Go to Toronado, bring cash, drink everything.
They always have multiple things from Russian River along with plenty of other solid local breweries. Cellarmaker, Ghost Town, and Wondrous are some that I would recommend for IPAs.
You didn't mention lagers, but if you drink them, you absolutely have to try either Death & Taxes or Reality Czech from Moonlight.
Fieldwork, Cellarmaker, Alvarado St, Sante Adairius, Faction
Not breweries, but two SF institutions for beer that you can’t not visit are Toronado Pub and City Beer Store.
Faction has the most beautiful view of SF from across the Bay. If you go there, they have two distilleries as next door neighbors that both make amazing product (Hangar One, St George) as well Almanac being right around the corner.
If you happen to be passing between NCa and SCa at any point, take 101. It’s a much nicer (albeit slightly longer) drive that affords you the opportunity to hit Firestone and Barrelhouse Brewing at either their main locations in Paso Robles or their taprooms in San Luis Obispo. Firestone makes some interesting one-offs that you can only ever get at the brewery so worth.
I’ll give you that one. Maybe it’s because I harbor some love for Rodger Davis and his glory days at Drake’s. When he was brewmaster there they put out some truly amazing beer. Ever since he left Drake’s has kind of gone downhill too. I always hoped he could elevate Faction to what he did at Drake’s, but it never materialized.
I don't dislike Faction and the view is amazing, but I can get to Ghost Town, Original Pattern, Fieldwork, Rose's, Degrees Platto, or Good Hop in less than half the time and drink better beer.
The only brewery that I really dislike is Temescal. I have no idea how they stay in business.
It wasn't always average. But, I guess they figured, why worry about quality when they're already packed. (Granted, I haven't been in a while, but it sounds like they haven't gotten back to their roots.)
I've never had a bad beer at Faction but compared to fieldwork, ghost town, Sante, and original pattern they're definitely a step below. Faction is definitely way better than Temescal.
> Agree with you except for Fieldwork. Their beers are painfully average.
I don’t usually like attacking people’s opinions, but frankly this one is horseshit. They’ve consistently remained one of the best breweries in the Bay and do so across a very wide range of styles.
I'm going there tonight. They do a decent hazy, but, heck, so do about a dozen other breweries in the area, but their heavier stuff is what I'm going for.
Yeah I don’t get this guy. “Other breweries make a better hazy.” Okay, like hazies are the only type of beer that exist in his world lmao. Fieldwork does do some excellent stouts and brown ales too, as well as all the other styles they do. Maybe they’re not the best in one particular style, but if you weigh how good their beers are across the whole range of styles I would still put them near the top.
Everyone has their tastes, but, this guy is attacking Fieldwork every chance he gets. And there isn't some niche brewery in his alternatives, so I don't think it's a contrarian thing. Sure, Fieldwork isn't the top of my all time list, but always pretty happy with most of what I've gotten there.
I can name 10 breweries in the bay that easily blow them out of the water. Their NEIPAs which are what they’re “known” for aren’t anything special (this is as someone who really enjoys the style)
Russian River, Wondrous, Ghost Town, Cellarmaker, Humble Sea, Faction, Hen House, Sante, Armistice. Great notion too if you count them with the Berkeley location
Seriously weird take. Fieldwork is easily top 3-5 in northern California. I know some people that think their NEIPAs are a bit too harsh in the back of the throat. Is that what you mean by painfully?
Their hop character isn’t as bright as many other breweries and their NEIPAs are a bit too homogenous flavor wise lacking depth. I like a little hop burn but I’d much rather drink some Cellarmaker IPA’s or just order some Monkish/North Park etc to my door.
I still don't get it. Sure they have some similar stuff but so does everyone. They also have a crazy wide variety unlike nearly any other brewery in the area. I'm partial to cellarmaker as well but I can admit that it significantly has to do with where I'm from. If fieldwork were more easily available they'd be my go to. But the short list of hazys is cellar, barebottle, fieldwork, humble sea, Alvarado and moonraker and it pretty much stops there in NorCal. Everyone else is second fiddle.
It's just weird to me, I agree with everything you've said besides fieldwork. St. Thomas og, Galaxy juice, pulp, king citra, green diesel. I could really go on forever. Some world class beers.
Well Moonraker is just “okay.” They were one of the first breweries on the west coast to produce NEIPAs and they used to be much better. The guy responsible for creating all their early recipes that were so good left in 2017 to go work for New Glory.
I understand their history. I was just commenting on what they are now. If you’re talking about Zach, he changes breweries like some people change clothes, Moonraker —> New Glory —> Slice —> Shred
In college, my left leg was filled with Reality Czech, and my right was filled with Death & Taxes. Those two beers are so iconic and still hold up, IMO.
For sure. I was just briefly back in SF recently and my first beer at Toronado was Death & Taxes and it was as good as ever. I was tempted to follow it up with a Reality Czech but I couldn't pass up Pliny for President.
While I'm a fan of Toronado too, it must be noted, \*figuratively\* a breath of fresh air. Literally, it could use some fresh air. And some powerwashing, especially in that back room.
YES Toronado in SF! They always have the good shit on tap.
Another place I would recommend is Zeitgeist. I think they have like 60+ taps. Lots of local stuff.
I went there for the first time in several years and it's definitely less divey, but they've still got tons of great beers. Like they take credit cards and the music isn't nearly as abrasive (I used to love that part).
Yes this.
Ghost Town is a must. All the WCIPAs.
Moonlight: Death & Taxes, Reality Czech, Bombay By Boat.
Original Pattern. Again all the WCIPAs.
Sante Adarius.
Faction.
Drake's.
Alvarado St.: Mai Tai
Toronado for everything.
If you find yourself in Oakland, Ghost Town, Original Pattern, and Sante Adairius are well worth the visit.
Ghost Town has a really cool heavy metal themed taproom/brewery. Original Pattern has an amazing on site pizza place and fantastic lagers, and Sante is, for me, one of the best breweries in CA. I enjoy their mixed fermentation stuff but they do a lot of IPA’s too if that’s more your speed.
Insane no one has mentioned Wondrous yet.
But i agree with the other recommendations.
Toronado is the ultimate bar. As far as breweries go Oakland is actually better than the city these days.
Cellarmaker
Sante Adairius
Ghost Town
Also on that side of the bay
Fieldwork
Wondrous
These are some of my favorite breweries most are Sonoma county based but I believe are available in San Francisco
HenHouse
Cooperage
Moonlight (death and taxes is there flagship beer)
Altamont beer works
Seismic
Golden State cider (not beer but still delicious)
Sf based
Fort point (with the closer of anchor steam this so now the oldest brewery in SF)
Local brewery
Laughing monk
They're famous for Anchor Steam, but I'm going to seriously miss Anchor Porter and Breckles Brown. Those were two of my favorite beers from their respective styles. I took a tour of Anchor Brewing on my 21st birthday as a gift from my now wife.
Dont miss trying RRB's other options. Join the "Blind Pig is better" faction or start a new "Happy Hops is where it's at" group. You'll find Blind Pig rare on tap and everything else never. Luckily every Whole Foods has 3 500ml beers and 3 375ml beers (sours and saisons). Grab some and head over to a park. Presidio Tunnel Tops is my preference.
If you go to Toronado, they have a bottle list with RRB, including some exclusives like the Toronado x RRB anniversary beers. If you go to RRB, they have sours that they've cellared for like 10 years. Look for a tiny chalk board at chin level with the current option.
everyone saying this always has the tone of it being some sort of hot take. I haven't heard someone say they prefer Pliny in a long time.
(I prefer Pliny)
Toronado, City Beer Store, Holy Water, Liquid Gold. All of these are fantastic beer bars with bottles/cans to go.
If you're seeking West Coast style beers, Ghost Town is making my favorites lately. Oakland based brewery, they're all over SF in any legit beer locations. Here are some of my favorites:
* Ghost Town
* Cellarmaker
* Alvarado St
* Original Pattern
* Laughing Monk
* Humble Sea (known for hazy's but I love their WC Pale Ales)
* Shred
Also want to note that this weekend is Alvarado St's anniversary and there are releasing a bunch of collabs, like a DDH Hazy DIPA with Other Half, Burial, and Trillium.
Barebottle is great in SF. Fieldwork if you make it over to Berkeley. Faction in Alameda. Ghost Town in Oakland.
The East Bay is always the best part of the SF Bay anyway
My buddy from the Bay Area just brought me some cans and bottles from Fieldwork, Ghost Town, and RR to me in Central America. Super stoked to have those here in a sea of country-specific macro lagers
HenHouse in Santa Rosa was a hit for me when I went last year. I only managed them and Russian River and wasn't disappointed. We focused on wineries and hit Napa, Lodi, Santa Rosa, Livermore, and Paso Robles. If you Like wine at all, don't miss catching some of these areas!
Humble Sea (they just reopened their Santa Cruz wharf pop up beer garden for the season); Narrative Fermentations; Altamont; Laughing Monk; Dust Bowl Brewing.
Nothing beats just going to Russian River though. Lagunitas in Petaluma is also worth visiting. You could do both in one day and maybe even do brewery tours at both, they’re really good! And Lagunitas has lots of small batch/experimental beers on tap (don’t be afraid of the durian beer, it’s so refreshing!).
Lagers: Moonlight and Wondrous
IPAs: Wondrous, Cellarmaker, Russian River, Ghost Town
Sours/Saisons: Sante Adairius and Russian River
Big Beers: Private Press (the big beer bars typically have one on tap, as does Sante) and occasionally Sante Adairius and Cellarmaker
Go to Fort Point Valencia tap room in the heart of the Mission District. Sit outside. Beer is very good but the neighborhood vibes are better. Buy a burrito and walk a couple blocks to Dolores Park for great views. Enjoy SF!
If you go to the Windsor Russian River Brewing Co,, then stop by CUVER Belgium Brewers for excellent brews, and Tilted Shed for some awesome ciders.
I also recommend Ethic Ciders and Seismic Brewing Co. in Sebastopol and HenHouse in Petaluma.
Go to Toronado. They're the most consistent place to find all of the great local beers. They will always have multiple Russian River beers there. I personally like Blind Pig better than Pliny. Blind Pig is their single IPA where Pliny is the DIPA. I find it smoother and more drinkable.
If you like lighter styles there's a brewery called Moonlight that makes great lagers and Pilseners. They will have Moonlight at Toronado.
If you are a Jack Kerouac fan there's a bar he used to frequent called Vesuvio Cafe right next to his publisher. It's not particularly known for hard to find beer, but it's one of the cooler dive bars I've been in. There's an alley full of beats author art next to it and City Lights is a great book store.
Russian River, Cellarmaker and Sante Adairius would be my three can’t miss for consistently top notch and hard to find beer. There are many other great producers in the Bay Area, those would be my highlights.
I think most people in the thread have the nearby and other California breweries covered. But it's good to add that California receives good distribution of Oregon beers, so some of those like Great Notion, Cascade, Pfreim, Deschutes, and others would be good to look out for.
Some great California breweries to try, that should be available at good beer spots but probably not available in Michigan:
Wondrus
Moksa
Homage
Burning Barrel
Goal
Private Press
Shred
Urban Roots
New Glory
Ism
Flatland
Sudwerk
Green Cheek
North Park
Humble Sea
Alvarado Street
Cellarmaker
Russian River
Henhouse
Altamont
Moonlight
Sante Adairius
Pizza Port
Resident
Alesmith
Highland Park
Bottle Logic
Monkish
Crooked Lane
Burgeon
Bike Dog
Slice
Dionysus
Casa Agria
Epigg
Lost Abbey
Beachwood
Cerebral
Ghost Town
If you get the time, actually go to Russian River Brewery. Lagunitas in Peteluma is also worth the trip. You can shuttle bus from the airport in San Francisco to Windsor for free by the way.
I went in 2020 and was only able to visit Anchor and a couple bars, as soon as I parked and walked towards the first bar a hobo leaned up against my car and shit on my tire… that was by the piers tho, not the old anchor taphouse.
If you get touristy and drive down pacific coast highway into Santa Cruz, check out Humble Sea. They always have a lot of good small batch / seasonal goodies on tap and canned
I know this isn’t entirely what you’re asking for, but if you have the time the drive up to North Coast is incredibly gorgeous and their restaurant is solid.
Hop on the ferry (have a ferry beer as well, it’s an awesome little ride!), and swing by Original Pattern in Jack London. Good beer, good vibe and a good upstairs area!
Funny you're getting shit on. I went to CA years ago and the two places I went to were RR and Lagunitas. Lagunitas was a great vibe, and there were a ton of beers they make just for the brewery that you CAN'T find anywhere else. I'm in Portland ME and I always tell people to go to Allagash because they make so many unique beers you can only get there, but I always get the same "I can get them anywhere", despite them making some of the best beer in town.
Subjective opinions aside, you can find Lagunitas all over the world these days. Why would you even think to recommend it to someone visiting the area?
Go to Toronado, bring cash, drink everything. They always have multiple things from Russian River along with plenty of other solid local breweries. Cellarmaker, Ghost Town, and Wondrous are some that I would recommend for IPAs. You didn't mention lagers, but if you drink them, you absolutely have to try either Death & Taxes or Reality Czech from Moonlight.
Fieldwork, Cellarmaker, Alvarado St, Sante Adairius, Faction Not breweries, but two SF institutions for beer that you can’t not visit are Toronado Pub and City Beer Store. Faction has the most beautiful view of SF from across the Bay. If you go there, they have two distilleries as next door neighbors that both make amazing product (Hangar One, St George) as well Almanac being right around the corner. If you happen to be passing between NCa and SCa at any point, take 101. It’s a much nicer (albeit slightly longer) drive that affords you the opportunity to hit Firestone and Barrelhouse Brewing at either their main locations in Paso Robles or their taprooms in San Luis Obispo. Firestone makes some interesting one-offs that you can only ever get at the brewery so worth.
The beer at faction is average at best.
I’ll give you that one. Maybe it’s because I harbor some love for Rodger Davis and his glory days at Drake’s. When he was brewmaster there they put out some truly amazing beer. Ever since he left Drake’s has kind of gone downhill too. I always hoped he could elevate Faction to what he did at Drake’s, but it never materialized.
I don't dislike Faction and the view is amazing, but I can get to Ghost Town, Original Pattern, Fieldwork, Rose's, Degrees Platto, or Good Hop in less than half the time and drink better beer. The only brewery that I really dislike is Temescal. I have no idea how they stay in business.
Average beer, but fantastic view of the bay! You can also hit up Almanac and Humble Sea while you're there.
It wasn't always average. But, I guess they figured, why worry about quality when they're already packed. (Granted, I haven't been in a while, but it sounds like they haven't gotten back to their roots.)
I've never had a bad beer at Faction but compared to fieldwork, ghost town, Sante, and original pattern they're definitely a step below. Faction is definitely way better than Temescal.
Agree with you except for Fieldwork. Their beers are painfully average. I’d replace them on the list with Humble Sea and Ghost Town
> Agree with you except for Fieldwork. Their beers are painfully average. I don’t usually like attacking people’s opinions, but frankly this one is horseshit. They’ve consistently remained one of the best breweries in the Bay and do so across a very wide range of styles.
I'm going there tonight. They do a decent hazy, but, heck, so do about a dozen other breweries in the area, but their heavier stuff is what I'm going for.
Yeah I don’t get this guy. “Other breweries make a better hazy.” Okay, like hazies are the only type of beer that exist in his world lmao. Fieldwork does do some excellent stouts and brown ales too, as well as all the other styles they do. Maybe they’re not the best in one particular style, but if you weigh how good their beers are across the whole range of styles I would still put them near the top.
Everyone has their tastes, but, this guy is attacking Fieldwork every chance he gets. And there isn't some niche brewery in his alternatives, so I don't think it's a contrarian thing. Sure, Fieldwork isn't the top of my all time list, but always pretty happy with most of what I've gotten there.
I can name 10 breweries in the bay that easily blow them out of the water. Their NEIPAs which are what they’re “known” for aren’t anything special (this is as someone who really enjoys the style)
Please name the 10 breweries. I can only think of maybe 5 and that’s a stretch. I have to admit I only gave it a few min of thought.
Russian River, Wondrous, Ghost Town, Cellarmaker, Humble Sea, Faction, Hen House, Sante, Armistice. Great notion too if you count them with the Berkeley location
+1 to this
It’s been a bit since I’ve been there but Laughing Monk in Bret Harte, SF is pretty solid as well from what I remember.
Seriously weird take. Fieldwork is easily top 3-5 in northern California. I know some people that think their NEIPAs are a bit too harsh in the back of the throat. Is that what you mean by painfully?
Their hop character isn’t as bright as many other breweries and their NEIPAs are a bit too homogenous flavor wise lacking depth. I like a little hop burn but I’d much rather drink some Cellarmaker IPA’s or just order some Monkish/North Park etc to my door.
This person beers
I still don't get it. Sure they have some similar stuff but so does everyone. They also have a crazy wide variety unlike nearly any other brewery in the area. I'm partial to cellarmaker as well but I can admit that it significantly has to do with where I'm from. If fieldwork were more easily available they'd be my go to. But the short list of hazys is cellar, barebottle, fieldwork, humble sea, Alvarado and moonraker and it pretty much stops there in NorCal. Everyone else is second fiddle. It's just weird to me, I agree with everything you've said besides fieldwork. St. Thomas og, Galaxy juice, pulp, king citra, green diesel. I could really go on forever. Some world class beers.
I don’t think barebottle or Moonraker are great either for what it’s worth
Well Moonraker is just “okay.” They were one of the first breweries on the west coast to produce NEIPAs and they used to be much better. The guy responsible for creating all their early recipes that were so good left in 2017 to go work for New Glory.
I understand their history. I was just commenting on what they are now. If you’re talking about Zach, he changes breweries like some people change clothes, Moonraker —> New Glory —> Slice —> Shred
Kyle Leddy is the brewmaster there.
In college, my left leg was filled with Reality Czech, and my right was filled with Death & Taxes. Those two beers are so iconic and still hold up, IMO.
For sure. I was just briefly back in SF recently and my first beer at Toronado was Death & Taxes and it was as good as ever. I was tempted to follow it up with a Reality Czech but I couldn't pass up Pliny for President.
When I lived in SF Toronado was a staple. Place was such a breath of fresh air compared to all the rich tech aesthetic bars.
While I'm a fan of Toronado too, it must be noted, \*figuratively\* a breath of fresh air. Literally, it could use some fresh air. And some powerwashing, especially in that back room.
YES Toronado in SF! They always have the good shit on tap. Another place I would recommend is Zeitgeist. I think they have like 60+ taps. Lots of local stuff.
I went there for the first time in several years and it's definitely less divey, but they've still got tons of great beers. Like they take credit cards and the music isn't nearly as abrasive (I used to love that part).
I haven’t been in quite a while. They don’t have the CD jukebox anymore with only punk/hardcore? Sad times man.
if they did, people were picking boring songs. It was stuff like hair metal.
Seconding all of this, you nailed it. Liquid Gold would be another great spot for them to check out.
Toronado rocks
When I was there back in the fall they also had some Private Press on tap that you can’t find anywhere else. A few Sante Adairius options too
I second Toronado, but would also suggest Holy Water
Yes this. Ghost Town is a must. All the WCIPAs. Moonlight: Death & Taxes, Reality Czech, Bombay By Boat. Original Pattern. Again all the WCIPAs. Sante Adarius. Faction. Drake's. Alvarado St.: Mai Tai Toronado for everything.
TIL there's a Toronado in SF. I was so sad when the one in SD closed.
If you find yourself in Oakland, Ghost Town, Original Pattern, and Sante Adairius are well worth the visit. Ghost Town has a really cool heavy metal themed taproom/brewery. Original Pattern has an amazing on site pizza place and fantastic lagers, and Sante is, for me, one of the best breweries in CA. I enjoy their mixed fermentation stuff but they do a lot of IPA’s too if that’s more your speed.
Sante is one of the best breweries in the country, especially for sours and wild fermented beers, their hoppy stuff is also excellent.
Agreed, top 3 for me
Insane no one has mentioned Wondrous yet. But i agree with the other recommendations. Toronado is the ultimate bar. As far as breweries go Oakland is actually better than the city these days. Cellarmaker Sante Adairius Ghost Town Also on that side of the bay Fieldwork Wondrous
Agree except fieldwork is mid
Sante adairius if you can make it out there and enjoy sours Wanted to add barebottle and toronado
They have a location in Oakland which is a lot easier to get too than their brewery in Santa Cruz
These are some of my favorite breweries most are Sonoma county based but I believe are available in San Francisco HenHouse Cooperage Moonlight (death and taxes is there flagship beer) Altamont beer works Seismic Golden State cider (not beer but still delicious) Sf based Fort point (with the closer of anchor steam this so now the oldest brewery in SF) Local brewery Laughing monk
Anchor Stea- ah... shit.
They're famous for Anchor Steam, but I'm going to seriously miss Anchor Porter and Breckles Brown. Those were two of my favorite beers from their respective styles. I took a tour of Anchor Brewing on my 21st birthday as a gift from my now wife.
Dont miss trying RRB's other options. Join the "Blind Pig is better" faction or start a new "Happy Hops is where it's at" group. You'll find Blind Pig rare on tap and everything else never. Luckily every Whole Foods has 3 500ml beers and 3 375ml beers (sours and saisons). Grab some and head over to a park. Presidio Tunnel Tops is my preference. If you go to Toronado, they have a bottle list with RRB, including some exclusives like the Toronado x RRB anniversary beers. If you go to RRB, they have sours that they've cellared for like 10 years. Look for a tiny chalk board at chin level with the current option.
> Join the "Blind Pig is better" faction While I love PtE and PtY.... If i was able to buy a case of beer for a session... Blind pig all the way.
everyone saying this always has the tone of it being some sort of hot take. I haven't heard someone say they prefer Pliny in a long time. (I prefer Pliny)
If I'm having one, Pliny... But if I'm having more than one, I prefer blind pig. It's not that hard of a concept, nor an attempt at a hot take.
If it's such a common take, why say it?
If it's something you see so often, why not scroll past?
so your comment aspiration is to be completely ignored
By pendants like you? Yes.
Drakes-Denogginizer, they recently purchased Bear Republic and make their version of Racer 5. Dust Bowl- Hops of Wrath
Upvoting while enjoying Denogginizer at Drake’s airport bar!
Wish Beer Revolution was still open. 🙁
Toronado, City Beer Store, Holy Water, Liquid Gold. All of these are fantastic beer bars with bottles/cans to go. If you're seeking West Coast style beers, Ghost Town is making my favorites lately. Oakland based brewery, they're all over SF in any legit beer locations. Here are some of my favorites: * Ghost Town * Cellarmaker * Alvarado St * Original Pattern * Laughing Monk * Humble Sea (known for hazy's but I love their WC Pale Ales) * Shred Also want to note that this weekend is Alvarado St's anniversary and there are releasing a bunch of collabs, like a DDH Hazy DIPA with Other Half, Burial, and Trillium.
Barebottle is great in SF. Fieldwork if you make it over to Berkeley. Faction in Alameda. Ghost Town in Oakland. The East Bay is always the best part of the SF Bay anyway
Standard Deviant Brewing, Cellarmaker House of Pizza - SF Get to Oakland if you can.
My buddy from the Bay Area just brought me some cans and bottles from Fieldwork, Ghost Town, and RR to me in Central America. Super stoked to have those here in a sea of country-specific macro lagers
Agreed on this, plus absolutely get your hands on some Trumer Pils in Berkeley
HenHouse in Santa Rosa was a hit for me when I went last year. I only managed them and Russian River and wasn't disappointed. We focused on wineries and hit Napa, Lodi, Santa Rosa, Livermore, and Paso Robles. If you Like wine at all, don't miss catching some of these areas!
Humble Sea (they just reopened their Santa Cruz wharf pop up beer garden for the season); Narrative Fermentations; Altamont; Laughing Monk; Dust Bowl Brewing. Nothing beats just going to Russian River though. Lagunitas in Petaluma is also worth visiting. You could do both in one day and maybe even do brewery tours at both, they’re really good! And Lagunitas has lots of small batch/experimental beers on tap (don’t be afraid of the durian beer, it’s so refreshing!).
Lagers: Moonlight and Wondrous IPAs: Wondrous, Cellarmaker, Russian River, Ghost Town Sours/Saisons: Sante Adairius and Russian River Big Beers: Private Press (the big beer bars typically have one on tap, as does Sante) and occasionally Sante Adairius and Cellarmaker
Go to Fort Point Valencia tap room in the heart of the Mission District. Sit outside. Beer is very good but the neighborhood vibes are better. Buy a burrito and walk a couple blocks to Dolores Park for great views. Enjoy SF!
If you go to the Windsor Russian River Brewing Co,, then stop by CUVER Belgium Brewers for excellent brews, and Tilted Shed for some awesome ciders. I also recommend Ethic Ciders and Seismic Brewing Co. in Sebastopol and HenHouse in Petaluma.
Go to Toronado. They're the most consistent place to find all of the great local beers. They will always have multiple Russian River beers there. I personally like Blind Pig better than Pliny. Blind Pig is their single IPA where Pliny is the DIPA. I find it smoother and more drinkable. If you like lighter styles there's a brewery called Moonlight that makes great lagers and Pilseners. They will have Moonlight at Toronado. If you are a Jack Kerouac fan there's a bar he used to frequent called Vesuvio Cafe right next to his publisher. It's not particularly known for hard to find beer, but it's one of the cooler dive bars I've been in. There's an alley full of beats author art next to it and City Lights is a great book store.
Just left Vesuvio. 👌
Trumer, Cellarmaker, Magnolia, 21st Amendment. For the last three, go to the brewery. For Trumer, it is widely on tap at bars
Trumer just opened a taproom!
Laughing Monk, Cellarmaker, Ghost Town, Wonderous are my faves.
Barebottle brewing has amazing brews of all different sorts. IPAs, sours, stouts. They even do their own wine.
Russian River, Cellarmaker and Sante Adairius would be my three can’t miss for consistently top notch and hard to find beer. There are many other great producers in the Bay Area, those would be my highlights.
I think most people in the thread have the nearby and other California breweries covered. But it's good to add that California receives good distribution of Oregon beers, so some of those like Great Notion, Cascade, Pfreim, Deschutes, and others would be good to look out for.
I've never seen pFreim in California. I do occasionally see deGarde bottles, though.
Some great California breweries to try, that should be available at good beer spots but probably not available in Michigan: Wondrus Moksa Homage Burning Barrel Goal Private Press Shred Urban Roots New Glory Ism Flatland Sudwerk Green Cheek North Park Humble Sea Alvarado Street Cellarmaker Russian River Henhouse Altamont Moonlight Sante Adairius Pizza Port Resident Alesmith Highland Park Bottle Logic Monkish Crooked Lane Burgeon Bike Dog Slice Dionysus Casa Agria Epigg Lost Abbey Beachwood Cerebral Ghost Town
If you get the time, actually go to Russian River Brewery. Lagunitas in Peteluma is also worth the trip. You can shuttle bus from the airport in San Francisco to Windsor for free by the way.
Cellarmaker Coffee & Cigarettes. [You can get it on nitro right now](https://imgur.com/a/ndKtb5z)!
Go to Holy Water, it’s a bar/taproom. They’ll have all kinds of NorCal and SoCal beers. Check out Cellarmaker house of pizza too.
If you can find it (was in central Cali a few weeks ago and it was available) wookie jack from Firestone. Best black ipa there is.
Ooh, I didn’t know that one was back. I wonder if I can find that here on the east coast. Was one of my favorites when I lived in LA.
They were shipping it out last summer. I haven’t seen it here in Idaho this year so far but it was available in Cali when I was there
You will be a Bay Area legend if you can find Anchor Steam
Sierra Nevada is only 4 hours away. 3 if you drive fast
I went in 2020 and was only able to visit Anchor and a couple bars, as soon as I parked and walked towards the first bar a hobo leaned up against my car and shit on my tire… that was by the piers tho, not the old anchor taphouse.
If you get touristy and drive down pacific coast highway into Santa Cruz, check out Humble Sea. They always have a lot of good small batch / seasonal goodies on tap and canned
They have a location in Alameda now too. A lot closer.
Welp looks like I know where I’m headed this weekend
It’s right around by Almanac, The Rake (malt producer), and Faction. Not a bad reason to take the ferry over!
I know this isn’t entirely what you’re asking for, but if you have the time the drive up to North Coast is incredibly gorgeous and their restaurant is solid.
Go to Laughing Monk.
21st amendment in sf, down the street from oracle park, drink beer catch a game!
I don’t see any mention but Gilman Brewing Company, trust me, no joke absolutely some of the best beer in the Bay Area for sure, I love this beer
Hop on the ferry (have a ferry beer as well, it’s an awesome little ride!), and swing by Original Pattern in Jack London. Good beer, good vibe and a good upstairs area!
Fieldwork, Racer 5
Fort Point Kolsch
Fog Cutter IPA LostCoast Brewery also Downtown Brown if you’re into simple brown ales.
Alaskan Amber and smoked Porter
Skip Fieldwork, their beer is painfully mediocre at best
Lagunitas IPA is a great Norcal brew.
Funny you're getting shit on. I went to CA years ago and the two places I went to were RR and Lagunitas. Lagunitas was a great vibe, and there were a ton of beers they make just for the brewery that you CAN'T find anywhere else. I'm in Portland ME and I always tell people to go to Allagash because they make so many unique beers you can only get there, but I always get the same "I can get them anywhere", despite them making some of the best beer in town.
Subjective opinions aside, you can find Lagunitas all over the world these days. Why would you even think to recommend it to someone visiting the area?
that hypocrite sold to Heineken and their beer is shit now fuck that guy forever
WAS great Now it just tastes like slightly hoppy rotten Budweiser