American beer was once a sad state of affairs, but these days, State-side breweries are crafting some of the best darn suds on the market, and San Francisco has taken the art to heart.
Whether you’re looking for a sensational sour, a lofty lager or a hefty stout, Bay Area brewers are pushing the envelope on flavor and technique to produce some truly exciting ales.
See also: 8 Best Pizzas in San Francisco
Hit one of these top-notch breweries for a flight and savor all the flavors from day until dusk. We promise they’ll make the visit worth your while.
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1525 Cortland Ave. / Website
Your one-stop-shop for brews and buds, Barebottle packs unbelievable flavor into each sip and rounds out the experience with a video game arcade and food truck eats. With beers that span the rainbow of flavors and colors, you can have your fill of pilsners, sours, ales, stouts and everything in between. Get sweet with an Infinity Scones English ale, get hoppy with the Happy Hopicore Hazy Pale ale, or take a trip to the islands with the Red Whale, Tropical West Coast red lager—then play some guitar hero. Oh, and furry friends are welcome!
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1150 Howard Street; 3193 Mission Street / Website
What goes better with craft beer than hand-made pizza? At Cellarmaker, you get both! The spot in the Mission is the place to get your pie and wash it down with a delicious, small-bath brewski, but if you want to go all out and have the brewery experience, the SoMa tap room is not to be missed. Flavors are updated daily and come in cans, bottles and growlers when available. Try expertly-brewed hard seltzers, sours, ales, pilsners, lagers and more. Cellarmaker even creates wine-and-beer hybrids.
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544 Bryant Street; 2196 Market Street / Website
Balance, precision and creativity. Those are tenants by which Black Hammer makes its stand. Co-founder Jim "Hammer" Furman is a regular on the Burning Man scene, and he incorporates that world's ethics of radical inclusivity and self-expression into his loving business. Toward that end, Black Hammer brews beverages of all kinds, including some that are gluten-free and alcohol-free. The Castro location includes an indoor sausage garden and beer hall, so you can get your full Hofbrauhaus vibe on.
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1735 Noriega Street / Website
Experience the award-winning taste of Sunset Reservoir’s locally-brewed selection and curated brunch menu at its two-story tavern in the Sunset district. Grab a glass, a pint or a pitcher of their Outside Lands kolsch, made with wildflowers, fresh honey and graham cracker. The Cool, calm and cucumber gose is also a winner, with coriander and sea salt. Trust that the hefeweizens, sours and cocktails are just as yummy.
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Various locations / Website
Are you really in the Bay if there isn’t a pack of Fort Point beer in the fridge? With tap rooms and restaurants across San Francisco and Oakland, Fort Point has become a staple of the community, and you can find their beers across the country, too. While the brewery only crafts a few beverages at a time, there are some go-to favorites that are always in style. Try the light and crisp kolsch-style ale for something summery, or the tropical india pale ale when you're feeling frisky. Want adventure? Try the Berlinger Weisse with strawberries and fall in love.
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1960 Adeline Street, Oakland / Website
Just across the bridge, you’ll find a brewery so darn good, it’s scary. Ghost Town is playful with its decor and serious about its brews. With 15 barrels going at a time, this ghoulish group crafts bottles, singles and packed-cans of sours, ales, beer-wine hybrids and more, and each and every style is to die for. Try the crisp Geisterfaust pilsner when you wanna induce a summery vibe, or the Scumbag cream ale, if you dare. They even sell crowlers and growlers, so go ahead, knock your own socks off.
Photography by: Tatiana Rodriguez / Unsplash
