I agree there are a lot of options, but the main thing is finding the options. When i am traveling to a new area I always go to google maps, look for places, then look for reviews. We have no idea what part of SD this guy is staying in, if he has a car, how far he is willing to travel, what exactly he is looking for, etc. Best place for him to start is looking up places, then he can ask specific questions. I agree with what you said before about hitting up beer bars over breweries. There are some amazing beer bar that you can try top notch beer with out driving across SD county. If you are not interested in picking up Alpine bottles I would even suggest skipping the brewery and hitting up Toronado, O'brien's, the Harp, BLAH, etc.
He indicated that his choice in lodging has to do with his choices for breweries, etc. In other words, it sounds like a 2-day beer trip.
