I didn't see a thread on this so I guess I'll ask: I will be heading out to San Francisco in a month- month and a half. Where are the best breweries to actually tour? I've done Anchor but not much else.
Honest question here, not trying to be a dick. Why tour? Why not just go there and drink? When I go to a restaurant, I want to eat. I couldn't give a shit about touring the kitchen. Walking around tanks and hoses and bags of grain seems like an enormous waste of time compared to almost anything else that could be done in a fantabulous city like SF. Anchor, I get, because of the history and art and the lots of free beer at the end. Anyone else in SF? Not so much. And to answer your question, I don't think there are any other spots with formalized tours. If you call ahead and ask, maybe someone will make an appointment with you to walk around and look at hoses and tanks and bags of grain. Or, to answer your question in another manner, there are no other breweries in SF worth touring. Drakes in "Oakland" does formal tours.
The beer bars in SF are better than the breweries except for Cellarmaker and there ain't much to see there.
Gordon Biersch in San Jose, but you may need to put together a group to schedule a tour (check their site).
What he said. And also what he said. Anchor is good because of the history; Lagunitas is good for...well, ask those who have been--but I've read enough reviews to know it's something I want to do some day. Otherwise, just go beer hunting! I'm hearing great things about Sierra Nevada's Torpedo Room over in Berkeley. Call me when you get here and I'll meet you there.
