I will be traveling to San Francisco on October 9th to October 14th and I plan on bringing back a collection of beers unavailable or hard to fine in Columbus, OH. I would love any recommendations on bars,brewpubs, beer stores, breweries and beers to search for while I'm there. All the important B's I'm a HUGE fan of sours and other tart beers. I do love my IPAs, Stouts and Saisons but please if you have a suggest of one your favorite beers please post it here. Thank you ahead for your advice,suggestions and comments. I appreciate the guidance.
I'll be there from 10/10 to 10/13 and coming from San Diego so I'll be all IPA'ed up. Where are you staying? I'll be near the wharf. I've done some research but if you're not in the same part of town, it's probably going to be useless. Do a little research yourself with the places tab. It's alot of fun finding out what's around.
Look for Almanac Farm to Barrel series. No brainer RR sours, FfaC should still be on draft at the pub. Wine country ru gonna be in Napa(silverado trail) or Sonoma county? Head down to SARA if you have a car. I don't live in the city but you will have no problem finding bottle shops with a google search. Logsdon farmhouse ales from OR, Deschutes. We lived in Clintonville for almost a decade, have a great trip to SF.
Go by AT&T park area. Baseball season is over in San Francisco, so the parking will be find. It is a great place to walk around and there is a fantastic microbrew place walking distance from the ballpark - 21st Amendment Brewery Café'. Also a great restaurant close to there is Paragon Restaurant and Bar - great tap selection.
Bottle list at Toronado is a good idea, though be warned their prices are higher than you'd find at a bottle shop. That said they do sell some RARE bottles, albeit many of those will be priced at $75 for what is often 375ml of beer (too rich for my blood). City Beer Store is another good bet, can snag some fun bottles there and their prices tend to be pretty fair (plus a fun tap list typically). If you can get over to the East Bay, check out Berkeley Bowl West and Ledger's Liquors in Berkeley; both have amazing selections (especially the latter).
P.S. If you hit up Ledger's Liquors on Wednesday after 3:30PM, they'll have fresh Pliny the Elder on the shelf. It usually sells out same day, and the shipment arrives around 3PM.
Always order a draft before asking to see the bottle list at Toronado. That is, if you actually want to see the bottle list.
