A Beer Lover's Guide to San Francisco
- ablondewithabrew
- Jan 26
- 5 min read
Sourdough is not the only carb to enjoy in the Bay Area, but I do have a recommendation for that too.
I travel to the Bay Area almost every year for Thanksgiving. Over the past decade, I have explored quite a bit of the ever-changing beer scene here, but with every visit I still find more new places to check out. I narrowed down here my top breweries and beer bars that I have visited, and have also included some other activities I enjoy in the area.
San Francisco
Humble Sea Brewing Co
Originally from Santa Cruz, Humble Sea Brewing Co. has taprooms in both nearby Alameda and in San Francisco right on the popular Pier 39. I was hesitant about visiting a taproom in such a touristy area, but the SF location still has an extensive tap list and an outdoor patio right on the bay with beautiful views. In actuality, this location is perfect for tourists because of its proximity to other sights.
I think Humble Sea brews all beer styles well, but I am particularly a fan of what they call "Foggy IPAs," which are better known as Hazy IPAs. Because they offer both taster sized pours and half pours, I was able to try many.
Holy Water
Holy Water is a beer and cocktail bar in San Francisco's Bernal Heights neighborhood with an incredible tap list consisting mostly of beers from top California breweries.
Holy Water's decor pays homage to religious figures, and the bar really perfectly captures a dark, but elegant and chic, while somehow still cozy, vibe. it feels upscale, but without any snobbery aside from caliber of the tap list. I enjoy that it's particularly photogenic.
I absolutely recommend stopping here and then walking over to Cellarmaker House of Pizza nearby for dinner and more beers. I will go into more detail about Cellarmaker Brewing when I focus on Oakland breweries.
Toronado
Described by some as "legendary," many craft beer lovers proclaim Toronado as one of their favorite craft beer bars anywhere. This OG beer bar has been around for over 38 years actually originating as a dance club, although I cannot imagine this now.
Located an easy walk from the famous Painted Ladies on Haight Street, Toronado is an absolute dive bar covered in beer memorabilia with an elite tap list consisting of Belgian beers and top tier American craft beer.
Toronado is cash only and very reasonably priced considering it's location and beer quality. They don't serve any food, but outside food is welcome.
Oakland
Sante Adairius Rustic Ales
If I had time for only one brewery in the San Francisco area, I would probably pick Sante Adairus Rustic Ales. While the original location is in Santa Cruz County, their Oakland Arbor taproom is right off the BART making it super convenient. I often stop on my way to or from the airport.
Maybe Rustic Ales isn't the perfect recommendation for every beer drinker, but it is if you're like me and enjoy barrel aged beers, saisons, and beers inspired by Belgian tradition. Although, they sometimes do brew more approachable, traditional styles too.
Be prepared and save room to take home some bottles when you do visit.
Cellarmaker Brewing Company
Cellarmaker Brewing Company's pizza is so good that I couldn't only include a beer picture here. I have been a Cellarmaker fan since they only had the one location in San Francisco and didn't serve any food. The beer is reason enough to visit, but their Detroit style pizza is an added bonus.
Cellarmaker is not a brewery where you will see the same core beers again and again as they like to experiment with different hops and brewing techniques constantly brewing new beers. It's a brewery where I have enjoyed a wide variety of styles from pale ales, IPAs, saisons, and even barleywines over the course of the over ten years that I have been visiting now.
Original Pattern Brewing Co
Original Pattern Brewing Co had not been on my radar until I was looking for an open brewery near my favorite restaurant in Oakland, Shan Dong (get anything with the hand-pulled noodles).
Original Pattern's taproom is full of interesting details, like big ornate red booths, exposed brick walls, and displays of their fun can designs. The tap list is big, but not too big, with a variety of styles served by friendly staff in really nice glassware. The brewery is employee owned, so talk about supporting local craft beer!
The staff also agreed that Shan Dong was absolutely the right lunch choice!
Ghost Town Brewing
Ghost Town Brewing really has a beer for everyone. They are one of the few breweries that I think can pull off a large tap list and everything will still be delicious. In fact, their tap list is so big that I get a little overwhelmed here.
Ghost Town is spacious enough for groups, and the taproom really nails the spooky vibe, complete with coffin shaped indoor bicycle racks and skulls everywhere.
While I am typically a haze lover, I particularly enjoy Ghost Town's West Coast style IPAs. Highly recommend getting a flight here.
Emeryville
Wondrous Brewing
I typically keep to San Francisco and Oakland, but I do think it's worth venturing just 2.5 miles north of Ghost Town Brewing to Wondrous Brewing. I usually get here by bus, but it's also only a 10 minute drive.
Wondrous focuses on lagerbiers, stainless and barrel-aged, and hoppy beers. I tend to prioritize their lighter lagers and pilsners, but I also think they brew some great West Coast style IPAs. It's not often anymore that you will find a tap list without any Hazy IPAs, but that is the case here.
I really enjoy Wondrous's outdoor patio in good weather, but their interior is also bright and inviting.
Other Recommendations
Here are a couple of other places and activities I really enjoy visiting in San Francisco:
Ferry Building - The Ferry Building has many local specialty shops, restaurants, other food vendors, and places to drink. I get sourdough from Acme Bread every visit. There's also a farmers market three times a week that I like timing out my visits to enjoy.
Green Apple Books - Really good local used bookstore. After breweries, used bookstores are my favorite thing to seek out traveling.
Ride a Waymo - San Francisco is one of the few cities where you can take a trip in a driverless car. I have ridden in these a few times and have always felt very safe.
Bike the Great Highway - this 3.8 mile roadway running along Ocean Beach is completely car-free. I rented a Bay Wheels bike share bike on the Lyft app for this ride.
Golden Gate Park - This 1,017 acre park is full of things to do, such as visiting the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. It also has two wooden windmills, multi use paths, and some mild hiking. One hike I enjoy here is to Strawberry Hill towards the center of the park.
Chinatown - The largest Chinatown outside of Asia. I enjoy getting something to eat here, browsing some shops, and I always bring home fresh fortune cookies from Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory. I don't normally even like fortune cookies, but I love these.
These sights below are very well-known and touristy, but I think they're worth doing and seeing once:
Did I include all your San Francisco favorites? Or, anything you particularly want to do now that you've read this post?
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