A good beer is a pleasure to drink. But a great beer takes you places. That’s why you should visit Camino Brewing Co when you’re in San Jose, California.
I stopped by Camino Brewing on a recent trip to San Jose and was so glad I did.
My only regret, not staying longer.
When traveling, I try to find time to visit the local breweries as I’ve done in Vienna, Denver, Pleasanton, Bellingham, Tualatin Valley, and Costa Mesa. And these are just the ones I’ve written about.
Yes, I’m from San Diego and we have a gazillion breweries.
Okay. Okay. Maybe a gazillion is an exaggeration. We have 155 breweries in San Diego county.
So why would I want to visit other breweries while traveling?
One word: beer.
As a wine lover (oenophile) seeks out wine destinations, I (and other cerevisaphiles) seek out beer destinations.
Beer plays a role in where I’m going to travel as does food, wine, spirits, and activities.
One of the best things about beer. It’s a unifier.
As Camino Brewing Co puts it, “beer brings strangers together.”
How to Get to Camino Brewing Co
Big windows allow for lots of natural light into the brewery
Camino Brewing Co is on 1st Street right off Interstate 280 and a few blocks from Interstate 87.
It’s easy to get to but parking is an issue.
Parking at Camino Brewing Co
You should Uber or Lyft to the brewery because of limited parking.
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I arrived at about 1 pm on a Saturday and got lucky, scoring a spot in front of the brewery.
Coming as a solo female? I wouldn’t recommend driving here at night.
The area is pretty sketchy. There’s a homeless camp across the street and it’s not the safest area for a girl to walk around at night.
Camino Brewing Co: A Worthy Brewery on the Road to Greatness
Camino Brewing Company’s founders Nathan Poulos and Allen Korenstein envisioned the brewery while biking the Camino de Santiago trail.
It’s no surprise that they established the brewery is near the El Camino Real marker along The Alameda in San Jose.
The brewery has a cool but cozy industrial vibe with lots of seating.
Shared seating with room to spread out
Metal framed with wood seats bar stools look stiff and rigid but are surprisingly comfortable.
The concrete counters topped with thin sheets of teal gray metal give a hint of color and warmth.
Beertender pouring The Ferryman
Their beers pay homage to the trail and San Jose area. With 10 beers on tap, including several of the pale ale variety, there’s a style for everyone.
What’s on tap list
All core beers except the Grapefruit Pale Ale are available in a 16 ounce can, crowler, or growler.
Pro-tip: Four packs are the best value. Because it’s like a buy two get two free deal.
A single crowler costs $8 and a four pack costs $16.
During my visit, I only had time to try one of their beers, The Ferryman. But I picked up a four-pack of Cafe con Leche to go.
The Ferryman
The Ferryman – he’ll take you for a ride
Camino Brewing Co’s The Ferryman is a rich, bold, dark imperial stout. One of two stouts on tap at the brewery.
It goes down smooth with a strong bourbon finish.
The flavor profile is chocolate-covered cherries, soft caramel, and graham cracker. But I couldn’t detect any cherry, chocolate, coffee, or graham crackers.
The only flavor I could pick up was bourbon.
But there’s nothing wrong with that.
Unlike some bourbon aged stouts where the bourbon is the dominating flavor and leaves your stomach feeling gut-punched, The Ferryman does not.
The Ferryman gently transports you on a voyage of discovery. With every sip …” you may ask yourself, ‘How did I get here?’
Or you might find yourself with too much time on your hands.
Yep.
It’s a darn good brew. No bones about it.
Pro-tip: The Ferryman has an ABV of 11.4%. So you don’t want to order it on an empty stomach.
They have a limited snack menu at the brewery so plan on either eating before you arrive or bringing food.
Having eaten only a light breakfast and not yet had lunch, after a few sips I knew I needed food.
I chose the soft pretzel. It came with a serving of grainy mustard and beer cheese made with Camino’s Kloisterschemken, a Dunkelweizen.
Tasty soft pretzel with beer cheese and mustard
The orange-brown beer cheese looked scary but tasted interesting. Like a soft hard cheddar cheese with a bite.
I’d definitely recommend the pretzel for the beer cheese alone. They need to package and sell that. It was tasty!
Cafe con Leche
Crowlers: buy two, get two free
Cafe con Leche, brewed with San Jose’s Chromatic Coffee Roasters, is Camino Brewing Co’s milk stout.
Winner of the “Best in Show” category at the Sacramento Coffee Beerfest, it’s a worthy contender in the milk stout category.
I didn’t have time to try this one fresh off the tap while at the brewery so I bought a four-pack to enjoy at home.
This was a smooth tasting milk stout with a nice finish and strong coffee flavor. But without the burnt after taste.
With an ABV of 6.5%, you can drink a few before you start feeling the effects.
Pro-tip: Camino Brewing Co’s crowlers travel well. They fit easily in my suitcase and arrived home unscathed.
Had I realized how delicious Cafe con Leche was I would have bought 2 four packs!
You can bring crowlers to the beach, camping, and restaurants that allow you to BYOB (bring your own bottle or bring your own beer). If you’re looking for where to eat in Mendocino, and if they don’t sell Camino Brewing beer, you may be able to bring your own.
Camino Brewing Co
718 S 1st Street
San Jose, CA 95113
408-352-5331
The brewery is open:
- Monday – closed
- Tuesday – Friday from 5 pm to 10 pm
- Saturday from 12 pm to 11 pm
- Sunday from 12 pm to 8 pm
Conclusion
It’s no secret that I like beer, having gone to breweries in Vienna, Denver, Pleasanton, Bellingham, Tualatin Valley, and Costa Mesa. So it was a given that during my trip to San Jose, California I’d visit one of the local breweries like Camino Brewing Co.
Camino Brewing Co was one of two breweries I visited and I’m looking forward to going back to visit the rest of the San Jose breweries.
It’s always interesting to see which styles are more prominent. IPA is king in San Diego but thankfully, we have quite a few craft breweries that brew up great stouts. As does Camino.
Camino Brewing maintains two stouts on their 10 taps: The Ferryman and Cafe con Leche. Both beers are smooth and worth trying.
But be forewarned, The Ferryman is an Imperial Stout with an 11.4% ABV. Some consider it a sipping beer because of the high alcohol content.
Which beers have you tried at Camino Brewing Co?
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Yukti Agrawal
Tuesday 28th of January 2020
Though I don't take beer, but it is always great to visit brewery and know the process of making and other interesting stuff. Camino Brewing Co looks a nice place to visit when in San Jose, California. It is a good tip that the Ferryman has an ABV of 11.4% and so we cannot have it on an empty stomach. As they have a limited snack menu at the brewery so eating before or bringing our own food is good idea.
daniel
Tuesday 28th of January 2020
Great to know about your experience with the brewing. I love visiting breweries more than I love visiting wineries. Like I always say there is nothing better than drinking a beer in a brewery, it just makes the beer taste better. As someone who loves trying out new beer, I surely gotta check this one out.
Shreya Saha
Monday 27th of January 2020
I am not a beer person but my sister is. I am surely going to forward the link of your blog to hers. I remember her appreciating strong Bourbon flavour of certain beers she talks about, hence while reading your blog, I was assuming she might like the Ferryman.
Val
Monday 27th of January 2020
Beer does bring strangers together, love this motto! I particularly like dark beers, so The Ferryman would be my choice here. But the beer cheese, mmm, I'm not sure I would try that :)
Laura Pedlar
Sunday 26th of January 2020
I’ve only visited two breweries before but there is something very appealing about them! This looks like a real ‘hipster’ spot. I don’t profess to have too much knowledge about beer but it was interesting to read your reviews as someone who knows what they’re talking about. Thank you for your honesty about the safety of visiting this area at night.