PHILOSOPHY AND AWARDS
Docent Brewing is Southern California’s craft beer guide. We brew award-winning beers and create a space where curiosity, community, and great flavor meet.
BEER PHILOSOPHY
We take great care and pride in crafting high-quality artisan beers that are approachable, balanced, and easily drinkable. Our crew uses the freshest and finest ingredients on the planet (like everyone else); it’s what we do with them that separates us.
All of our beers are brewed with intent on flavor and purpose, with no focus on any particular beer style. We explore variations of grain builds, yeasts, and hops to deliver uniquely crafted beers for fun situations. We want our beers to be as sophisticated as they are inclusive.
We’re huge fans of beer and we’re here to geek out with you—maybe even lead you to your new favorite. Beer itself is an adventure with infinite flavor destinations and we’d like to be your trusted guides.
THE THREE STARS
Craftsmanship
One of the best things in life is being able to love what you do and inspire others. It means finding your passion, learning that skill, mastering the trade, and teaching others. A craftsman honors creativity and quality above all else and wants to share their experience. At Docent Brewing, craftsmanship influences every aspect of our operation. We go through each process with care, from building the space ourselves to brewing the beer and serving it with our own hands.
Community
As San Juan Capistrano’s first brewery and public house, we’re on a mission. Our providential calling? To be your knowledgeable beer guides, surrounded by the people we’re honored to call friends and family. We knew we had a responsibility to give the community more than just a meeting place. We wanted our neighbors to have a home away from home. Docent Brewing is your basecamp—a spot for your best memories and feats, fostered around independently brewed beers, distinctive eats, and familiar faces.
Independence
We’ve always done what makes the most sense to us, and our approach to beer is no different. We thoughtfully craft all kinds of beers to serve our diverse family of friends and regulars, but you can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll have our personal favorites, like IPAs and imperial stouts. By pouring our aspirations, inspirations, and experiences into Docent Brewing, we’ve found that our customers are just as passionate and free-spirited as we are. Here, you’ll find like-minded people who just want to have a good beer and get lost in the moment. Have fun. Drink local. Be you, no matter what.
AWARD-WINNING BREWS
SUPER TONIC
Super Tonic is a 5x gold medal winner in the 2020 & 2022 & 2023 Great American Beer Festival and 2020, 2021, & 2022 San Diego International Beer Competition for Coffee Stout!
DOUBLE NICKELS
Double Nickels is a Gold winner at the 2024 World Beer Cup. It was a Silver medal winner in the 2018 World Beer Cup & 2023 Great American Beer Festival!
AWARDS OVER THE YEARS
2025
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Silver
Monger’s Choice
World Beer Cup
German-Style Kölsch
-
Silver
Hefty Fee
World Beer Cup
Session India Pale Ale
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Bronze
Super Tonic
Great American Beer Festival
Coffee Stout or Porter
-
Silver
Pint of Soul
Great American Beer Festival
International-Style Pale Ale
2024
-
Gold
Double Nickels
World Beer Cup
American-Style Pale Ale
-
Silver
Rabbit Habit
World Beer Cup
Imperial India Pale Ale
2023
-
Silver
Super Tonic
Great American Beer Festival
Coffee Stout or Porter
-
Bronze
Double Nickels
Great American Beer Festival
American-Style Pale Ale
-
Bronze
Trabuco
Great American Beer Festival
American-Style Brown Ale
2022
-
Gold
Super Tonic
Great American Beer Festival
Coffee Stout or Porter
2020
-
Gold
Super Tonic
Great American Beer Festival
Coffee Stout or Porter
-
Gold
Hefty Fee
Great American Beer Festival
Session India Pale Ale