Okay Tim :-) I guess I have to rise to this occasion. Madhu, when exactly are you in SF? I can arrange a tour for you of Anchor Steam Brewery (the original craft beer renaissance mecca in North America). I happen to know their primary brand ambassador, Bob Brewer (his real name) who is retiring this year after 30 years (so this is a limited time offer). Bob is entertaining and incredibly knowledgeable about craft beers and spirits around the world (Anchor is also a distillery of award winning Gin, Genever and Sour Mash Whiskey).
Brew pubs in SF (and Oakland) are also pretty great (although you're correct that there are currently more of them in Portland :-). Stephen O'Grady would rush in to say *real* Portland (as in Portland, ME) is the craft beer heart of America :-). Magnolia is pretty great, though. And then there are cocktails. Absinthe (mentioned earlier as a brunch and late night pick for food) is generally acknowledged as the place that revitalized the American cocktail bar) and their other place, Comstock (in North Beach)...but these days their cocktails aren't as interesting as places like Bourbon and Branch (and their much groovier new place, Tradition) in the Tenderloin, adjacent to the theatre district. Alembic in the Haight is interesting. We also like Beretta on Valencia and 23rd in the Mission, especially after 10:30pm (its just too busy before that) but you have to ask for their "special" cocktail menu. They do serve food until 1:00am, which is pretty rare. I wouldn't be a good booster if I didn't call out the Interval Bar at Fort Mason. It's a schlep, but its run by serious protogeeks and their cocktails are divine (and you can learn about their LongNow Foundation projects, including building a 10,000 year clock and supervising the de-extinction of the Passenger Pigeon and the Wooly Mammoth...yes, really). And if you really want Portland brews, there is a Rouge Brewery outlet tucked away in North Beach... <3 D On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 10:37 AM, Tim Bray <tb...@textuality.com> wrote: > Ahem. While there are fine beers in California, head north to Portland, > Seattle, and Vancouver for more and better. Portland is regarded as > America’s craft-beer capital. Enjoy joining the debate as to whether the > Pacific-Northwest approach of ever-more-heroically-hopped IPAs is glorious > or an abuse of the brewmaster’s art. To have an educated opinion you’ll > have to try LOTS of different beers. > > On Sat, Sep 27, 2014 at 1:05 AM, Thejaswi Udupa <thejaswi.ud...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > > A lot of people have covered the "food" aspect of your request, so I > shall > > talk about the drinks :) > > > > California is pretty much the craft beer capital of the world, and almost > > every place has a wide variety of brews on tap. A lot of great IPAs and > > DIPAs. Even the bottled ones are great. Lagunitas is my staple when I'm > > there, widely available and never disappointing. > > > > Some of my favourite places for beer include - > > > > - OG (Original Gravity) in San Jose downtown > > - Magnolia at Haight and Masonic in San Francisco. One of the few places > > that regularly has gruit ale on tap. There's also a very nice rare > records > > and books store right opposite. > > - Good Karma in San Jose downtown. It's a vegan cafe, and probably the > last > > place you'd expect great beer. But they always have one of the best > > selections on tap anywhere in the Bay Area. > > > > If you like the buzz of places with big crowds and much beer, try places > > like Tied House, Steins (both Mountain View), Rock Bottom (Campbell), > > Faultline (Sunnyvale), 21st Amendment (San Francisco). Gordon Biersch and > > BJ's are also crowded, but exude a lot of big-chain vibes. > > > > Sunnyvale also has an excellent meadery, neatly hidden in an old > industrial > > area. Rabbit's Foot. Apart from some excellent mead, he also has a few > > honey-flavoured beer on tap. > > > > Of course, do visit a Napa winery too. I wouldn't suggest winery-hopping > as > > some people do. Just pick one, and spend a lot of time there. Skip Robert > > Mondavi and the likes as they are likely to be overflowing with tourists. > > Try O'Brien Estate. > > > > > > -- > - Tim Bray (If you’d like to send me a private message, see > https://keybase.io/timbray) >
