Hi all, I'll be attending the 2016 SFCBW Opening Gala for the second year in a row and this year was hoping to take a little more informed approach. The participating breweries have been announced and I was hoping for a little input from locals. I'm aware of the bigger name, more popular breweries participating in this year's event but was hoping someone could tell me about some of the smaller breweries or maybe lesser known (nationally) breweries they're looking forward to. Your feedback is appreciated and I'm looking forward to running into some of you BAs there!! Thanks!
Whew, Team Soma is stacked. Check out Sunset Reservior and Beach Chalet based on the spots rather than the beer, but I'm sure you'll find at least one brew worth drinking at each spot. Social Kitchen is okay. Black Sands is a cool spot with homebrew ingredients. Old Bus Tavern is a cool new spot, but I think the food is better than the beer. Make sure you hit Cellarmaker, the best brewery in SF. Check out The Rare Barrel and Fieldwork in Berkeley if you have time. Cheers. SF Brewers Guild – Team Noma North of Market St. Barrel Head Brewhouse Bartlett Hall Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant Black Sands Brewery Fort Point Beer Co.** Headlands Brewing Co. Holy Craft Brewing Co. Pine Street Brewery Pizza Orgasmica & Brewing Co. San Francisco Brewing Co. Social Kitchen & Brewery Sunset Reservoir Brewing Co. SF Brewers Guild – Team Soma South of Market St. 21st Amendment Brewery Almanac Beer Co. Anchor Brewing Co. Black Hammer Brewing Co. Cellarmaker Brewing Co. Harmonic Brewing Co. Local Brewing Co. Magnolia Brewing Co.** Old Bus Tavern Southern Pacific Brewing Co. Southpaw BBQ Brewing Co. Speakeasy Ales & Lagers ThirstyBear Brewing Co. Triple Voodoo Brewery Woods Beer Co.
Is the SF Beer Week opening gala a complete madhouse? How long should I be expecting to wait in line for pours? My mental image pictures Disneyland-like lines of chaos and pain. Except that beer awaits one at the end of the line instead of Small World.
I had a great time at it last year. It was relatively packed (and got more packed as the evening progressed), but really no lines were terribly long (except for Pliny the Younger/Russian River, which was insane) and I was able to enjoy everything I wanted to try (except for Pliny, which won't be there this year) with no problems.
Was there last year and the lines weren't bad. The Russian River line was probably the longest of any line at the event but even that wasn't too bad, maybe a 5-10 minute wait. Also, if I remember correctly, there was no PtY last year and most definitely will not be there this year. It seemed as the evening went on and people had the opportunity to try more beers, word spread amongst the crowds as to which beers were a "must try". So you would have lines sporadically form at those particular booths where early on there was no wait. All in all the wait times were relatively short and with so many offerings your glass should always remain filled.
How's it been getting into the event, with 3000 people, are there long lines? First timer tonight, looking forward to it, after pre-gaming at Cellarmaker of course.
