Best Bars To Get Local Beer In The Bay Area
Fairmont Hotel, Nob Hill(credit: Laurie Jo Miller Farr)
The tradition of handcrafted beer and the Bay Area have gone hand-in-hand for ages. In fact, the business of being small is huge. In August 2014, the Washington DC-based Beer Institute published a study reporting nearly 242,000 jobs are attributed to the beer industry in California alone, far outranking any other state. We love local beers served at Bay Area bars, some brewed right on the premises and some created with help from honey bees that call Nob Hill home.
Fairmont Hotel
950 Mason St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 772-5000
www.fairmont.com/san-francisco
Locals know that it doesn't get any better than San Francisco-brewed Almanac beer, so bring your out-of-town visitors here for a typically touristy tasting. Four beehives containing more than 100,000 busy bees are being looked after by Marshall's Farm in the posh surroundings of an herb garden atop the Fairmont Hotel. Fairmont bees produce home-harvested honey reflecting flavors from the rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, chives and lavender where they buzz. Subtle notes are found in Almanac's exclusive Fairmont Honey Saison, the Belgian-inspired ale on draft, served nowhere else but here.
Magnolia Pub in the Upper Haight, San Francisco (credit: Laurie Jo Miller Farr)
Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery
1398 Haight St.
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 864-7468
www.magnoliapub.com
Much of Magnolia's beer is brewed right here in this well-loved spot in the heart of the Haight, including creative one-offs, seasonals and experimental beers. Check the always-changing chalkboard for draught and cask selections, also listing bitterness units. A newly opened 11,000-square-foot brewing facility serves Smokestack in the Dogpatch, where 12 to 15 higher demand, greater volume brews such as Kalifornia Kölsch, Blue Bell Bitter and Proving Ground IPA are on tap. Connecting the Magnolia experience at Smokestack, custom-built tabletops and bench seating were made with wood from a black acacia tree on Haight Street that the city had to cut down.
390 Capistrano Road
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 728-2739
www.hmbbrewingco.com
This brewery pipes Mavericks Beers & Ales directly to the bar at this casual oceanfront surfer spot where handcrafted brews are named for the famous winter surfing competition. This season, Half Moon Bay pumpkins are roasted and spiced to create Pumpkin Harvest Ale, being poured right through November, along with some other winners. Mavericks Amber Ale won a bronze medal in the 2012 World Beer Cup and at the 2013 California State Fair, Ocho Barril Saison won 'Best in Show' plus gold in the Wood/Smoke Ale category. Chill out on the big pet-friendly patio, catch a Pacific sunset and come inside for good food and live music every Friday through Sunday.
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon, Oakland (credit: Laurie Jo Miller Farr)
Heinold's First and Last Chance Saloon
48 Webster Street
Jack London Square
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-6761
www.heinolds.com
Serving Berkeley-brewed Trumer Pils based on 400-year-old Austrian traditions, this is "Jack London's Rendezvous," the place that inspired the author for scenes he penned in "Call of the Wild" and "The Sea Wolf." Looking much as it did in 1883, visitors can pull up a seat to the bar where Robert Louis Stevenson and U.S. President William Howard Taft did likewise. Mind you, some say the bar's tilted, others say it's the floor. But there's no question about it, the Great Earthquake of 1906 literally stopped the wall clock that still shows 5:18, the time the quake hit. History buffs know this is California's last establishment with original gas lighting; the place is completely covered with memorabilia and the haunted rumors persist.
Serving Lagunitas at Sonoma Wine Country Weekend (credit: Laurie Jo Miller Farr)
Lagunitas TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary
1280 N. Mcdowell Blvd.
Petaluma, CA 94954
(707) 778-8776
www.lagunitas.com/taproom
The legendary pale ale is poured at the brewery open Wednesday through Sunday, with not only beer, but also live music on tap every day. Take the free brewery tour (samples included), try the secret beers on tap that never get bottled, take a 16-beer flight and munch on free pretzels and peanuts before settling into pulled pork nachos. No one goes hungry, but the word's out and the 300-seat beer garden does get crowded on weekends. There's always something different to try, the beer is fresh and delicious, the vibe is chill, the music is always playing and the patio is dog-friendly, too. Petaluma's pride and joy is well worth a drive.
