SARA

Honestly, it's always worth a visit as far as the draft beers go. It's probably in my top3 in terms of venue and beers available in California.
I saw that Vanilla Joe is not there anymore, but it may come back so that's the 1st reason to go. The IPAs are very solid...and then you have Cellarman, Bernice on draft at the moment, those two need no introduction or extra recommendation.
You can bring your own food and the place is dog friendly in case it matters to you.

Enjoy!

 

I'll probably be the sole dissenting opinion but I don't think it's worth a visit unless they have something special available or have a bottle you're interested in. I think their hoppy stuff is pretty mediocre compared to what we have available in CA. They make some incredible beer, no doubt about it. But I think there is a pretty big gap between those incredible beers and most of the every day stuff.

 

Great vibe at SARA, and owner is a sweetheart.

 

If you go, I'd highly recommend a stop at Beer Thirty in Soquel (above 5 min from SARA). You should go to SARA for sure, but unless you are going before work lets out on a weekday, it's usually really crowded. Go, have a couple beers, then head over to Beer Thirty or Aptos St Bbq, which is close by as well.

If the weather is remotely decent, Beer Thirty blows SARA away in terms of a cool place to hang. Their taplist is updated daily on beermenus. They have excellent bottles to-go as well. You can bring food from anywhere including a couple places you can walk to. It's a huge outdoor beer garden with multiple sections including an area where dogs are allowed and another with a bunch of outdoor games. Heat lamps as well if it's getting a little chilly. They used to always have a cold brewed coffee on draft and a stout on nitro and you could get a blend of the two that was generally fantastic, which I thought was pretty unique...I haven't been in almost a year since we moved away from SJ, but it eventually replaced SARA as our go-to when we drove over the hill.

 

IMO (and for the record I'm a local homer), just about everything they make is top notch. Vanilla Joe and Simpleton would be considered the best beer at most breweries.

 

This is where you all lose me with SARA. Most? I can name at least five CA breweries where Simpleton wouldn't even crack the top five in terms of their IPAs, let alone anything else they brew.

 

Which 5 would those be?

 

Hell yes its worth the visit.

 

In no particular order:
Beachwood
Kern River
Noble
Modern Times
Cellarmaker

 

Add Russian River, Societe, Alpine and Knee Deep. More you could make a case for, but that's at least nine where I don't think there's even an argument to be had. I like SARA but let's not get carried away here.

 

Yeah. That's all I'm saying.

 

El Segundo....

10

 

Honestly if you really enjoy Saisons/Farmhouse ales, make the trip. That's why I went. They have some terrific saisons and at least three were on tap when I was there. This is the style that they are known for, plus wild ales I believe (haven't had one from them yet). If they have either tap or bottle of Saison Bernice, jump on that one for sure!

People talking about their other styles vs. other area breweries have a point, I had a few of the IPA's that were on tap and while good, you're not going to fall all over yourself for them.

Another must-stop place: Cellarmaker in San Francisco. They kill it in literally every style. Love that place...

 

It's a long drive from the South Bay (1 hr), longer if you are in the City, much longer if you are East or North Bay. You'd essentially be visiting a small brewery with limited parking (though maybe not so bad if not many bottles are for sale) that has fewer than 10 beers on tap. People have suggested good things to combine this with (Aptos is worth it, but now that they've got a place on South Winchester in Campbell/San Jose you can get the Q without the long drive), but even then it might not seem worth it to some people unless they want to do an ocean/beach thing.

 

I agree that these breweries mentioned make some damn good ipas, as well as Russian River, Alpine, and Societe. That's eight breweries scattered across the state, only 2 of which are in the Bay Area. Just remember that there are well over 500 breweries in CA.

 

We have to accommodate new money around here, don't you know.

Secondary market? Are you telling me that I was stupid for selling some of my SARA surplus to friends at cost?

 

They make tasty beer. Would drink again.