Top places to have craft beer in San Jose (plus a bonus one in Cartago)

Costa Rican craft beer is on the rise, and the capital has evidence to show! Want to know what I found is San Jose? Keep reading!

If you ask the average Joe about Costa Rican beer, you will probably hear the names Imperial and Pilsener over and over again. But the country has a developing craft beer culture that is found everywhere, especially in San Jose. I visited a quite a few San Jose's craft places, here are my favorites.

Lupulus

Located in Barrio Escalante, one of San Jose's prominent culinary neighborhoods (some would say hipster). In the neighborhood there is a big concentration of craft beer bars as well, and my favorite out of them is Lupulus. The place is a quiet small place that is located right next to a restaurant. They usually have a few local brews on tap and a wide choice in bottles and cans. A perfect place to chill in the afternoon!

Wilkcr

Only a block away from Lupulus, you can find another beer gem. Wilckr is a proper brewpub, with a variety of local draft craft and some bottles as well. The food is also very inviting.

Soberanos

A chain of, prepare for it, Asian restaurants that brew their own beer. This chain has a place in Barrio Escalante as well, but I have visited their place in the Lindora neighborhood instead. I couldn't decide which ones I want to try so I just settled for everything they had on tap. The bottles in the fridge were one that I've never seen before or since in Costa Rica. Worth a visit!

Bonus - Skal Beer House

Not in San Jose but in the neighboring Cartago, but it was so good that I couldn't pass on adding it to this list. The place is viking themed, and brews it's own beer (I got to try my first white stout!), and also sells amazing meads from a local meadery nearby. The cherry on the top is the incredible food that they offer together with the beer. The owner is a cool guy to hang out with and ask all the questions you want about any of the things I just wrote. If you are in Cartago, this is the place to be!

Final thoughts

As always, this is only the tip of the iceberg! There are plenty more beer and craft beer places. These are only my favorites out of the ones I managed to visit, and there is only so much beer a person can consume in a short visit. Go, explore, tell me if my recommendations helped you, and where should I visit next time!