Hey folks, I've been perusing various threads for breweries/bottleshops/bars in the Bay region to try to pick up ideas for the best breweries/beers in the area. I've never been to SF myself but my wife travels there ~twice a year for business. Her next trip is the first week of May and I am assembling a list of beers to try to find to bring back. She'll be starting off in Palo Alto (staying at the Hilton Garden Inn on El Camino Real) for the first couple nights before switching to the Hyatt House in Pleasant Hill for a couple days. The list of breweries I've seen mentioned most include: Alvarado Street Santa Adairius CellarMaker FieldWork Rare Barrel Alpha Acid I would very much appreciate specific recommendations on which beers might be available at the time she'll be there and where exactly she might be able to pick them up, keeping in mind she might not be able to make it to the breweries themselves. And if there are any other beers available at local bottle shops that wouldn't be available in Cedar Rapids, IA (Modern Times, Pizza Port, etc), please recommend those too. Thanks folks!
When she's in Pleasant Hill she can hit Monument Wines (right up the street) for a good bottle selection. For most of your list... unlikely to happen without lots of driving or some trades. Alvarado Street -- limited can distribution Santa Adairius -- very limited bottle distribution, limited on-site bottle sales & growler fills CellarMaker -- very limited onsite bottles, onsite growler fills FieldWork -- very limited onsite cans, onsite crowler fills Rare Barrel -- very limited bottle releases, club only growler fils Alpha Acid -- growler fills only I think
I'd add Temescal and Faction to your brewery list. One place she can possibly score harder to get cans from the places you're targeting would be Crafty Fox. Inventory varies/turns over quickly. City Beer should be able to hook you up with Modern Times, Pizza Port, and ocassionally Kern River packaged stuff.
Ok, great info - Thanks. I didn't realize they were all so hard to find. She won't have time for lots of driving, only the evenings will be free. So, then, what are the best options she would find at Monument Wines or a similar bottle shop? Any specific recommendations? If I were to send her out there with some fresh Toppling Goliath bottles, would anyone be up for a trade? Not exactly sure if any of the brand new bottles and batches have made it here yet (Xhops Pink, Thresher, Lightspeed) but I should be able to pick up some DDH PseudoSue or Zeelander with little trouble.
For bottles & cans: Knee Deep Faction Russian River (Monument gets Pliny & recently Dribble Belt) Heretic Libertine Track 7 Bike Dog Iron Springs Drake's
The more I think about this (and how draining work travel can be)... my suggestion: Spend some time shopping online @ K&L Wine, have your order held @ the Redwood City location for your wife to pick up. Have her stop by Fieldwork on her way out of town for a couple of crowlers. If she's bored, she can drive over to Monument from Pleasant Hill or hit up Calicraft and Farm Creek for crowlers.
i live a few blocks from the hilton in palo alto. the nearby whole foods has a decent selection but palo alto fine wine & spirits is the best bottle shop in the area and very close by as well...you can find them on beermenus.com
To help keep your wife from running all over town, and come up empty handed.... Go to KLwines.com , go crazy buying stuff. KL gets most all Cali distributed beers. Select pick up in SF. Has to be her card used though.
