SF Beer Week 2016, Jan. 22-31, to Feature Hundreds of South Bay Beer Events
The main benefit – as I see it – of Santa Clara hosting the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 is that local beer fans will have the opportunity to experience SF Beer Week earlier than usual, Jan. 22-31.
Eager folks can start planning their calendar now as the San Francisco Brewers Guild recently launched the first round of beer-related events on sfbeerweek.org. Website visitors can create an account, browse the Schedule for the list of events and create an itinerary. Note that hundreds of events will be added between now and the start of beer week.
South Bay Region
A quick check of the Schedule’s South Bay region already shows a number of local events scheduled to take place, including events featuring Santa Clara Valley Brewing, Hermitage Brewing, Harry’s Hofbrau (both the San Jose and Redwood City locations), Original Gravity Public House, Wine Affairs, The Beerwalk, Stuft Pizza Milpitas, Fibbar MaGees, Devil’s Canyon Brewing, Ale Arsenal and Armadillo Willy’s.
A few early event highlights include annual mainstays, like The Beerwalk in San Jose’s Japantown (Sat., Jan. 23, 2pm-6pm), Wine Affairs’ Double Blind Double IPA (Sat., Jan. 23, 5pm-9:30pm), DIPA Festival at The Standby (Tues., Jan. 26, 5pm-11pm), Firestone Walker Roots of Anniversary Ale with the Brewmaster at Harry’s Hofbrau (Thurs., Jan. 28, 3pm-11:30pm), Sour Fest at Original Gravity (Sat., Jan. 30, 12pm-11:30pm) and the South Bay’s annual crown jewel Meet the Brewers Beer Festival at Hermitage (Sat., Jan. 30, 1pm-5pm).
Santa Clara Valley Brewing (SCVB), in particular, has embraced this year’s beer week with a whole host of unique events, including, among others, SCVB Collaboration Release at Original Gravity (Sat., Jan. 23, 12pm-11:30pm), SCVB Beer Tasting and Homebrew Info. Session with Peter at Wine Affairs (Mon., Jan. 25, 5pm-9pm) and SCVB Beer Dinner (Wed., Jan. 27, 7pm-9pm).
SF Beer Week Opening Gala
The Opening Gala officially kicks off SF Beer Week each year and is a highlight for many. The Gala is a beer festival that features the latest releases, rare selections and classics from Northern California’s brewing community. This year’s Opening Gala takes place at Pier 35 (1454 Embarcadero, SF) on Jan. 22, 6pm-10pm. The lineup of the more than 100 breweries confirmed to participate was announced earlier this week.
San Francisco:
21st Amendment Brewery, Almanac Beer, Anchor Brewing, Barrel Head Brewhouse, Bartlett Hall, Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant, Black Hammer Brewing, Black Sands Brewery, Cellarmaker Brewing, Fort Point Beer, Harmonic Brewing, Holy Craft Brewery, Laughing Monk, Local Brewing, Magnolia Brewing, Old Bus Tavern, Pine Street Brewery, Pizza Orgasmica & Brewing, San Francisco Brewing, Social Kitchen & Brewery, Southern Pacific Brewing, Southpaw BBQ, Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, Sunset Reservoir Brewing, ThirstyBear Organic Brewery, Triple Voodoo Brewing & Tap Room and Woods Beer.
East Bay:
Alameda Island Brewing, Ale Industries, Altamont Beer Works, Auburn Alehouse, Benoit-Casper Brewing, Berryessa Brewing, Bison Brewing, Buffalo Bills Brewery, Calicraft Brewing, Cleophus Quealy Beer, DasBrew, Inc., Diving Dog Brewhouse, Drake’s Brewing, Dust Bowl Brewing, Eight Bridges Brewing, Elevation 66 Brewing, Epidemic Ales, Federation Brewing, Ghost Town Brewing, Heretic Brewing, High Water Brewing, Hoppy Brewing, Knee Deep Brewing, Hew Helvetia Brewing, Ol’ Republic Brewing, Pacific Coast Brewing, Rubicon Brewing, Ruhstaller Brewery & Taproom, Schubros Brewery, Tahoe Mountain Brewing, The Rare Barrel, Track 7 Brewing, Triple Rock Brewing, Trumer Brauerei and Working Man Brewing.
North Bay:
101 North Brewing, Anderson Valley Brewing, Baeltane Brewing, Bear Republic Brewing, Cooperage Brewing, Eel River Brewing, Fogbelt Brewing, HenHouse Brewing, Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Lost Coast Brewery, Mad River Brewing, Marin Brewing, Mendocino Brewing, Moonlight Brewing, Moylans Brewing, Napa Smith Brewery, North Coast Brewing, Petaluma Hills Brewing, Russian River Brewing, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Sonoma Springs Brewing, St. Florians Brewery, Third Street Aleworks and Woodfour Brewing.
South Bay:
Alpha Acid Brewing, Armstrong Brewing, Devil’s Canyon Brewing, Discretion Brewing, El Toro Brewing, Faultline Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing, Freewheel Brewing, Gordon Biersch Brewing, Half Moon Bay Brewing, Hermitage Brewing, Highway 1 Brewing, Hop Dogma Brewing, Palo Alto Brewing, Santa Clara Valley Brewing, Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Strike Brewing, Tied House Brewery & Cafe and Uncommon Brewers.
Local food vendors include Alicia’s Tamales, Bacon Bacon, The Boneyard, The Chairman, Del Popolo, El Sur, Good Foods Catering, Rosemunde and Whole Foods Market.
Consider purchasing tickets sooner than later, as tickets to the Opening Gala have sold out quickly in recent years. Visit the Opening Gala Eventbrite page for additional information and to purchase tickets ($80).
About SF Beer Week
Every year since the San Francisco Brewers Guild launched one of the country’s first beer weeks (2009), the celebrated Bay Area institution has upped the ante in curating standout Northern California craft beer events featuring the 25 Guild breweries and additional Northern California-based breweries. SF Beer Week has evolved into a top international destination with hundreds of events hosted by renowned breweries, acclaimed restaurants, bars, and retailers spanning the greater San Francisco Bay Area from Santa Cruz to Santa Rosa.
About San Francisco Brewers Guild
The San Francisco Brewers Guild formed in 2004 as a non-profit 501 (c)(6) during a renaissance in American craft brewing. Our mission is to restore and preserve San Francisco’s brewing heritage and unite those who make local beer with those who love it. The Guild achieves this by educating the public about craft beer, organizing and hosting events such as SF Beer Week, Brews on the Bay and Meet the Brewers, advocating for the craft beer industry in city government, donating services and product to local charities, and partnering with artisan producers in the food, beverage, hospitality and agricultural industries.
[This post was shared on Examiner.com.]