San francisco greater metropolitan area and Near North
Fieldwork Brewing Co.
Fieldwork Brewery has quite a bit of space inside and some outdoor seating, as well. It's located in a business district, with a number of factories close by, so sitting outdoors during the day can be noisy and bothersome. There were 17 beers on tap when I was there with enough empty ones to allow for another 8. Wide open area inside, so suitable for large groups of people. I had a flight of 6 beers, which were all good. Only a small selection of frozen snacks, heated in their toaster oven, are available. Location: 1160 Sixth Street, Berkeley Updated Jul '16
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Fieldwork Brewing System
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Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room
Just a mile down the road from Fieldwork Brewing, the Torpedo Room is much smaller than I anticipated. It's essentially a big long bar with a handful of tables. I was hoping to find some beer here that I don't have access to locally. There were a couple of barrel-aged taps which I hadn't seen and a few bottles to-go of some of their specialty beer which is not distributed domestically. One of the unique things I saw here which I've never seen elsewhere, was a growler filling machine which purges the air from the bottle before filling to enable a longer shelf-life in your cooler at home. No brewery at this location. Location: 2031 Fourth Street, Berkeley Updated Jul '16
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Sierra Nevada Torpedo Room
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Drake's Brewing Company
Located south of Oakland in San Leandro, Drake's Brewing is serving up some pretty darn good beer. Large open area with lots of bench's for seating. Outdoor seating is also available to enjoy the great California weather. There are lots of barrels stacked around the perimeter of the interior aging beer. Food is available from the food truck outside but you can order inside. The Brewery focuses on hoppy beers. Location: 1933 Davis Street #177, San Leandro Updated Feb '16
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Drake's Brewing
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Russian River Brewing Co
If you are in the San Francisco area looking for great beer to drink, then the 60-mile drive north to Santa Rosa is well worth the drive. Russian River is one of the top rated breweries in the United States. They have up to 20 beers on tap including an outstanding sour selection, as well as some of their mainstays such as highly rated Pliny the Elder. Flights up to 18 beers are available. A great way to sample all their beer! Nice bar food menu. Large retail shop for various cool swag and beer to-go. Russian River is a big destination brewery, so expect large crowds. It's just more new friends to meet and more people to share beer stories with. Location: 725 4th Street, Santa Rosa Updated Dec '15
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Russian River
18-Beer Flight
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Mikkeller Bar
As craft beer lovers, you should all be familiar with Mikkeller beers. You may also be aware that they have Mikkeller Bars all around the world, with multiple locations noted on this website. Nice-sized location which gets very crowded. They have 42 taps and specialized bottle selections from around the world. Eclectic food menu, as you might expect in San Francisco, which includes sausage from the Mikkeller Sausage Company. Nothing fancy on the outside denoting Mikkeller - just a small sign in the window. Location: 34 Mason Street, San Francisco Nearest Metro: BART Powell Station, Multiple Lines Updated Feb '16
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Mikkeller Bar
Entrance
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Cellarmaker Brewing Co
Cellarmaker is considered one of the better breweries in California. I tried going earlier in the year but missed out because I went on a Monday and they were closed. Undaunted, I eventually make it back but was quite surprised by how small it was - both the taproom and brewery. The advantage of the small brewery is that with a small batch system, they can turn over new styles and different experimentations much more quickly. This agility and their creativity also means that you can go back again and again and enjoy different beers. You won't see the same beers over and over again as you do with larger breweries. Each of the beers I tried were very good - both in quality and flavor. Location: 1150 Howard Street, San Francisco Nearest Metro: Maket & Hyde, Market & 7th or Civic Center, Light Rail Multiple Lines Updated Sep '16
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Taproom
Small-Batch Brewing
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Black Hammer Brewing
Just a short walk from 21st Amendment, this small-batch focuses on lagers, English ales and Belgian ales. There were about a dozen taps pouring beer when I visited. The interior is decorated with local paintings. No food is served here, but you can bring in your own from a nearby restaurant or fast food joint. Location: 544 Bryant Street, San Francisco Nearest Metro: 4nd & King, Light Rail Multiple Lines Updated Sep '16
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Black Hammer
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Almanac Beer Co
The much anticipated taproom finally opened December 30, 2016, just in time for the new year, although Almanac has been brewing beer for about 6 years. The day I went, I arrived just before they opened - not by plan but because traffic driving up wasn't as bad as expected and I found parking much quicker and closer than expected. People lined up at the door waiting to get it. 25 beers were on-tap and the tap list was heavy with barrel-aged beers - just perfect for me. Pricing is a bit steep, but it's hard to complain too much when the beer is as good as it was. They have a light food menu available - a few sandwiches and snacks. Wait-staff was friendly and polite. There is a year-round beer garden outside but it appeared to be closed the day I went. Perhaps it was just too early in the afternoon. This is a taproom only and I believe Almanac is still classified as a gypsy brewer (utilizing other brewers to make the beer.) Location: 2704 24th Street, San Francisco Nearest Metro: 24th Street Mission Station, Bart - Multiple Lines Updated Jan '17
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Entrance
Tap List and Menu
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Bear Republic Brewing
The Bear Republic taproom is about an hour and a half drive north of San Francisco and about 15 minutes north of Russian River Brewing. With just a 15-barrel brewing system and seven fermenters, it basically just sustains the taproom requirements. The main 50-barrel production brewery is located farther north in Cloverdale. A new brewery and taproom will open later this year in Rohnert Park, south of Santa Rosa. The taproom is fairly large with about 16 beers on tap and a pub food menu. There is also a large outdoor patio. Location: 345 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg Updated Jul '17
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Bear Republic Brewing
Taproom
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