top.
With many of our SD-​area breweries focusing on IPAs (and see my Green Flash review about my take on the escalating west coast hoppiness arms-​race) it’s wonderful to have someone doing something German locally, and doing that authentically and in small batches.
The tasting room staff were very kind in describing beers and answering my questions, all while piling on those loads and loads of attention that my dog absolutely loves. It’s otherwise a simple, small brewery in the back corner of a nondescript office/​warehouse park.
I don’t make it to Poway much, but next time I do, I’ll be sure to stop by this brewery again. And I do hope that Lightning grows enough that I can soon find the Thunderweisen on tap or in a bottle here in Carlsbad.

I should start out by saying that I am trying to rate this place very objectively– I’ll admit it, I didn’t love any of the beers on tap. This is more because of me than because of the choices. I just am not a fan of super dark IPAs/​Porters, and I also maybe just don’t know enough about beer.
But this place, which a group of us were led to from a Living Social, was pretty nice. It’s a very small (and I mean. three high cocktail tables and 6 stools, total, small) tasting room with a fairly vast selection. The main pour-​er (hostess?) was very kind, and funny and friendly as she explained how the tasting deal worked and told us about the beers. Everyone had a good time there.
I wish the place had been easier to find off the road; it’s really tucked in to an industrial complex and difficult to find especially at night, and that it was bigger in size. I’m glad we came down on a quiet Wednesday evening rather than a weekend, when we’d surely not gotten any seats. I’ve noticed most other places like this serve food, so it would have been nice if they did regularly too (I read that they have food trucks come out on certain days) but at least there was an In n Out just minutes away.

Really random spot for a brewery, the tasting room is pretty small, and seating/​tables are limited.
Staff is friendly and they have a great beer selection. Everything is really good!
Just wish they had put some effort in the sitting area!

My friends and I came here because of the living social deal. The deal sounded amazing: a full round of tastings, a medium pour, and a souvenir glass per person. You can’t go wrong with such generous people. You would fear that it would not be that great because they were so free flowing with their beer. However, I’m glad I tried it because their beers were amazing! Give me more? Oh yes!
Black Lightning Porter: Amazing as is with its nice malty flavor and chocolaty notes but it gets better with…
Barrel Aged Black Lightning Porter: Amazing with a nice earthy flavor to it.
Barrel Aged Black Lightning Porter Nitro: Like the above but with less bite and more of a creamy flavor.
Chardonnay Barrel Aged Lightning Ale: A must try. A complexity of flavors that I enjoyed even though I’m all about stouts and porters.
Bourbon Barrel Aged Amber Ale: This was quite amazing but got a bit overshadowed by my favorite ones from the list.
Dunkelweizen: A really nice, drinkable, and enjoyable unfiltered beer. One of those you enjoy on a nice, hot day.
Not only that but amazing and nice people such as Sarah who took the time to help us choose our beers. So you have a «loud» tasting room. Honestly, it was bustling but that is how a place should be. If people are happy, have great beer, and want to talk like mad or loud then that is a good sign that people want to stay and drink. I could easily hear my friends talk. Either that or I was the loud one. Either way, this place is amazing and I can’t wait to try more great beers from them. Especially a brewery so bold to give me a cask aged black lightning porter on nitro. I’m still dreaming about that beer now.

A new tasting room — a brewery focused on lagers — reasonably priced exceptional beers. A real winner.
The barrel aged black lightning porter on nitro is one the best beers I’ve ever tasted. I could drink that from my camelbak, a big gulp size. Really a fantastic beer. I’ve had barrel aged beers many times before but something about this porter brings out a chocolate whisky cake flavor malt with that smooth nitro finish. The non barrel aged is also very good and alone worth the trip.
I came here specifically for the elemental pilsner and it didn’t disappoint. Crisp, clear refreshing with a biscuit flavor on the front end and sharp hop on the back end. Took a growler of that baby home with me.
Those two beers alone give this place four stars. The other beers were of mixed flavor for me. I came for the lagers but didn’t much enjoy the Ionizer Lager. It tastes skunky to me as did the fair trade and the electrostatic. The thunkderweizen was good too but also a bit skunked.
The porter and pilsner are top notch as is the service and pricing. A great spot and one I’ll add to my circuit. Plus, the homebred tips they have on their site is a nice touch — thanks for the help!!!
Maybe next time you’ll have a cream ale?!!

Located in a business area in Poway, the brewery is a little hidden but easy to find thanks to their sign off the side of the road. They have about 10 different beers on tap ranging from pale ales to IPA to 3 different barrel aged varieties.
The interior tasting room is rather small, a few high top tables and a high table running around the perimeter of the room. No seats, all standing. In the back is a little eating place where u can grab some food to munch on, smelled good and I saw some ppl eating sandwiches.
Between the two of us, we got their 6 tasters for 5 $ (excluding barrel aged beers). They don’t have a flight holder so they give you tokens so you come back and get more once you are done. I saw some beers worth 2 tokens too. Each beer we got was flavorful, and all seemed to have a little sweet taste. I liked the amber ale and the IPA the best. The amber had a sweet molasses kind of smell but wasn’t overpowered in the taste.

My husband and I went to Lightning Brewery to take advantage of a Living Social deal ($ 12 for six tasters, two medium pours, and two pint glasses). It is located in a business park in Poway, and the tasting room is really just a room with a small tasting bar. There is a bathroom, though, which is a plus for a place that size.
We sampled many of the beers, but our favorites were the barrel aged beers, particularly the Amber and Electrostatic. What I really liked about those beers was that you could really taste that they were barrel aged, which you don’t find everywhere. Sometimes, I feel like beers have that label but don’t actually have that taste.
The staff at Lightning Brewery was really nice and answered all our questions. We’re definitely looking forward to returning and getting a growler fill sometime soon! Also, I went to Urge last night and saw one of their beers on tap, which was cool.

I love the fact that there’s finally a brewery in my home town of Poway. I love even more that Lightning is winning major awards. Made by brewers with a keen awareness of yeasts impact on flavor and German brewing laws, Lightning may just be what SD beer culture is missing. I hate the fact that I’m not their graphic designer. Snobby I know, but I just personally have a problem with their basic label design as it doesn’t even come close to communicating the level of detail and craftsmanship that’s put into each bottle. In fact, this is the 1^st brewery I’ve been to in SD that’s attracted people from other countries to specifically try their beer. We hung out with Germans during our tasting! That says a lot!
Pros:
1) Owner Jim is accessible. Will gladly chat with you about beer. (He’s also a Bio-​Chemist).
2) Brewmasters are friendly and customer attentive with your questions.
3) Tastings are reasonably priced and the selection is exceptional for a small brewery.
4) Find the Beer You Desire with the Lightning Beer Finder App!
4) Makes a great day date.
Cons:
1) Extremely limited standing space, with a token system for tastings.
2) Slightly hard to find.
3) I’m not their graphic designer.
Try:
Amber Ale
Black Lightning Porter
Double Strike IPA
Electrostatic Ale
Elemental Pilsner
Old Tempestuous Ale
Sauerstrom Ale
Thunderweizen Ale