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SF and Peninsula GoodBeer
Brewpubs, microbreweries, and multi-taps in the City and San Mateo County. This is a work in progress as I catch up with the SF brew scene after a recent move back to the Peninsula!
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29 Places
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Alan’s 5-star review: From a January 25 visit: - This Is the Way IPA. 6.6% ABV. Clear brass color; light white halo head. Not much nose, but intensely bitter. Hop bill is 100% Mosaic, but without the characteristic Mosaic cattiness. - Thunderstruck IPA. 5.7%. Hazy dull gold; white halo-and-patches head, leaving lace. Cola and catty nose (but without Mosaic; go figure!) Hopped, rather mildly, with Ella, Galaxy, and Vic's Secret. - Man-Gose-Rita. 5.0%. Slightly cloudy gold; white halo head. Lime nose. Described as a mango, tequila, and lime gose, though the tequila isn't especially evident; salty, and in a blind tasting I'd swear I picked up a cucumber note, though the brewer says no. - Apple Pie Amber. 5.5%. Clear amber; cream halo. Apple pie indeed; Apple-cinnamon-Graham-cracker nose and taste. Good as a dessert beer, though somewhat un-beerlike. - Cliff's 'Stache Imperial Chocolate Milk Stout. 9.3%. Opaque dark brown; cream halo-and-patches head, lacing the glass. Dark chocolate and boozy nose. Chocolate taste (cocoa nibs?), lactose creaminess, slight sour edge, bitter finish. - Irish Coffee Imperial Stout. 8.6%. Aged in whiskey barrels, otherwise unspecified. Opaque dark brown; cream halo-and-patches head. Sweet coffee nose and taste. Some little sting at the back, reminding me of horseradish (but, again, the brewer assures me that I'm hallucinating). The whiskey presence isn't prominent. -
Alan’s 4-star review: From a January 29 visit, one new rotating house seasonal, and a reunion with a classic from among the guest bottles: - BJ's Goliath Imperial Red Ale. 9.0% ABV, 60 IBU. Clear red-brown; medium cream head. Caramel nose. Taste is a good balance of caramel malt and four unspecified hop varieties; rather malty for an IPA. Prune note. - Gulden Draak Classic. 10.5%. From Van Steenberge, in Belgium. It has probably been ten years since I last had one of these; the "Classic" has been added to its name in the interim, apparently to distinguish it from the newer Gulden Draak 9000 Quadrupel. Sub-clear chestnut color; thick cream head. Nose and taste are caramel malt, banana esters, cherries, and ethanol. -
Alan’s 4-star review: The SFGate local news site reported on November 7 that Black Sands, which was purchased by Fort Point Brewing in 2018, will be closed for about six months beginning January 1, 2020 for a major renovation. When it reopens, it will be rebranded as Fort Point Lower Haight. https://www.sfgate.com/beer/article/Fort-Point-to-close-Black-Sands-Brewery-for-14815415.php -
Alan’s 4-star review: A small, family-operated craft brewery and home brew shop. Twelve-seat bar and a few tables. Nice inlaid-wood back bar, but the decorative highlight is original Soviet-style and American WWII propaganda posters, executed (I'm told) by the brother-in-law of one of the co-owners. TV tuned to the Olympics at the time of my visit; Eighties pop background music. Food service doesn't get any more ambitious than a few bags of chips. On my first visit I went with a four-pour flight, at $10. I tried: - Helles Afraid We'll Take Over Munich Helles. 5.3% ABV. Clear gold; light head, lacing the glass. Weak flowery hop nose; classic, crisp South German lager profile. Hopped with Perle. - Mama Kitty San Francisco IPA. 7.0%. Near-clear gold, halo head. Citrus nose. Citrusy and piney taste too; Centennial, Columbus, Amarillo, and Ekuanot hops. Long, moderately bitter fade, with a slight papery note. - Triple Kitty Triple IPA. 10.7%: Mama Kitty's big sister. Clear, rather pretty copper color; halo head. Weak hoppy and estery nose. Taste is boozy, with sweet malt dominant and notes of fruit cocktail nectar and antihistamine. Bitterness (Cascade, Columbus, Chinook, and Amarillo) is expressed mostly in the finish. - Sweet Teet Milk Stout. 6.3%. Opaque brown, negligible head. Bitter stout nose and taste, with lactose smoothness. For pub crawlers, Laughing Monk and Seven Stills are about 3/4 mile away. -
Alan’s 4-star review: A satellite taproom of the North Berkeley craft brewer; all physical production for this location is in Berkeley. This is an open-air beer garden, though some tables are under umbrellas or an overhang. Gas radiant heaters, but I don't believe I'd care to be here during a winter storm. Service bar and restrooms are in what appear to be converted intermodal shipping containers. Street parking available, and adjacent to the Hayward Park Caltrain station. I ordered a flight of six, including four of Fieldwork's quirky variants on IPA. As it happens, all six had roughly the same hazy gold appearance. - Rancher Farmhouse Ale. 6.5% ABV. Hazy gold, large-bubble halo head. Nose is over-ripe melon and lemon Pledge. Taste is grainy, with lemony tartness and a hint of black pepper. Sorachi Ace and Saaz hops. - Hazy Glue Pale Ale. 5.3%. Near-opaque dull gold, light head. Nose is (again) over-ripe melon, grapefruit, and lemon, with some astringency in the finish. - Sticky Bandit IPA. 7.0%. Hazy dull gold, halo head, leaving lace. Weak perfume and pepper nose. Mild sweet malt taste with a pineapple note. Lightly hopped with Citra and Mosaic. Oddly, for this one, Fieldwork's usually voluble and sometimes poetic descriptive card is limited to six words. -Wax IPA. 7.7%. Hazy dull gold, halo-and-parches head. Citrus, cantaloupe, and stale tobacco smoke aromas. Sweet and tart; it may be the power of suggestion from the name, but I did think I detected something like candle wax. Oats included in the grain bill. New Zealand Enigma hops. Crayon Box Double IPA. 9.3%. Hazy gold, minimal head. Pineapple and perfume nose. Taste includes notes of pineapple and cannabis. Initially sweet, with a quite bitter Denali hop finish. - Nine Trizzay Westcoast DIPA. 9.9%. Hazy orange-gold, halo-and-patches head. Perfumey and tropical fruit nose. Taste is melon, citrus, and tropical fruit. Mosaic and Equinox hops, triple dry-hopped. Big, chewy, sticky mouthfeel. -
Alan’s 3-star review: This is Fort Point's satellite location, under the arches at the north end of the Ferry Building. Covered but basically open-air seating consists of picnic tables and stand-up tables; not especially inviting. Radiant heaters overhead. Food consists of several hot dog variants. On a rather cold afternoon, I stayed for a hot dog with sauerkraut and grilled onions, and one beer, the only one that was new to me (I had tried other Fort Point brews in packaged form, and at other alehouses). - Mosaic Park. Numbers for this one are not stated at the kiosk or on Fort Point's website, but "regular" Park, hopped with Citra, is 4.7% ABV, 19 IBU; this is probably in the same range. Near-clear gold, light large-bubble head. Negligible nose. Mosaic-hop-forward taste, against a good malty base. Drinkable but not especially memorable. -
Alan’s 4-star review: From a December 7 visit, one new-to-me house brew, plus a guest tap: - The appetizingly-named Industrial Slime IPA. 6.1% ABV, 66 IBU. Slightly hazy gold; white halo head, leaving light lace. Hoppy and salty nose. Very much bittering-hop forward, to the point of harshness. Hop varieties not specified. Tropical fruit and grapefruit notes. - Fort Point Carbon Imperial Stout with Coffee. 8.0%, 60 IBU. Opaque near-black; tan head, quickly fading to a halo. Rich roasty malt taste, with coffee showing up only in the finish. Chewy mouth feel. Complex grain bill: Two-Row, Carafa Special III, Double-Roasted Crystal, Chocolate, Brown Malt Roasted Barley, Golden Naked Oats. Hopped with Chinook, Mosaic, and Warrior. -
Alan’s 5-star review: First, a downside: they no longer have the reciprocal hand-stamp arrangement with the adjacent Seven Stills for a $5 credit on flights. This is the worst thing ever to happen to anyone in the history of the Universe. My heart will go on. New brews sampled on today's visit: - Kölsch Encounters. 5.4% ABV. Clear gold; light halo-and-patches head, with lace. Crisp, with some vegetal character. Hopped with Nelson Sauvin and Meridian, but not especially bitter. - Book of Palms Kettle Sour. 5.3%. Clear brass. Slight off-white halo head. Perfumey and tobacco nose. Taste is dominated by coconut, with some sweet-tart pineapple character; a sort of beery Pina Colada. - Brother Wilson Tropical IPA. 6.2%. Hazy gold. White halo-and-patches head. Dank, with a rather unspecific tropical fruit taste. Brother Gambino West Coast IPA. Clear bright brass color; white halo-and-patches head. Strong Mosaic cattiness in the nose, but not as prominent in the taste. Mildly hopped with Centennial, Mosaic, and Simcoe. These next two (also paired in canned form) are a duo, American pale ales with an identical malt and hop bill, but the first brewed with Chico ale yeast, the second with Berkeley Brewing Company's proprietary High Sierra yeast. - Control Pale Ale. 5.5%. Clear brass. White halo-and-patches head. Mosaic catty note in nose. Hop-forward (Simcoe, Mosaic, Eureka) against a silky malt base. - Science! Pale Ale. 5.5%. Less distinct nose than Control, but slightly darker. Nose is more orange zest than Mosaic cat. Overall taste and mouthfeel are similar to Control. -
Alan’s 5-star review: SFiSt reported on 5/15/20 that Mikkeller Bar is closing its San Francisco location, and is selling off its remaining inventory. Link here: https://sfist.com/2020/05/15/mikkeler-bar-closes-permanently-in-the-tenderloin/ -
Alan’s 4-star review: This was my first visit to this well-regarded Mission District craft-beer spot; it won't be my last. A smallish storefront, with an L-shaped bar, booths, and (presumably only in good weather) outside tables. Friendly and informative bartender, and one guy who appeared to be the owner or manager. I didn't try their food service, but it appears fairly ambitious for a place of this sort, including daily off-menu specials and a weekend brunch. Printed beer list, featuring 29 drafts at $4.50-$11.75; over 100 bottles and cans, sorted by style, at $6.50-$63.00 (not a typo!); and ten or so vintage bottles at $12.00-$56.00. Also functions as a bottle shop, with bottles and cans to go 25% off the menu price. Brand-specific logo glassware for many but not all drafts. Menu includes a useful glossary of beer terms. I tried three brews: - Bruery Terreux Frederick H. Berliner Weisse. 4.4% ABV. 6-oz. tulip, $6.50. Deep clear gold, fast-fading 2-finger head. Very tart, fairly fizzy; a good example of a style which isn't one of my favorites. (When it's available, I usually tone down Berliner Weisse tartness with Himbeersaft (raspberry syrup) or Waldmeister (woodruff). - Cellarmaker Quadruple Dobis Quadruple IPA. 12.8%, 106 IBU. $7.50 for an 8-oz. wine glass. Near-clear orange-gold, halo and patches head. Noble hop and peach nose. Taste us a rich sweet malt balanced against assertive hop bitterness; the alcohol rises to a flavor note. - Ale Smith Decadence Winter Wheat Wine (2014). 10%. 6-oz., $7.75. Poured from an already-opened bottle; the bartender tasted it, found it flat, discarded it, and opened a new one. (Mixed feelings on my part as I watched the remnants of the old bottle go down the drain--"sober children in China," and all that.) A beautiful clear amber, light head, a bit of sediment. Sweet malt and pear nose. Deep sweet malt taste, with candi sugar obvious among the fermentables; wheat presence not apparent. Moderate hoppiness in the finish. Delicious and potentially sneaky. One TV, muted, tuned to sports programming. Background music. Clean gender-neutral restroom. Street parking, theoretically; I believe the last person actually to find an open space in the Mission was Junipero Serra. A block and a half (disregarding a few minor side streets) from the 16th-Mission BART station. On the 22-Fillmore bus line, which, for pub crawlers, provides a convenient 5-10 minute connection to Toronado at Haight and Fillmore. -
Alan’s 4-star review: A storefront taproom with a small L-shaped bar and an appropriately maritime mural. Very beer-geeky ambience, and a terrific selection of bottles and taps. A few blocks from the Balboa Park BART and Muni Metro station; on the K line. Street parking is a theoretical possibility, in the same sense that the Duma theoretically might meet next Tuesday and solemnly acclaim Pee Wee Herman Czar of all the Russians. And speaking of Russians, I tried two high-octane items: - Eight Bridges Russian Hill Imperial Stout. 11% ABV, 90 IBU. 9-ounce pour, $10. Near-opaque Brown, medium cream head. Boozy nose. Delicious sweet roast malt and ethanol; dark fruit; hoppy fade almost lost in the alcohol notes. - Seismic Deep Tectonic Imperial Stout. 9.0%, IBU not stated. 14-ounce pour, $8. Opaque dark brown, heavy head.Rather weak malty nose. Roast sweet malt, pronounced hop presence, alcohol warmth. -
Alan’s 5-star review: It should be noted that although the original Egbert Avenue location has closed, Seven Stills' website indicates that a new production facility and taproom will be opening in late October, at 100 Hooper Street in the Mission Bay neighborhood. -
Alan’s 3-star review: I recently made a return visit after many years; I was a regular here last time we lived in South City in the Nineties, going back to its origins as Burlingame Station. It looks much the same, though the current upholstery is perhaps more sedate. This is a big open room in what I believe to be a repurposed firehouse. Bare brick walls, steel-beamed arched ceiling with exposed ductwork. Open kitchen. Large, separate pool room in the back, which at the time of my visit was reserved for a private party. Long bar along one side; booths and tables, some of the latter with comfy upholstered armchairs. From the food menu, I went with a cup of chili: red, fine-ground beef, two kinds of beans and topped with two shredded cheeses and chopped onions. Moderately spicy, but thermally not as hot as it should have been. I ordered a beer sampler: Seven items, most of them long-time flagship beers, but a couple new to me. It would ordinarily have been eight, but the McFaddin's Oatmeal Stout was 86. Brews included: - Hazy Hefeweizen. 5.4%. Gold, not very hazy, light head, leaving lace on the glass. Bready nose. Bready malt taste, with minimal hopping. - Broadway Blonde. 5.6%. Clear yellow-gold, halo and patches head. Distinct bubble trains. Described as an American-style cream ale, though I didn't detect anything that shouted "cream ale." Almost no aroma. Malt-forward, lightly hopped and crisp. - Raging Rhino Red. 5.4%. Clear deep amber, light head, lace. Hop and caramel nose; caramel malt taste. - Bombay Bomber APA. 6.5%; said to be their most popular brew. Clear amber, light head, lace. Orange and floral nose. Malt and citrus taste, with hop bitterness developing in the finish. - Guavalicious IPA. 6.3%. Slightly hazy gold, light floral nose. Taste has a bit of tropical fruit up front, though I'm not sure I'd have pegged it specifically as guava. Bitter finish is more suggestive of grapefruit than hops. - Double Play IPA. 9.9%. Clear amber, halo and patches head. Sort of offputting sour note in the nose. Good juicy but malt-forward taste, with antihistamine and burnt-toast notes, and a burst of hop bitterness in the finish. Ethanol rises to a flavor element. - Pumpkin Ale. 6.0%. Clear amber, halo head, lace. Weak pie-spice nose. Taste dominated by pie spices, over a caramel malt base. Mouth feel is still and a bit thin. Overall, high marks for atmosphere and service. Beers seem competent but unmemorable. Metered street parking, and a big metered lot across California Street; tends to fill up with commuters on weekdays. One block from the Burlingame Caltrain station. -
Alan’s 4-star review: I have some history with this place; I was there for their opening day in 1996. At the time my office was around the corner on Hawthorne Street, and, for a couple of years, until my employer moved to the East Bay in 1998, I was a regular. Alas, I somehow never got back until this week. Looks pretty much the same: a long, narrow two-storey space, bar along one side, tables and booths around the room. More tables, three pool tables, and restrooms up a long stairway, with no elevator option. If accessibility is an issue for you, keep this in mind. Friendly bartender, well-informed about the house brews. The food menu leans to Spanish, with a lot of tapas options. I had a large and quite good pulled pork sandwich, with patatas bravas. Nine excellent organic house beers (two flagships, seven rotators) are on tap; sampler tray of three-ounce tasters is $15. I went with that, and the bartender was good enough to throw in two extra variants on the barleywine for a sort of vertical tasting. Items included: - Admiral Maltings Lager. 5.4% ABV, 32 IBU. Thirsty Bear is affiliated with Admiral Maltings, in Alameda. Clear bright gold, light head. Mild perfumey nose. Good balance of Admiral's Maiden Voyage malt and Perle and Sterling hops. - Alt Bier. 5.1%, 30 IBU. Clear red-brown, light head leaving lace on the glass. Taste dominated by lightly-roasty malt; again, Perle and Sterling. - Panda Bear. 4.5%, 15 IBU. One of the two full-time flagship brews. Clear copper, light head. Described as a golden ale with cocoa nibs and vanilla beans, both of which are prominent in the nose and taste. As the bartender said, a beer for people who don't especially like beer. - Whitecap Wheat. 5.7%, 20 IBU. Clear gold, halo-and-patches head. Not much nose. 40% wheat in the grain bill, but this isn't very evident in the taste. - Sonoma Strong. This is TB's contribution to the range of beers from many Northern California craft breweries produced to raise funds for fire relief. 5.6%, 50 IBU. Clear bronze, halo head. Weak nose, hop-forward taste. - Fruit Salad. 5.9%, 34 IBU. Pale Ale aged four months in oak, with lactobacillus, watermelon, strawberry, and pineapple. Sour and melon-y nose. Taste likewise has lacto sourness, but fairly hoppy for a sour. - Howard Street IPA. The other flagship. 7.0%, 70 IBU. Clear dark gold, halo-and-patches head. Mild citrus and grassy hop nose. (Magnum, Centennial, Cascade, Citra, Simcoe.) An excellent rendition of the traditional West Coast IPA style. - Pelican's Porter. 4.4%, 26 IBU. Dark but clear ruby-brown, tan head. On nitrogen, giving a creamy small-bubble mouthfeel. Nose has Concord grape and tobacco notes. Deep roast malt taste, with a hint of bitter chocolate. - Barleywine 2013. 10.2%, 65 IBU. Slightly hazy dark gold, halo-and-patches head. Mild sweet malt nose. Strong taste of sweet malt and ethanol, with a peach note, and hops developing in the finish. - Barleywine 2014. 10.5%, 65 IBU. Clear copper, darker and redder than the 2013 vintage. Halo-and-patches head. Mild, perfumey malt nose. Deeper and perhaps more bitter than the 2013. Ethanol as a flavor element. Antihistamine note. Fairly still mouthfeel. - Barrel-Aged Barleywine 2014. 10.5%, 65 IBU. Clear copper, halo-and-patches head. Aged six months in French oak red wine barrels. Some wine shows up in the nose; also a hint of black-pepper sting, and a more distinct ethanol aroma than the previous two barleywines. Wine also shows up in the taste, and a salty note, and again, of course, alcohol warmth. More complex than the "regular" 2014, but I'm not sure I like it as much. Located two blocks from the Montgomery Street BART and MUNI Metro station. Within reasonable pub-crawl distance of 21st Amendment and Mikkeller. -
Alan’s 4-star review: A welcome addition to the Peninsula's Coast side, opened last October. Located in a small shopping center with a street address on CA-1, but with no direct access from the highway. From the north, sneak up on it from behind, via a left turn on Fassler Avenue and a right on Sea Bowl Lane. Going back north, Sea Bowl does give a straight shot to CA-1. It's an attractive space, not at all "industrial" in feel. Nicely decorated, woody bar room, with a separate dining room (with gastropub ambitions) and an outdoor beer garden. Full bar. Happy hour 2:00-4:30, with house pints a dollar off. Three TVs in the bar, turned to sports programming at the time of my Friday afternoon visit. Clean gender-neutral restrooms, reached via a covered outside walkway. There are eight house taps. Flights of four 5-ounce tasters are $12. I tried: - Marten Lager. 4.5% ABV. Clear amber; white halo head. A Vienna-style lager. Slight flowery nose. Caramel-y taste. Hopped with Saphir. Vienna, Bohemian Pilsner, and Munich malts. - Waratah Hazy IPA. 6.5%. Cloudy gold; white halo-and-patches head, lacing the glass. Catty Mosaic nose; the hop Bill also includes an unspecified Australian variety. Tropical fruit and orange notes, with a very bitter finish. - Azacca IPA. 6.9%. Clear gold; white halo-and-patches head. Weak, slightly musty hop and fruit nose. Sweetish malt base (2-Row and Vienna, plus red wheat). Hopped with Azacca, Centennial, and Chinook. Notes of ripe melon, peach, and burnt toast. - Yarrow Tropical IPA. 7.3%. Clear brass; white halo head. Tropical fruit notes dominate the nose and taste, with only a trace of hop bitterness (from Idaho 7, Citra, and Centennial). Grain bill includes Rahr 2-Row, Golden Promise, and Vienna malts, plus pale wheat and oats, the last imparting a slippery mouthfeel. -
Alan’s 4-star review: A relatively new (2015) Outer Sunset brewpub, located in what was apparently once retail space. Ample bar and table seating on two levels, and an impressive assortment of liquor on the back bar. The food menu is fairly modest; sandwiches, salads, wings, fries, and an interesting-sounding cashew curry, among others. Rather loud background music. Happy hour 3-6 PM Monday through Friday: $2 off house drafts (normally $7); $1 off well drinks. Street parking on Noriega and side streets can be tight. On the 7 Haight-Noriega Muni line. I tried a flight of the six current house beers: - Cool, Calm and Cucumber Gose. 4.7% ABV, 10.1 IBU. (Unusually, they carry all their IBU figures to a tenth of a point.) Not much nose. Very tart, with the taste dominated by cucumber. Also a salty edge; the brew includes both sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. A touch of coriander, too. Lightly hopped with Saaz. - Hipster Salad IPA. 6.8%, 79.8 IBU. Clear copper; cream halo-and-patches head. Pine and melon nose and taste. Very much hop-forward; the name refers to its mix of seven hop varieties, which the brewer told me include Columbus, Cascade, Amarillo, Idaho 7, Tomahawk, Zeus, and Nugget. - Alcatraz Pilsner. 4.1%. 23.4 IBU. Clear gold; light cream head. Czech in style. Grainy nose and taste. Tettnang and Styrian Golding hops, giving a lingering bitter finish. - Outside Lands Kolsch. 4.9%, 22.3 IBU. Clear brass color; slight white halo head. Mild floral nose. Flavors include bready malt and a honey note. - Moraga's English Pale Ale. 4.2%, 36.9 IBU. Sub-clear red-brown; light cream head, leaving lace. Caramel malt nose and taste, underlying a bitterness from Nugget, Willamette, and Chinook hops. - Into the Sunset Coffee Stout. 5.7%, 31.8 IBU. Near-opaque brown; cream halo-and-patches head. Coffee and roast malt nose and taste, with some vanilla and caramel notes in the finish. -
Alan’s 4-star review: This was my first visit in perhaps 10 years to this long-established Larkspur Landing brewpub--in business since 1989, which is practically antediluvian by craft brewing standards; their display cabinet for 30 years of World Beer Cup medals is impressive. It's much as I remembered: a bustling, barn-like, and rather dark space, pervaded by an aroma of malt. Covered outdoor seating is also available. Loud background music and a noisy happy hour crowd, many of them clearly interacting with bar staff as regulars. Several flatscreen TVs tuned to different sporting events. Lots of logo merchandise is offered. There's a core menu of flagship beers that have been around for decades, but also enough rotators to keep the tickers coming back. They don't offer organized flights, but all of the house beers are available in 5-ounce servings at $2 a pop. New items I tried: - Tiburon Blonde. 5.6% ABV, 29 IBU. Clear gold; minimal head. Grainy nose. Described as a French country ale, but the flavor profile is mainstream lager all the way. - 3 Flowers IPA. 6.5%, 84 IBU. Definitely in the West Coast IPA tradition. Nearly clear gold; light head, leaving lace. Hoppy and grassy nose. Strongly fruity hop-forward, with a bit of astringency in the finish. Rye is included in the grain bill. - Massive Cones Double IPA. 8.2%, 50 IBU. Unfiltered; somewhat hazy gold, with a thick off-white head. Adjunct fermentables include oats, wheat, and lactose. Sweet and fruity malt base, with notes of pear, pineapple, and lychee. Less apparent bitterness than the IBU figure would indicate. Hopped with Denali (Experimental 06277), to whose large, dense cones the name refers. - Liquid Bacon Smoked Amber Lager. 5.3%, 24 IBU. Nearly clear chestnut brown, with a fast-fading white head. Distinct bacon aroma, but no piggies were harmed in the creation of this product. The taste is also dominated by beechwood-smoked malt, with a Marzen-like caramel note. -
Alan’s 3-star review: After surviving some rough financial times in 2017, the Speakeasy taproom at their Bayview production brewery is back in business. This was my first visit, though I've been enjoying their products in bottled form, and on others' taps, for years. The taproom is rather small and dark. I was the only patron for most of my early Saturday afternoon visit. TV tuned to pre-season football; almost inaudible background music. There's an upright piano, but I have no idea whether it's ever actually used. Distressed wood decor. Untappd electronic menu board. Food is limited to chips and such, but rotating food trucks show up on Friday and Saturday late afternoons and evenings. Some outdoor patio seating, including three rather decrepit picnic tables. Fairly small parking lot, and apparently no nearby street parking on Evans Avenue. Flights of four beers are $12. Brews sampled: - Pride Rye Pils. 4.8% ABV. Clear gold; slight white halo-and-patches head. Bready nose. Czech Pilsner malt and rye adjunct; the rye is not especially apparent. Lightly hopped, varieties not specified. A straight down the middle Pilsner. - Posthaste Pale Ale. 5.1%. Clear bright gold. Weak bready nose. Hop-forward, with grapefruit and pine notes; some cardboard in the finish. Hopped with Chinook and Meridian. - Helles to the Chief. 5.4%. Clear brass; slight white head. Minimal bready nose. Malty and slightly sweet, and. Pretzel note; unspecified West Coast hops. - Pitch Count Kviek Farmhouse IPA. 7.2%. A collaboration with the Loma Brewing Co. in Los Gatos. Slightly hazy dark gold; light white head. Tangy, musty nose. Deep, intense malt and citrus taste, with some saltiness in the finish. -
Alan’s 4-star review: This was my first visit to Gilman's newly-opened Daly City taproom. It's not actually a brewpub; all beers are still physically produced at the original Berkeley location. They're located in a ground-floor corner room of an office building. Big windows look out on Junipero Serra Boulevard. Tables come in an assortment of sizes, plus limited seating at a copper-topped bar. Soft jazz background music; flatscreen TV turned off. Free parking in an adjacent 7-level structure; this might get tight at peak times at the Century Theater. A couple of blocks from the Daly City BART station and its bus hub. Limited and fairly pricey food menu: small plates at $6-$16; three salads at $13-16; pizzas at $16-22; five dinner options, at $18-29. An extensive beer list echoes that in Berkeley, though some items were off. No flights are offered, but everything is available in 5-ounce pours, at $3.50. After waiting a few minutes for a rather inattentive bartender, I tried the only two available brews that were new to me: - Guava Jardin. 5.8% ABV. Hazy gold; white halo head. Sour nose. Brewed with guava and blood orange, but Lactobacillus tartness overwhelms any specific fruit character. - Blackberry Hibou. 5.0%. Clear ruby red; slight white halo. Weak blackberry nose, but a distinct berry taste, not especially beer-like. -
Alan’s 5-star review: - Laughing Monk Auklandish. 5.4% ABV, 30 IBU. A limited release for San Francisco Beer Week. Sub-clear gold; white halo head. Nose is floral and, despite the modest ABV, a bit boozy. Taste is crisp and citrusy. Hopped with two New Zealand varieties: Wai-ti and Kohatu. - Laughing Monk Coffee 'N' Cream Ale. On nitrogen. 5.9%. Clear brass color. initially thick white head, with bubbles sorting out by size into two distinct layers, perhaps representing N2 and CO2. Weak coffee nose; more pronounced café au lait taste, and some vegetal notes. - Barebottle Key Lime Pirate. 5.0%. Clear gold; white halo-and-patches head. The name pretty much tells the story; tart lime nose and taste. - Barebottle Mini-Muir Pale Ale. 5.5%. Slightly hazy gold; light white head, leaving heavy lace. Catty nose. Bready malt base. Dry, with pine and grapefruit notes. Slightly musty and chalky finish. - Seven Stills Negroni Sour. 7.5%, 10 IBU. Clear copper; cream halo-and-patches head. Negligible nose; tart and bitter orange taste. -
Alan’s 4-star review: The Devil's Slide Taproom has just announced on their website that they'll be closing permanently at the end of December. Ah, well, COVID strikes again, but at least they've given us enough advance warning for another visit or three. -
Alan’s 5-star review: Half Moon Bay's second brewpub, in the same complex as HMB Brewing, making for a natural pub crawl. Hop Dogma is inside the Harbor Village shopping center; thoughtfully decorated, the very anthesis of the minimalist garage-door industrial look of too many recent brewpubs. Bar and table seating; even a corner with armchairs and a sofa. Background rock. Muted TV, tuned to sports programming. No in-house food service, but they canoodle with the nearby Lamas Peruvian-Mexican restaurant. Four-beer sampler assortment $8; but samplers of anything are available at $2. I tried five: - We're All Going to Helles. 5.4% ABV. Clear gold; halo-and-patches head. Mild hoppy nose. Typical golden lager malt-forward flavor profile. - Sharpest Bulb in the Shed Pale Ale. 5.9%. Slightly cloudy brass; halo-and-patches head. Rye (10% of the grain bill) prominent in the nose. Hop-forward (Idaho-7 and Citra), with a long bitter fade, and, again, a rye presence. - Weapon of Mass Consumption Double IPA. 7.5%. Near-clear brass, with copper highlights. Halo-and-patches head, amply lacing the glass. Mild sour and slightly peppery nose. Bittering hops forward, with a long bitter fade, against a strong malt backbone. "Pencil shaving " note. - Sweet Surrender Porter. 6.5%. Near-opaque dark brown; one-finger cream head, leaving lace. Weak chocolate nose. Roast malt and chocolate taste; brewed with chocolate nibs and lactose. - Every 3rd Inquiry Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout. 10.5%. Opaque dark brown, light cream head. Weak malt and ethanol nose. Rich roast malt and boozy taste, with a sour note. Big adjacent shopping-center parking lot. -
Alan’s 4-star review: Open since April. Hidden away in a somewhat down-at-the-heels commercial strip; even the liquor store at the other end of the block didn't know they were there. It's a big undivided room, open to the brewing floor. A long bar and many tables; stools have backs. Three TVs, two on a muted broadcast of South Park (just try to figure out what's going on there!), one on a Music Choice rock channel. Logo merchandise on offer includes shirts and jackets. Friendly and helpful bartender, who obligingly texted their off-premises brewer when I asked for technical details. 5-ounce tasters are available at $2-3; flights of four at $8-10. Any beer is available in an ice cream float, two scoops, at $5-7 (and a couple of them would actually have worked). Beers sampled: - Coastal Cooler Session IPA. 5.5% ABV, 45 IBU. Clear brass, one-finger head, lacing the glass. Mildly grainy nose. Strong malt backbone, with a moderately bitter finish. Hopped with Warrior, Apollo, and a bit of Amarillo. - Hop Tropic Double IPA. 8.5%, 85 IBU. Clear gold, light head, lace. Hop-forward (Citra, Amarillo, El Dorado, Polaris. Somewhat boozy, and quite good, - Sunday Morning American Wit. 6.0%, 15 IBU. Slightly hazy gold; halo head, leaving lace. Wheat is apparent, with some orange presence. - Barrel-Aged Sunday Morning. 6.2%, 15 IBU. Slightly hazy copper; halo-and-patches. Aged three months in Zinfandel and Petit Syrah barrels, and it shows in the winy nose and taste. Noticeable yeastiness, and something suggestive of...cheese? Lightly hopped with Warrior, Citra, and Polaris. - Gear Oil Imperial Stout. 12.1%, 65 IBU. Opaque near-black, cream halo-and-patches head. Surprisingly little nose for the style. Coffee dominates the front, with a chocolate note developing late. Not as boozy as the ABV might suggest. - Surf Trip Belgian Tripel. 9.1%, 27 IBU. Near-clear gold; halo-and-patches head. Estery nose. Taste is esters, yeast, peach nectar, and perhaps a hint of mint. Definite ethanol presence. -
Alan’s 4-star review: This was my first visit to Barebottle's taproom, though I've often encountered their products elsewhere. It's an industrial space, with the taproom open to the brewing floor. Seating is mostly bare wooden tables, with benches. There's a long service bar, but few barstools. Comfy sofa at one corner. There are a number of video games and pinball machines. Food is only available from a rotation of food trucks. Daily tours are offered. Street parking can be tight. A sampler flight is offered at $12; normally four tasters, but they threw in one more. - Coconut Confidential. 5.2%. A cream ale with coconut and ginger; the name is a nod to the late Anthony Bourdain's book, Kitchen Confidential. Clear brass color; halo-and-patches head. Grainy nose. Coconut flavor is subtle, and the ginger shows up mostly as a bit of sting. - Citra Fresca Fresh Hop Hazy IPA. 6.6%. Hazy gold, large-bubble head. Aroma and taste are textbook Citra, fetched from Yakima in person by Barebottle staff and in the brew within 24 hours of picking. - Kangaroo Kush Hazy IPA. 6.5%. Hazy dull gold. Light head. Mild grapefruit nose. Dank, with stone fruit and bitter citrus notes. Hopped with Azacca, Simcoe, and Australian Summer. - My Little R2 Unit Hazy IPA. 7.0%. Cloudy gold; halo-and-patches head, leaving lace. Mild citrus and slightly perfumey nose. Dank, with tropical fruit notes. Hopped with Mosaic (but no particularly cattiness), Simcoe, and African Queen. - Very Best Bad Things Hazy Double IPA. (Somebody here is deeply into the hazy trend!) 8.0%. Cloudy gold, identical to the R2. Halo-and-patches head. Orange and peach nose. Juicy and somewhat sweet, with low bitterness. For tasting notes on five other Barebottle brews sampled at a tap takeover, see my 8/28/18 review of Albany Taproom. -
Alan’s 4-star review: Located on a side street a couple of blocks behind the Caltrain station. It's an open, rather utilitarian industrial space, though with a few nods to decor, including a red wall behind the bar and some photo blowups. Bar and table seating. TV projected on the wall. Almost inaudible background music. Limited food menu: four sandwiches, four sausage selections ($9.50 to $14), and bar snacks. I ordered a sampler flight of six house beers, at $12.00: - SF Lager. 5.0% ABV, 30 IBU. Clear gold; halo head, lacing the glass. Grainy nose. Brewed with 90% Pilsner malt, and 10% Munich light. Hopped with Sterling. A very mainstream lager flavor profile, with a slight papery note in the finish. - Cobbler Conundrum (nitro). 7.3%, 21 IBU. Clear dark amber; light head. Weak peach nose. Menu copy says there were three whole peach and blackberry pies in the mash! More bitterness than the 21 IBU would suggest, but also malt sweetness, cinnamon and vanilla notes, and some fruit character, which came across to me as more blackberry than peach. - Tradewind Tropical Stout. 5.9%, 15 IBU. Opaque very dark brown; cream halo-and-patches head. Nose is dominated by coffee. Flavor elements include coffee, roast malt, dark chocolate, and coconut. Slight salty note, too. The menu copy also claims raisin and blackberry notes, which I didn't pick up. - Sutro Tower Stout (nitro). 5.9%, 59 IBU. Opaque black, thin cream head, lace. Roast malt nose, with a slight floral component. Typical dry-stout flavor profile, with a long bitter finish. - Shanghai'd. 6.8%, 18 IBU. Dark amber; halo head. Sweet malty nose. Taste is malty and ester-y, with some Candi sugar presence; in the style of a Belgian dubbel. Boozier in taste than 6.8% would suggest. - Comfortably Rum Single-Barrel Sour. Described as a saison. 8.0%, 18 IBU. Clear brass color; halo head. Vinegar (!) nose. Taste likewise, relieved by a rum note. -
Alan’s 3-star review: I wandered into Jack's en route to San Francisco Brewing Co., down the street at Ghirardelli Square. I had no idea Jack's was still open! I came in here fairly often thirty years ago while living in the city, but somehow or other they've sort of fallen off my radar. Anyway, pretty much as I remember: a big, rather dark room, with two bars (there used to be a third upstairs), pool tables, and lots of brewery miscellanea--also a small display of Studebaker memorabilia, including models and a complete dashboard from a '57 Golden Hawk. Not surprisingly given the location, the clientele appears to include a heavy mix of tourists. About 47 craft brews on draft, in the $6-$8 range; also miscellaneous industrial beers and bottles. I had time for only one: - Devil's Canyon Deadicated (sic) Amber Ale. 5.4% ABV. Clear red-brown, light head. Taste is caramel malt, modestly bittered with Cascade. One thing left a bad impression: I gave the bartender a $20, and initially was only given change for a $10. Of course she made it up when I pointed out the error. Deliberate attempt at short-changing? Oh, who can say? I prefer to think the best of people. -
Alan’s 3-star review: This is probably the Bay Area's most scenic brewpub, with floor-to-ceiling windows along three sides of the second-floor dining room overlooking Ocean Beach, Seal Rocks, and shipping traffic en route to and from the Bay. The building is historic, and has some fine WPA-era murals. Full bar, along one side of the dining room, but turning its back on the ocean view. Large private parking lot, plus, if needed, beach parking across the Great Highway. Very busy at lunchtime on the Fourth of July, but we had a reservation, and were seated within minutes. Orders were taken promptly by a polite, attentive, but somewhat English-challenged waiter. His first day on the job, he said; he forgot to bring bread, sugar, and coffee creamer, and was unfamiliar with the beers. From the fairly extensive (and expensive) lunch menu we ordered seafood linguine Provençal (calamari, clams, mussels, shrimp, rock cod) and a ceviche trio sampler (Baja shrimp, ahi poke, and king salmon)--all perfectly decent if unmemorable. Oh, yes, the beer. I ordered the sampler set, eight 4-ounce mini-mugs for $13.95. Six full-time items, plus two rotators. My set consisted of: - VFW Golden Ale. 4.8%, 13 IBU. Clear gold; slight hop nose. Crisp and dry, with a modest level of bettering hops. Nothing to shock an industrial-lager habitué, which of course may be the idea. - High Tide Hefeweizen. 4.5%, 10 IBU. Cloudy straw-gold; halo head, lacing the glass. Almost no aroma. Lemon, banana, clove, and yeast notes; an HW in the German more than the American style. - Elevation ESB. 5.0%, IBU not stated but fairly substantial. Clear brass color, light head, not much nose. Hop-forward, but maltier than most IPAs. - Sea Serpent Foggy IPA. 5.5%, 43 IBU. Slightly hazy straw color, in the New England manner. Halo head; lace. Weak phenolic "band-aid" nose. Hops well balanced against a sweetish malt base. - Presidio IPA. 6.5%, 73 IBU. Clear bright gold, light head. Phenolic nose (a family resemblance to Sea Serpent). Strong hop presence, floral and a bit spicy. - Kentucky Common. ABV and IBU not stated. Clear bronze, light head. Indistinct nose. Caramel malt dominates the taste; little bitterness. A steam beer, but without much resemblance to the familiar Anchor. - Riptide Red Ale. 5.6%, 21 IBU. Clear red-copper, light but long-lasting head. Weak malty nose. Low carbonation. Toasty caramel malt taste. - Fleishhacker Stout. 5.6%, 42 IBU. Dark but clear brown, with gold highlights. Light but enduring cream head, leaving lace. Slight roast malt nose. Taste is roast malt and bitter chocolate. -
Alan’s 3-star review: This was my first visit to HMB's brewpub in a decade, though I've often had their brews at Bay Area alehouses. They're located a few blocks down Capistrano Street off CA-1 in the touristy Pillar Point area, overlooking the harbor, but not right on the water. Good harbor views from the patio and main dining room; not so much so from inside the taproom. U-shaped full-service bar, with one busy and rather uncommunicative bartender. Several TVs, tuned to sports programming. Unobtrusive background music. No sampler flight is offered, but all the house beers are available in 4-ounce tasters, at $2.00 each. I tried: - Clear and Present Danger IPA. 6.8% ABV, 62 IBU. Clear gold, halo-and-patches head. Mild pine and citrus nose. Taste is at once dank and a bit grassy. Hop varieties: Simcoe, Vic Secret, Citra, Ekuanot Cryo. - Buzzards of Green Hill New England IPA. 6.5%, 65 IBU. Cloudy straw-gold, halo head. Tropical fruit aroma. Dank and juicy, with pine and peach notes. Mosaic, Denali, Ekuanot, and El Dorado hops. - El Granada Mixed-Culture Brett Saison. 5.8%; IBU not stated, and really not relevant to the style. Aged over two years in Chardonnay barrels, with "a carefully-chosen blend of microorganisms" and a later addition of fresh pluots. Blended with a pomegranate saison--sort of appropriate for a brew named for the nearby El Granada district, though the Spanish noun actually should be feminine, a century-old real estate developer's oopsie--but I digress. Sourish nose. Taste is sweet, fruity, and only slightly tart; I didn't detect any particular Brett funkiness. - Calf-eine Coffee Milk Stout. 7.3%, 23 IBU. Opaque dark brown, fast-sinking one-finger head. Brewed with espresso. Coffee dominates both nose and taste. Smooth, creamy mouth feel; probably lactose is among the fermentables. -
Alan’s 5-star review: On a recent visit, the place was crowded even at one PM on a Tuesday. Doesn't anybody in this town have a job? New brews tried: - Mad River John Barleycorn Barleywine-Style Ale 2017. Approximately 10% ABV. Clear copper, one-finger head, lacing the glass. Mild caramel malt nose. Taste is caramel malt, peach, and ethanol, with some bitterness in the finish. - Tioga-Sequoia Bourbon-Barrel-Aged Vanilla Midnight Lightning. 13.6% ABV. Opaque black, cream-colored halo head. Nose reminiscent of cream soda. Intense taste of sweet roast malt, chocolate, dark fruit, and ethanol. Aged in Stranahan whiskey barrels, with vanilla beans. - Anderson Valley Wild Turkey Bourbon Barrel Stout. 6.9% ABV, rather low for the style; 14 IBU. Opaque dark brown; one-finger head. Winy, grape-y nose. Fizzy, with a rather thin mouth feel. Chocolate note, but I couldn't identify much Wild Turkey presence. Moderately boozy. Lightly hopped with Columbus and Northern Brewer. A barrel-aged version of Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. Oh, and mark your calendar: Toronado's annual Barleywine Festival opens on November 13 this year.
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