San Francisco Beer Enthusiasts

This should probably be in the Pacific forum. For tours, you might have some luck with Anchor. Check their site. For stellar beer at a brewery, I'd recommend Cellarmaker. Then go around the corner to City Beer and load up anything you want to take home. The staff will have better recommendations than I, since I don't know their current inventory. I'm sure you won't be disappointed. CM opens at 3pm and CBS opens at noon. Cheers!

 

I'd go to Anchor

as for bars, I'd hit Monk's Kettle and Toronado

for purchasing beer to go, City Beer Store

 

Why do you want to tour a brewery? IMO, once you have toured one, you've seen everything you will see at practically every other brewery on Earth. Look, grain bags! Hops! Bright tanks! Mash tuns! A bottling line! Bottles! Hoses! Men with beards!

Just go to one, do some tasting, ask to chat with a brewer if they are available, you'll learn far more that way.

Yes, the Anchor tour is awesome. It is likely too late to make reservations for the 10:00 am or 1:00pm tours (the only ones each day) as reservations for that book up many weeks (if not months) in advance. Your one chance is to call them every day and see if anyone cancelled.

 

This is my take on tours as well. I'll only go on one now if that's the only way to get free samples at the end or if I've been told that the stories they tell on the tour are great. I've done four or so in my day and all were pretty much the same thing. That being said, I would like to do Anchor's tour as that's the only way to get in the building from what I understand.

OP, are you trying to do something beer related without actually drinking? Is that why you want a tour? Honestly, the breweries in the city not named Cellarmaker (you can get 32oz growlers there to bring home) or Smokestack (more so for the bbq than the beer) are hardly worth going to. It's the beer bars that are king in the city.

As for beers to take home, any Almanac sour is recommended. Any other beer by them is not. I don't think you can get Alesmith, Logsdon, or Cascade in NJ.

 

Gotta pack them in checked luggage. No issues beyond that and secure packing on your part.

 

I'd hope the TSA would stop bombers from getting on a plane.

As for bringing beer in your checked luggage: it's not illegal, it's just frowned upon. Like masturbating on a plane.

 

Not really what you asked for but have to mention La Trappe. It's an amazing beer bar underneath a restaurant in North Beach. If you're nearby check it out!

 

It's not even frowned upon if you have it packed well.

 

I got hassled by United at SFO, bag made sloshing sounds and they insisted I buy a very overpriced styro shipper at the airport. Never had any issues with any other airlines.

 

Gratz on a successful visit!

 

to kinda piggy back on this thread, anywhere good in the embarcadero area? My hotel and office are there. Hoping to grab a drink next friday.

 

If it's close to the bay bridge, city beer and cellarmaker are walkable or easily reached via public trans. If you're more north on it, there's la trappe and church key in north beach.

 

thx chcfan! Church Key might be perfect. Staying at teh Hyatt Regency (off is at the Rincon Center). Looks like it's a little under a mile away.