I was speaking with a buddy of mine who recently relocated to SF. He said he wanted to send me a (what will be once it arrives) belated birthday box of beer, and asked for my input. I want to be able to guide him towards stuff I haven't had, otherwise would be unlikely to get a hold of. In other words, broadly speaking I am not looking for stuff from Russian River, Lost Abbey, ect. How available are Cismontane, Sante Adairius, Societe, Beachwood BBQ, Almanac, and Hess? I think he might already have one or two of the Almanac sours, which I hear great things about. Are their non-sours worthwhile? And should I just direct him to City Beer Store?
Cismontane and Almanac can be found. The rest are doubtful in SF. There are some other threads about NorCal breweries. I would take a look at their websites and see if anything looks interesting to you City Beer Store, Healthy Spirits, and Ales Unlimited are good starts
What he said^. Cismontane and Almanac are somewhat common now, SARA can be found across the bay (though limited) and Societe, Beachwood and Hess don't leave SoCal.
