Fort Point Beer Hall Turned Seafood Spot in San Francisco

On August 25, Fort Point Beer Company relaunched their menu for their Valencia Beer Hall in the Mission District of San Francisco. Valencia had a rocky start, opening in the fall of 2019. They unfortunately had to close their doors like so many others. With this menu relaunch they wanted bring a sit down seafood experience to another part of the city that holds a special place for Dina Dobkin, Chief Brand Officer. “The neighborhood has definitely changed over the years but it continues to feel like the heart of food, beverage and art in SF,” says Dina. “…opening a location there just felt like a no brainer. We were super lucky to find an incredible historic building with great bones, and very special neighbors: local bakery Craftsman & Wolves and fellow manufacturer, Dandelion Chocolate.”

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BREAKING | New Laws Bring Relief to California Breweries

The end of September brought great news out of Sacramento, California, as Governor Newsom signed the final bills of the ’21-’22 congressional session. Among the various bills signed were AB 2301 and 2307, which have removed several hurdles for the ever-expanding brewery industry in California. The first added some nuance to the three-tiered system to allow breweries some self-governance, and the second allowed breweries to continue to expand the communities they serve.

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Event Recap | Session Beer Fest 2022

The Bay Area is known for its temperate climate; this past Saturday, it delivered. People enjoyed a gorgeous sunny day as they meandered through Snow Park, which sits adjacent to Lake Merrit. The chilled attitudes and low ABVs at Session Beer Fest 2022 all added up to a laid-back event that felt more like hanging out at one’s favorite beer garden rather than an organized beer festival. It’s one of the aspects that Lauren Young Mortensen, Marketing and Events Manager of Drake’s Brewing, loves about this event.

“Session Fest is a celebration of delicious low ABV beers, amazing people, and the good vibes that come with them. I love this festival because you can join in as new or seasoned drinker to experience amazing local craft beer, and inevitably contribute to the energy that is Session Fest. With an ABV cap of 5% or less, this fest shifts the focus from “what’s your highest ABV?” to amazing flavor and brewing talent.” As their motto says, Less is More.

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Event Preview | Session Fest 2022

It’s been three years since Drake’s Brewing Co. has been able to throw their summer classic with Bike East Bay. But Session Fest is finally back for its eighth year, this Saturday. With no beer over 5% being poured, it is meant to be an easy going afternoon where you get to sample the lower-end ABVs that breweries have to offer. Hopefully, this makes for hangover-free Sunday the next day.

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Ultimate Variety 12-Pack | Beers for Presidents of the United States

July 4th is celebrated throughout the United States in honor of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. Since the first rager to signify us cutting ties with the British Empire, drinking has always been apart of the festivities. Today the day is most commonly celebrated with backyard barbeques, fireworks, and of course beer. We have a long history of beer lovers in our highest government office, and those original Founding Fathers would be proud of how far we have come.

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21st Amendment & CLS Hop Farms | Close Encounters of the Hop Kind DIPA

21st Amendment recently released their Imperial IPA collaboration with family-owned hop farm, CLS Farms. Close Encounters of the Hop Kind is a Double IPA using some of the new and innovative hops coming out of Yakima Valley. Eric Desmarais, co-founder of CLS, was on hand at a recent event to walk people through the process that brewers go through to chose certain hops. Using El Dorado, Cashmere, Zappa, and their new CLS-X14 as examples for what different hops evoke and express.

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2 Days 2 Nights | Scottsdale, Arizona: Spring Training Edition

Northeast of Phoenix, Scottsdale comes alive every spring training when the Cactus League brings the deprived baseball fanatic out of their winter hibernation to enjoy the sunshine and the promise of a new season. With 10 stadiums in the greater Phoenix area, there are two that call Scottsdale home. With cities that have suffered for lack of tourism in recent years, there is an excitement to finally be welcoming back the influx of commerce and community. With an abundant nightlife, several golf courses, casinos and spas, Scottsdale can give an exciting vacation to any traveler.

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Event Recap | East Bay Kick-off Party SF Beer Week

With Covid numbers surging yet again in the winter of 2021, the Bay Area Brewers Guild knew that they would have to go with an alternate plan for the kick off to Beer Week. The usual opening gala for the start of San Francisco Beer Week would have to be split up, five different venues, each one in a different region of the Bay Area. As I did not have the time or liver to do all five in a night, only one was attended.
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Modern Times Beer To Close Four Locations

Modern Times Beer announced on Monday via their Instagram accounts and a blog on their website that they will be closing four of their satellite taprooms. Los Angeles, Oakland, Portland, and Santa Barbara will all be closed for good after Friday, Feb 18.

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Event Preview | San Francisco Beer Week 2022

With somehow only a year without San Francisco Beer Week, this weekend marks its comeback. February 11-20 brings with it 10 days of beer fests, brewery activities, and beer releases. Although the usual grand, almost 150-brewery attended, gala that usually kicks off the week has had to be altered, it’s good to see that such an anticipated yearly event has returned.

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Pennyweight Craft Brewing | Jefecito Milk Stout

With original plans to open in March of 2020 in downtown Livermore (California), Pennywight Craft Brewing quickly had to shift focus. Like so many other breweries, the constant change in recommendations and rules left them to think on their feet. As soon as local regulations allowed, they started selling growlers and crowlers and even managed to have a full kitchen up and running by late June of 2020. Tenacity and focus were requirements to stay afloat.
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Native Land Beer Project | A Celebration of Indigenous Lands

Bow & Arrow Brewing Co. out of Albuquerque, New Mexico opened in 2016 and is the first Native Women-owned brewing company in the country. Being a part of the .1% of breweries in the U.S. owned by Native Americans, they wanted to use their platform to make a difference in their community.

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Almanac Beer Co. | Rocktoberfest

Traditional Oktoberfest beer is usually brewed in September, in line with the two-week festival that takes place in Munich each year. But you shouldn’t count these Lager beauties out as we transition from spooky season to the holiday season. Their light sweetness and crushable nature make them a perfect addition to fall.

From tailgating to apple picking, Rocktoberfest from Almanac Beer Co. should be a part of your fall activities. Brewer Phil Emerson suggests taking it out in nature, “Hiking! Living close to Joaquin Miller park I enjoyed this beer a few afternoons with my pup while soaking in the view of the bay.”

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East Brothers Beer Co. | Bo Pils

Labor Day weekend has come and gone, and although our crispy boi summer has given way to the fresh wet hop beers, Oktoberfests, and spiced gourd goodness of pumpkin beers, you can always count on Bo Pils from East Brothers Beer Co. to be a year-round crushable. Named for the historic East Brother Light Station that sits in the San Francisco Bay, Co-Founders Chris Coomber and Rob Lightner opened their taproom in 2016 to bring their joy of traditional style brewing to their community.

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Laughing Monk Brewing | Sister Britney Hazy IPA

Pop Culture references are always a hit in the beer scene. Whether references to songs, or puns on band names, or pivotal cultural events, there is no shortage of choices. You’ll usually catch a few eyes and maybe a chuckle or two when people remember where they were, or all the words to a song they forgot they knew. But every once in a while it lands with more serious tones. In February of 2007 Britney Spears, overwhelmed with being constantly scrutinized by the paparazzi and public, walked into a Salon and took an electric razor to her hair.

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Imperiale Beer Project | Masa Brentwood IPA

What started with a large genus of the American IPA further whittles down to your West Coast IPA and New England IPA, and even giving states their own with the Colorado IPA giving rise in the mid-2010s. But getting as niche as a city? Brentwood, California is a small city that sits on the fringes of the East Bay but can feel worlds away with its vast array of farmland that surrounds the adorable downtown. Mostly known for their cherry, peach, and corn production and a smattering of u-pick-it farms, this small community just got its first brewery. The newly minted Imperiale Beer Project wanted to pay homage to the agricultural background of the city they call home with their Masa Brentwood IPA.

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First Beer After Baby | A Nine-Month Dilemma

It was a warm spring day and as I listened to some Lake Street Dive it seemed like as good a time as any to take a pregnancy test. My husband and I had just started trying to have a baby, so I was keeping my expectations low. I stood there dreaming about my latest curbside pickup from Temescal Brewing, popping one open in my quarantine safe backyard and soaking in some sun. Three minutes later, there it was. A big beautiful positive. A positive pregnancy test brings with it a hurtling roller coaster of emotions, even when expecting and hoping for it like I was. The first wave was part holy shit part happy tears, and the second came with a twinge of sadness that I wouldn’t be crushing a can of craft for at least nine months.

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Ghost Town Brewing | Toonces Pale Ale

Label art can tell you a lot about a brewery. It’s a bonus in such a saturated market to not only have label recognition for your devotees but also grab the attention of the bottle shop browser. In Northern California you can spot the iconic Anchor Steam from across a liquor store, you know the pastel puns of Humble Sea will always be pleasing, and in the East Bay, the metal-inspired labels of Ghost Town Brewing are always eye-catching.

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Ultimate 6er | Father’s Day 2020

Father, Dad, Pops, whatever you call your fatherly paternal figure in your life, means you will probably be planning gifts or plans for this Sunday the 21st. This year will be the 110th iteration of the holiday that started in 1910 in Spokane, Washington, and it’s going just as strong as ever. For the craft beer crowd, there can be no better gift than sharing the beers you have fallen in love with. Here are some specially picked our for the father figure in your life.

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Cooperage Brewing Company | McCurty Cove

This beer was bought, saved and finally drank with hope. Hope that baseball will come back in some capacity this season. However, the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be getting further away as the MLBPA and MLB struggle for power in their latest negotiations. So while waiting with bated breath and crossed fingers we can at least pop a few crisp beers and reminisce about some of our favorite McCovey Cove bombs.

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