Nickel Beer Company

We love this place and come here every time were passing through Julian! Friendly staff, good vibes and great beer selection-- The Stonewall Stout is the bomb! and loved the wet hop IPA selection. Dont know who the brewer is but seems to really love the craft - just look at the description of their Violet IPA: "Brewed with my best friend Brandon Hernandez of SD Beer News in honor of his late Grandmother. Made with Butterfly Pea Flowers with Topaz, Strata, Simoce and Mosaic hops". You wouldn't find this at most larger, non independent breweries!

Awesome brew options, plenty to choose from. Lax atmosphere, decent size front patio with great mountain views. Will come back soon! Highly recommend it!

Perfect little spot to stop in for some good drinks. Their beer always hits the spot. Inside is relatively small, but there is plenty of seating outside with good shade. They also sell growlers if you want to take some of their delicious brews home with you. The staff have always been friendly and very helpful. I make this a regular stop anytime I'm in the area. Highly recommend!

Excellent beer, staff, and patrons! If you like Pliny the Elder IPA try the house selection cheat sheet, or Volcan IPA. Lots of other beer types, all brewed with love & care. Good times.....

Pass by often, today was the day to stop and partake. Jalapeño Gold Lauger, oh my that was incredible! Great to see the selection isn't overrun by IPA's. Makes it far easier to come back and enjoy an actual selection. Looking forward to it!

Great place. If you go to Julian, CA you must go the lass than 1 mile from downtown to Nickel Beer Company. Nice beer and friendly people. Cozy tap room and a nice outdoors area and dog friendly. Don't forget to take a growler home.

Love this place. The beers were unique and flavorful & Tom and staff are friendly and extremely helpful. I’m traveling with my family from the east coast and heard great things about this place - was not disappointed. The blood orange pepper beer is probably the best “spicy” beer I’ve had & the porter was caramely and delicious. Absolute must to check this place out if you’re in the area!

Decided to take a Sunday drive from El Cajón to wherever on highway 67 and ended up at Nickel Beer Company in Julian and was sure glad that I stopped. I was immediately drawn to the C.C. O'Neill Irish Red and after my first two enjoyed some of their cheddar cheese spread with Ritz crackers. I will mention that right now everything is outside seating due to covid. Masks are required to order from a table at the front door and then you take it to your table of choice out on the patio I just happen to pick a beautiful day about 80° so both sun and shade are equally enjoyable. The two ladies that are the staff today we're very friendly and able to explain the different brews available to my satisfaction with not a long time between pours. I'll be glad when they're open again and like to try some different things that will eventually be on their food menu and maybe next time be prepared to take some growlers home to the kids!!!!+

We love this place and come here every time were passing through Julian! Friendly staff, good vibes and great beer selection-- The Stonewall Stout is the bomb! and loved the wet hop IPA selection. Dont know who the brewer is but seems to really love the craft - just look at the description of their Violet IPA: "Brewed with my best friend Brandon Hernandez of SD Beer News in honor of his late Grandmother. Made with Butterfly Pea Flowers with Topaz, Strata, Simoce and Mosaic hops". You wouldn't find this at most larger, non independent breweries!

We've been going here, infrequently, for 10+ years. It's a low key place to grab some tasty beers at a decent price, and maybe a bite to eat. Most recently, we visited on a Saturday afternoon and were pleased to see Ay Mamma Tacoz ready to serve. Excellent street tacos to wash down the cold beer. So about the beer selection, always plenty of options. Always something new to try. What caught our eye on this visit was the wording on the menu. They had SEVERAL flavors listed as "GR". Turns out that stands for Gluten Reduced. This is huge for us as one of us can't enjoy regular beer due to gluten intolerance. If you happen to be someone with a gluten allergy, but can tolerate some gluten ... Give it a try. Nothing better on a hot day than a cold beer. (They also carry a GF cider or two if beer isn't your thing.) A tip for the fair-skinned is to bring some kind of covering if sitting outside. The sun beats down some days and there is very limited shade. An hour outside in the sun can mean a painful night later. I give it 5 stars because my expectations are realistic. It's not fancy, but it's welcoming, fun and convenient if you're in the area. Worth a try if you've never been.

The spicy pickles are to die for. Enjoyed the outside patio with our pups and spicy beer.

If you don't want to hassle with the tourist trap on Main street,, cruise down the road a but until you hit Nickel Beer Company. They've got a small parking lot and parking down the road. It's a nice outdoor patio with a few games and plenty of family style seating, so be prepared to share a long bench with some new neighbors! They had a variety of beer choices when we stopped by in Oct 2023, mostly being IPA, which I love. the beer was cold and the resting forest ambiance was just what I needed to feel like I had a "get away" trip. this place is dog friendly so make sure you leash up Fido and bring them with you to the mountains!

What a hidden treasure! The BEERS are great and plentiful for all tastes and I loved the one with the Cider blend! Levi the brew bar guy was awesome. The game room with darts, classic video game and table ball game (forgot what it is called), we played two out of the three, and drank several of the different half pints-love this size and glass! Walked in from the cold to the potbelly fireplace going was nice and toasty and the people, mainly locals were very friendly. Skip the afternoon nap and come play and drink amongst friends! Cheers!

Excellent service and welcoming atmosphere. This place has a great vibe and is dog friendly. We had a relaxing experience.

I wasnt fan of the beers here. The service wasnt bad. I did ask if they had water and was told it wasnt great, so basically they didn't have any, but the next person in my party asked for water and was able to purchase a bottle of water. The outside seating area is very relaxing and shaded. There was a steady flow of people and dogs.

Another Tom Nickel's establishment that provides a great product. Just like O'brian's, The Pub at Cuyamaca, and San Diego Brewery he provides quality products and fun.

Had a good time here with friends! Bartender was really friendly and the outside seating was nice. Good selection of beers on tap. Highly Recommend if you're in the area!

Nice outdoor seating - good selection of IPAs Dogs good on outside porch. Nice location on corner with easy parking

It's okay. Beers weren't anything special or unique. I don't believe they served food beyond chips & jerky maybe.

Good beer, grouchy service. Don't order a flight. Maybe he was just having a bad day. When I asked if they served flights, he complained that's what everyone was ordering that day. It went down hill from there. On all our previous visits here we've had great service.

A day trip to Julian led us to Nickel Brewery for some local brews. There was a nice variety of beers brewed on premise. We sampled six (lagers, jalapeño gold, stout, apple pie, and blood orange ipa) beers. By far my favorites were the lake lager, amber lager and stout. The stout was full bodied with a coffee undertones, the lake lager was light and fruity, and the amber lager was crisp and delicious. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun on a cold and breezy day. The service was prompt and friendly. A great find!

It was alright, a little quiet my the guy serving was great, they have a couple of games to play with in a nice patio, but it was just too quiet

Always a great spot to stop when visiting Julian. They have solid beers and a good variety for everyone. On a recent visit they had a collaboration with Societe that was The indoor space is on the smaller side, so I wouldn't plan to bring kids unless they can be outside. There are generally a good number of locals there, but also visitors. My favorite is being able to sit on their large outdoor patio. You can grab some lunch from somewhere down the road, and bring it to the brewery. It's nice to get out of the crowds in the main area of Julian. Staff has always been friendly and welcoming, and we will continue stopping in on our day trips!

Wow. Excellent beer. Such a variety of choices. The jalapeño lager was exceptional. I'm not a lager fan and this changed my life. It was crisp, clean, with that slight bite you would want from a jalapeño. The grapefruit ipa was to die for with citrus notes, a little dank but not over the top and it didn't come with too much sweetness like most grapefruit ipas do. Service was excellent (granted I was one of just a few people there.) The beertender knew what she was talking about and was very friendly to me and my pup. Yes dog friendly! I'll be back. Thank you sweet girl behind the counter. You made my day!

Small micro brew with the locals. Friendly bartender and nice outdoor seating. I really enjoy their double ipas

Delicious variety of Beers on tap. Relaxing location with an outdoor patio for the family. Friendly server who was willing to explain the Beer varieties.

A solid small brewery off the beaten path in Julian. They has a couple of interesting beers and the locals that patronize the place were pretty welcoming. Had the jalapeno Gold and the Green Truck DIPA and both were worthy. The view off the porch tho is what makes this place unique. It is quite the drive to get to Julian but well worth it when u arrive. If u are in the area this place is def worth the stop, just watch out for the crazy RVers driving up the winding road.

A scant 15 minute walk east of downtown Julian down Main Street or Banner or 78 east will bring an avid beer aficionado to Nickel Beer Company. You can't miss the big black and white sign. No food. Drivers will find the parking sufficient. The building itself isn't much to look at from the outside. Inside seating is limited, but the foosball table was tempting. The real action is outside, which makes the Nickel an especially appealing option on warm days. Fortunately, it was sunny and mid-50s. Most of the seating is outside, along with an interesting cornhole-type game that I never did quite figure out. But how is the BEER, you ask? In short, good variety and good value. Really enjoyed the Apple Pie Ale. Not so much with the extra pale ale. There were at least four IPAs, and we enjoyed the two we had. The jalapeño grapefruit was fun to taste, but we didn't need more. The tasters are large and a good value- 5 oz. each for just $2! Friendly and helpful beertenders. Recommend and look forward to my next trip.

Amazing location, located right off the main drag. Amazing beers, snacks offered. The Nickel Pickles are delicious and are $10 for 32 ounces of pickles. Extensive beer list, massive patio. The beers are well crafted and the staff is super friendly.

It was a great place to grab a flight of beer as well as have our pups with us. The apple pie ale is fantastic, the warrior contribution is almost as great, but has a way better reason to buy a pint. The place is not huge and but it has enough seating for a few guests. People are super friendly to outsiders, we will be back on our trips to Julian.

Octoberfest hands down their best beer. Service was fantastic. Ambiance very nice. It was rather warm in Julian the day I went, but by late afternoon, it started cooling down. They have outside bench seating and the breeze hit perfectly outside. Will definitely visit again!! Thank you Nickel for great beer and a nice chill afternoon.

So we weren't sure they'd be open because they don't serve food during the pandemic, but here's where the food trucks come in! Thanks to the rules that breweries have to serve food they all have food trucks and you have to order food. I am not complaining, as the food here is smoked food. I really enjoyed the beer. I like IPA, ' so had the Volcan. It sure is tasty! It's a lighter IPA with an easy finish. They're serving glasses or growlers of their fantastic beers!

Service was friendly and a cool spot but we've given Nickel several tries now to see if the beer has improved... in our opinion it hasn't. To be fair we've have tried anything other than pale ales and IPA's. Yesterday we had the My Way Wet Hop and Blank SheetIPA's. Honestly there are good backbones in these beers but something isn't right in both, and that's the experience with previous tastings as well over the years. Metallic taste in the wet hop and off flavors all around. We're happy to see they are enjoyed by others but the flavors coming from these west coast style IPA's are not right.

This place is a gem. And our AirBnB was literally across the street. Which was a little dangerous for the liver. Alas, my friend and I tried each of their like 16 beers over two days. They were all drinkable, but they had two absolute amazing beers: - Jalapeño Ale - Apple Pie Ale There wasn't any hot food on site, but they let you bring in your own outside food, so we grabbed a pizza in town and had a great afternoon. They do have some snacks available on site though like chips and pickles. If you're in Julian and don't have to drive, I highly recommend them.

I love this place. It always give me a reason to have some alone time. The Apple Pie Ale is my favorite

Still enjoying Nickel Beer many years later. The patron who used to talk too much has fortunately disappeared. Apple pie ale is a favorite as are the unique IPAs. Enjoyed a spicy IPA brewed with scorpion peppers. Dogs are welcome on the patio. All they need now is a resident feline. They're open until 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, which is unfortunately not listed on their website or Yelp.

Credit card fraud happened right after we left Julian, and the only time my credit card is not with me is at the shop. Ridiculous

I have never heard of Julian Ca before and was excited to explore a new city, and let say, I will definitely be back! Nickle Beer Co is one of the main reasons we will be back! They make by far some of the best beer I have tasted in a very long time! Tom Nickle owner and brewmaster knows what he is doing! I am an avid beer drinking, home brewer, assistant brewer and wow I was thoroughly impressed. Bruce and Take a Hike are amazing! My gf and I went home with a growler each, merch and drank every beer they had on tap (which is A LOT) It's very rare for a brewery to make good beers in ever category and even rarer to have great tasting beers in every category.. let me say, Nickles beers are amazing all around, from pale ales and IPAs to blondes, red, browns to stouts their beers blew-me-away! I will definitely be back!! if you're in Julian, this is a must come spot, skip JBC and come straight here, the vibe is better, it's pet friendly, the beers are so much more tastier and the service is great! Enjoy fellow yelpers

Stopped in to his brewery from out of town to try out some local Julian craft beer. Crafty it was not. The beer, first of all, was literally room temperature. If that wasn't bad enough, all the beers tasted very flat and flavorless. Nothing caught my pallet. And I LOVE craft beer places. I just felt like every beer was more disappointing than the last. The IPAs didn't even have hop to them. So sad! As far as who comes here? I went on a Wednesday night, and let me tell you, I think for the most part, I was the only non-local there. This in itself is not a bad thing, but one of the locals was a bit tipsy and talked to me for a bit and it was kinda awkward. He then moved on to another lady that walked in. My biggest complaint (besides warm flavorless beer?!) is the smoking on the patio. I went outside to have my beer out there but everyone was smoking. I can't stand the smell of smoke, nor do I like the idea of inhaling it and getting cancer. SOO, I moved inside. Once inside, I could still smell the smoke. I couldn't tell if one man (presumably the owner/employee) in the next room (not a patron area, an employee area as evidenced by amazon prime boxes, and junk laying around) was smoking. Either way, this was a total turnoff to the place besides the warm, flavorless beer!! I won't be back. There's too many other worthwhile breweries in San Diego area. If I come to Julian another time, I'll bring some beer from local breweries in bottles or cans to enjoy.

Stopped in last weekend on our way to the desert. The vibe is laidback and the beers are amazing. We grabbed an assortment of 5 oz pours and headed outside to enjoy the rustic patio. Amazing brews and friendly staff made this the best choice especially when Julian is loaded with tourist and you want to enjoy great beers and conversations with friends and no crowds. This brewpub is where I imagine the locals hang out. I'll certainly be back next time I visit the area.

Stopped by near closing time and ordered a sample of 6 beers. The tasting room is small and has a lot of character and great ambiance. Indoors has a small game room with a foosball table. The location is pet/kid friendly. Outside food is allowed, as they don't offer food on the premises besides mini cheese plates. There is an outdoor area as well but we stuck indoors. The beers we got ranged in flavor: there was a pepper beer that is A LOT OF SPICE and kick for a beer and their apple pie beer is truly sweet apple deliciousness. They offer a wide variety of often rotating taps. Katie, the bartender was super friendly and offered facts about the brewer and beer types. Would definitely check it out again if we are in the area.

Just down the road from my last review no food but great atmosphere. They were cleaning the tanks and the aroma was awesome. Prices very reasonable and I will be taking a couple of growlers with me. If you are coming up from the desert it's on the left side of 78 at the top of the grade and a great place to wash down the dust or chill the heat.

Such a nice spot! Very cool ambiance. They have tons of outdoor games and great outdoor seating. The beer selection is great and every one is well crafted. Highly recommend this place!

If you need a break from the large crowds in downtown Julian, this is a perfect spot to take a break at. It's a small, but homey brewery and everyone there is always so nice every time I visit. Good, unique selection of beers too.

I have been wanting to come here for years now! Finally got to stop by on a drive through the mountains. I like that it's slightly off the main road so it's not overcrowded and closer to the scenic views! Has a nice seating area outside and during a pandemic it's great to see they're taking all the precautions. I tried the banner grade IPA and it was one of the best, easy to drink IPA's I've ever had. Amazing. I didn't bother to check to see if they had growlers to take home but I will definitely be back!

I don't remember being too blown away by this brewery. I really liked the use of the buffalo nickel as the logo. But this place is more like the local bar, than a brewery. The inside is really small and dark. Outside has a better seating area, with the locals drinking, smoking and playing cornhole outside too. I can't remember what I drank either, plus they charged for stickers!

Truly enjoyed this place! Beers were great, my favorite is the jalapeño ale. Froze my t*ts off but it's was all good

Nice stop in Julian for a beer without the parking hassles. Hit and miss on the beers, though, and there is no free tasting before buying a pint. :( Patio was a winner.

We drove by this place a few times as our Airbnb was just down the street. We walked to the brewery with our dogs since it's DOG FRIENDLY (we love that). Between my bf and I we shared a flight and eventually decided on Volcan, although the apple pie came in a close second. They filled our hydro flask and we were on our way. The staff was friendly, very nice location, and patio was very ample. We will definitely be visiting this brewery when we come back to Julian (:

My absolute favorite brewery! I love the quaint feel and the fact that it's a few blocks down the typical Main Street congestion makes it pretty easy to find parking, which can sometimes be a burden when making the trip to Julian. My go to is the jalapeño gold, if they have it! A nice crisp beer with that little kick at the end! I always make sure to get a growler to go and make homemade Micheladas with it! Always great staff/service! Can't wait to go back!

A truly nice Brewery where the locals and tourists will meet and share a nice selection of beers ! Special thanks to Angelina and (dang it I can't remember the name of the other girl !), they are adorable, friendly and sure will recommend the perfect beer ! Will be back !

Our goal is to go to all the breweries in SD and when we were in Julian area we had to do the cider tasting and Nickel beer. Nickel beer co was on the list of SD brewery. I wouldn't even consider this brewery a brewery, it felt like a ghetto dive bar. Inside was very bar like and they had a live performance. It was super divey and had some questionable characters...the only part that could potentially look like a brewery is the outside patio with plentiful seating and common tables... Except there was no shade so on a hot day expect to burn and melt! We got 6 tasters for $2 each, 5 oz pours. -Pale Ale -Red Pale Ale -Volcan IPA -Haberno IPA -Tacoma -Kup. Barley wine My favorite was the Haberno IPA, it wasn't as strong as the Ballast Point but still had the good kick to it. The others were okay to good. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if we weren't sitting in the hot ass sun (wasn't able to find a shady spot and there weren't any) and our beers didn't warm up. Warm beer is no Bueno unless you're British. When we left, there were some shady characters that arrived... Aka ghetto and very hick like.

Julian needed a nice little brewery and Nickel Beer Co fits the bill just fine. Its located off the main drag and i like that. Less crowded & peaceful. Most of the seating area (communal tables) is outside to enjoy the beautiful views and breath in the mountain clean air. I was pleasantly surprised for such a petite brewery they had a pretty good variety of beer on tap. We got 6 tasters just for 9 bucks. I enjoyed their wheat beer (Weekender Wheat) and nitro pale ale (Fix It Pale). The apple pie ale wasn't my fav (too sweet & lots of cinnamon hints) but it was worth a try. Looking forward to stopping by again in a near future!

Julian used to be home to two breweries, but Julian Brewing Co. has been undergoing a renovation and reimagining for quite a long time now and it still has not reopened. That means Nickel Beer Co. is the only brewery in Julian, for now at least. Thanks, Sarah, for being my DD so I could visit Smoking Cannon Brewery and ChuckAlek in Ramona as well as Nickel in Julian. Nickel Beer Co. is owned by Tom Nickel, who has a storied history in the San Diego craft brewing scene. He brewed for some of the local "OG" breweries back in the day (Pizza Port, Oggi's, and even Julian Brewing), and he owns the famous craft beer bar O'Brien's Pub in Kearny Mesa. I had only heard a little about the location, but it lived up to its billing: A small house (shack, really), a large outdoor patio with picnic tables, plenty of customers. I have to say, though, that I was underwhelmed by the beers. Maybe I had just expected too much given the pedigree of the place. While the beer was underwhelming relative to reputation, the service was adequate (quick and informative if not overly friendly), and the atmosphere was active and relaxed. The physical setting is small but okay. *Except*: the back room where they brew, which you have to walk through to get to the restroom, was like a hoarder's garage, and filthy. The brew tanks, hoses and floors were the dirtiest I've seen in any brewery or tasting room (and this is my 173rd review). There was a thick layer of dust on top of the tanks. The restrooms, just feet from the brew tanks, were disgustingly dirty. It didn't inspire a lot of confidence in the safety and quality of the beer. This situation is very surprising, given that brewers often say that most of their job is cleaning. Overall, it is not worth the trip to Julian just to visit this place. If you are here for a hike, a pie, or quaint-town-tourism, maybe drop in. Hopefully they'll get the brew house cleaned up.

Introduction: Located in the rolling hills of Julian separated by mountainous gorges from the hustle and bustle of San Diego the Nickel Brewing Company has become a legendary local staple and an intimate gathering point for locals and people visiting the apple orchards of Julian. Location Parking 5/5 : Stayed the weekend in Julian at a local Bed and Breakfast. It is located in the outskirts of town surrounded by fields, a dirt parking lot is outside with ample space, you can create your own spaces which makes parking virtually unlimited. Outside 5/ 5: A small unassuming green wooden building, with an outside patio, with Nickel Brewing Company on the side paneling, surrounded by a gorgeous California Foothill landscape set the tone for its amazing location. Inside 5/5: A very small stripped down setting with two rooms one featuring a Foosball table. Inside the main room is a bar with stools, we sat across the bar near a cut out window that allows you to see into their brewing area. I had a couple flights and took a growler full to go. It is the perfect place for a conversation and meeting new people. Ambiance 5/5: The music being played also fit the place perfectly. A band called the slip began to play midway through my flight the song "suffication keep" was one that i had recently added to my playlist, along with Iron and Wine acoustic version of the postal service "such great heights" Much credit to whoever chooses the music to the place. Overall one of the best breweries i have visited in California, would love to make my way back sometime soon.

A bit off the main strip where everything is. A very low key place where a lot of locals hang out.

Fun small brewery. They were hosting great barbecue by Tuga & JP's. Loved the Lager and Red. We will back to try more.