Breweries

Beers of the Week: New Coffee Beers from Stone Brewing

File Under: things that get you buzzed. Like many folks, you might be a slave to chemical rituals. Caffeine in the morning, and booze at night. In the name of efficiency, we recommend combining the two at every opportunity. If you mean business, and want two buzzes in one (no, they don't cancel each ... More >>

Beer Industry Reveals SF's Relationship With the Delicious Alcoholic Beverage

California legislators are considering pushing last call back by two hours, to 4 a.m. So what better time for the beer industry to release a study announcing its economic impact on the state? Fourteen states allow residents to buy alcohol past 2 a.m. But despite the Golden State's competitive disad ... More >>

Budweiser, Corona Sued in San Francisco

This suit's for youFriday is a good day for beer and, today, it's a great one for lawsuits regarding beer. Attorney Joe Alioto tells SF Weekly that, this afternoon, he'll make a federal case out of a proposed multi-billion dollar deal to merge two of the world's yellowest beers, Budweiser and Corona ... More >>

New Albion: Historic Local Ale Comes Back to Life

Beer of the Week: Alesmith My Bloody Valentine

Listen, we like high-concept beer as much as anybody. If a brewer makes a beer that resurrects an ancient Mesopotamian yeast, then ages it at the bottom of the Caspian Sea for three years in a barrel with curry spices and snozzberries ... well, our ears would perk up. But sometimes it's nice to ackn ... More >>

Why American Craft Beer is Better Than Ever: A Brewer's Manifesto

When someone says "I don't like beer" my reaction is almost always the same: "Challenge accepted!" It's not that the so-called beer-hater doesn't like beer -- it's that they don't like any of the beers they've had up until now. Chances are, it's been a pretty narrow selection of what's out there. ... More >>

Beer of the Week: Boston Beer Company Revives Historic New Albion Ale

All right class, it's time for a history lesson. Can anybody tell me which brewery is acknowledged as the first modern microbrewery in the United States? If you answered New Albion Brewing Company, you get an A. Does somebody know where the brewery was located? Yes, right in our backyard in Sonoma! ... More >>

Monk's Kettle Turns Five and Throws a Party (Today!)

We remember when Monk's Kettle was knee-high to a grasshopper. Five years into their run as one of SF's first beer-centric restaurants, and they've never been more on top of their game. In half a decade, the menu at Monk's has taken on a refined yet rustic personality, and the vintage beer list cont ... More >>

Beer and Music: The Bay Brewed Blends Some of the Best of Both

Since events that mix cool music with fancy things to put in your body (like food or booze) are increasingly going to become the norm in S.F. -- this being a trend we're somewhat conflicted about -- we at least hope they'll be really good. Good like new music fest the Bay Brewed (put on by the folks ... More >>

Learn to Homebrew at 18 Reasons

Ever dreamed of making beer for a living? We have too. And we would, if it weren't for the long hours, heavy lifting, and overabundance of beards. The truth is, brewing beer on a commercial scale can be a tiresome gig, and most brewers aren't showered in riches (unless you count the beer, of course) ... More >>

Beer of the Week: Stone 16th Anniversary IPA

American craft brewing is largely defined by a spirit of unbridled creativity. The Brewers Association recognizes a whopping 84 beer styles, and the nuanced variations between beers in these categories is nearly endless. Some countries, on the other hand, embrace traditions which limit brewers to th ... More >>

Study Beer and Chocolate with a Local Expert

C'mon, pairing chocolate with red wine is soooo 2001. Enjoying chocolate with beer, on the other hand, offers a whole new world of pairing options. If there's one Bay Area local who is uniquely positioned to speak on the issue, it's Pete Slosberg. You may know him better as "Wicked Pete" of Pete's W ... More >>

Shmaltz Brewing's Jeremy Cowan Comes Home for His Beer Book Reading

​What: Beer Beer Book Reading Where: City Beer Store When: Sat., December 3, 4-7 p.m. Cost: Free The rundown: Shmaltz Brewing proprietor Jeremy Cowan, author of the newly released Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah: How It Took 13 Years, Extreme Jewish Brewing, and Circus Sideshow Freaks to Make Sh ... More >>

Ales Unlimited Showcases Craft Brew, City Beer Store Expands

Given the increasing popularity of craft beer, you'd think there would be specialty brew shops in every neighborhood by now. But, despite years of booming industry growth, City Beer Store and Healthy Spirits have held their footing as the city's notable destinations for craft beer shopping outside o ... More >>

New California Law Gives Brewery Tasting Rooms a Break

Jason HenryDrake's Barrel House in San Leandro was built expensively under the old law​You walk into a brewery tasting room and order a sample. The beer is delicious, but you can't help noticing that the brewery doesn't have washable tile flooring and the cashier isn't far from the dishwasher. ... More >>

Beer a Secret Weapon in Breast Cancer Fight, Hopes Breastfest

Breastfest​Fighters of breast cancer are again pulling out their secret weapon: beer. The annual Breastfest will soon be upon us, with more than 40 breweries, several hundred beers, and live music aligning on July 2 to fight one of the most feared diseases. We can't say truthfully that the mo ... More >>

New Book Teaches the Alcoholic Art of Beer Brewing

Just Brew It. ​The best part about beer has always been, hands down, drinking it. But for many thousands of Americans, brewing beer is just as rewarding. Brewing is an intellectual experience -- it's an art, a science, a study of history, a mastery of chemistry, and a craft. And while drinki ... More >>

City Beer Store Celebrates Five Boozy Years

Jason HenryWanderer, Rouge Baril Baltique, and Open Container, all brewed to mark City Beer Store's fifth anniversary.​With the proliferation of local beer bars, gastropubs, and grassroots brewing operations, it's easy to forget how much our beery landscape has changed in five short years. The ... More >>

Meet the Bloggers: Jason Henry

Jesse HirschJason Henry really, really loves beer.​You read them here, now find out who the hell they are: We give you the diverse group of men and women who cover the local food and drink scene for you on SFoodie. Jason Henry Blogs about: beer Jason Henry swears he isn't beer-obsessed. Pat ... More >>

Barrel-Aged Beers Are Pricey. Which Ones Are Worth It?

Alastair BlandAged in wood: Mikkeller's Big Worse, left, with Paradox Macallan from BrewDog.​A year ago, a second-hand bourbon or brandy barrel was running a brewer a hundred bucks on the American market. As of March 2011, the price hadn't changed, according to an industry source. But the bee ... More >>

Drink 2011: In Craft Brewing, the Meek Inherit the Earth

Eat Grilled Cheese, Get Toasted

John Birdsall​Grilled Cheese and Craft Beer Pairing Where: American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, 1 South Park (at Second St.), 243-0107 When: Sun., Feb. 13, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Cost: $30 The rundown: AGCK is commemorating SF Beer Week with a sandwich and brew matchup, but unlike at stuffy wine pai ... More >>

The Best Barleywine? Our Panel Picks a Winner

Jesse Friedman/Beer and NoshAmerican barleywine daddy Fritz Maytag, at the Anchor Brewery he once owned.​What began more than three decades ago as a small-batch specialty beer made by a local beer hero has grown thunderously into perhaps the most cult-acclaimed craft beer style in America: the ... More >>

Old Oak Becomes Almanac Beer Co., Plans February Release

Almanac Beer Co.​When Brian Yaeger introduced SFoodie readers to Old Oak Beer Co. a couple months back, the much-anticipated "farm-to-barrel" ale was waiting patiently in oak wine barrels, mingling with fresh Sonoma County blackberries. While nothing has changed about the beer company's vision ... More >>

Today: Organic Brewers Converge on Ferry Building for Eco Tasting

MateVeza's organic India Pale Ale.​Between the World Series and Halloween we've got a lot to be excited about 'round here. If you have time between getting your Snooki or The Situation costume together and painting a sign with clever wordplay involving Jonathan Sanchez, take a moment to celebr ... More >>

Tour de Fat: Beer-Soaked Bikefest Rolls Saturday

Brian Yaeger"Remember, this is a bicycle festival with beer, not the other way around." Sure.​What do a 6-foot-tall carrot, Sasquatch, and a gang of nuns on bicycles have in common? Tour de Fat, New Belgium Brewing's annual lovefest for all things bicycle (and yeah, some beer). The Tour pedals ... More >>

NorCal Brewers Score Big at the Great American Beer Festival

Brian YaegerSocial Kitchen brewmaster Rich Higgins, manning the SF Brewers Guild booth in Denver.​As the 51-week wait for next year's 30th Great American Beer Festival begins, let's look back at the last few days in Denver, where 462 breweries converged inside the Colorado Convention Center, a ... More >>

Great American Beer Festival Takes Over Denver, with Plenty of Bay Area Contenders

Brian YaegerS.F. beer geek Jason Henry volunteering at the Cascade Brewing booth at last year's GABF.​Thursday marks the beginning of the three-day, mind-blowing, liver-busting, gut-expanding extravaganza known as the Great American Beer Festival, now in its 29th year. Sponsored by the Brewers ... More >>

Batch 19 Pre-Prohibition Lager: Party Like It's 1919

MillerCoors​With speakeasies, Savoy cocktails, and other early-20th century booze culture touchstones back in action, it's only natural beer should get roaring. We got our first taste of MillerCoors' new Batch 19 Pre-Prohibition Lager at the First Annual Giants Brewfest, an event showcasing lo ... More >>

How to Win Friends

Altoids Stout and Chipotle Mead: A Report from the National Homebrewers Conference

Homebrewers AssociationEvery year, beer hobbyists from all over show up to geek out.​MINNEAPOLIS ―Once a year, brewmasters take a back seat to those who brew in the trenches (read: kitchens or garages). At the National Homebrewers Conference (NHC), organized by the American Homebrewers Assoc ... More >>

Thursday Nights on Clara St., Beer Alchemy Happens

Jesse Friedman/Beer & NoshClara St. Brewing's Bryan Hermannsson.​Our favorite morsel from the blogs. I met brewers Patrick Horn and Bryan Hermannsson at a craft brew mixer in the test kitchen at Chow.com. Horn, of Pacific Brewing Laboratories, and Hermannsson, of Clara St. Brewing, are the ki ... More >>

Will the Sale of Anchor Mean the Death of Quality at S.F.'s Revolutionary Brand?

Brian YaegerFritz Maytag in 2005.​Why, Fritz ― why did you sell Anchor Brewing? And does it mean the end of an era for craft brewing both in San Francisco and across the nation? Of the 4,000 breweries operating in America at the end of the 19th century, a little over 1,500 were back up and ... More >>

S.F.'s Iconic Anchor Brewery Sold to Marin Investment Company

Jesse Friedman/Beer & NoshFritz Maytag revived the Anchor Brewing Co., keeping operations in S.F.​Noah Galuten of our sister blog in L.A. is among a handful of sources reporting this afternoon that local craft beer pioneer Anchor Brewing Co. has been sold to The Griffin Group, a Novato-based i ... More >>

Let's Talk About Hops

California Craft Brewers Represent at the Fancy Food Show

B. YaegerFirestone-Walker Brewing's Brandon Borgel, part of the California brewski cointingent.​For three days (Jan. 17-19), Moscone Center is so full of munchies, it's like a stoner's wet dream. The National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT) is in the midst of producing the 35t ... More >>

Three is a Magic Number: S.F. Restaurant Closures in October

We're no fans of the optimistic predictions that the recession is over. But October saw the fewest closures of San Francisco restaurants in the past six months. And for the ones that did close, new tenants were generally already in line. yuichi.sakuraba/FlickrYou still got roughly two months to get ... More >>

As Economy Leaves Us Crying Into Our Beer, Local Brewery Laughing Its Way to the Bank

Your untaxed dollars at play: Schmaltz Brewing is reporting record sales, despite a crap economyWhen the current financial crunch rumbled into the big time late last year, 499 of the Fortune 500 companies' experienced plummeting stock prices. The one that didn't? Campbell's Soup. The notion of futur ... More >>

City Attorney Joins "SF Weekly = Nostradamus" Bandwagon

By Matt Smith Knowing a bandwagon when he sees one, City Attorney Dennis Herrera today indirectly proclaimed SF Weekly to be a newsprint-based All Being, All Knowing, Mistress of Sight and Sound.In a Dec. 18 press release titled "Herrera, AGs Reach Pact with MillerCoors to Stop Producing Alcoho ... More >>

Marketers, Law Enforcement Fulfill SF Weekly Prediction; Energy Beer Declared Stupid

Riding for Keeps

Three-Course Beer Dinner At Monk's Kettle

Bike Rodeo Clowns

King of Beer

In which the Zen suds master of the Richmond reveals his secrets

Food & Drink Readers' Poll

Best San Francisco Beer

Speakeasy Brewing's Prohibition Ale

Letters to the Editor for the week of 12-5-2001

We Never Got Around to Publishing: Get Me the Pentagon; They Don't Get Letters Like This at The New Yorker; Have a Problem No One Else Can Solve? Let SF Weekly Help.

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