With more than 20 breweries of the 120-plus strong Bay Area Brewers Guild hailing from San Francisco proper, the City by the Bay stands out as a beer lover’s mecca, with a deep-rooted brewing history reflected in a diverse lineup of standout breweries across the area.
San Francisco Brewing History
It all started with Anchor Brewing, which was founded in the late 1800s and rescued from near certain closure in 1965 by beer guru Fritz Maytag. From 1979 until their closing in 2023, they made their signature “steam” beer and more than a dozen others in the sunny Portrero Hill neighborhood. Though the trailblazing brewery he brought back to life is no more, Maytag inspired a new generation of brew masters who have spread out across the city (a great reason for you to explore San Francisco’s patchwork of distinct neighborhoods too).
San Francisco Breweries
Head to Haight-Ashbury for cask-conditioned brews at local favorite Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery. In the Lower Haight, sample innovative brews using yerba mate, a South American herbal tea, at Woods Beer Co. Order a MateVeza IPA or a Morpho, a tart, botanical beer made with yerba mate, hibiscus and bay leaf.
In the Financial District, Barebottle Brew Co. (which also has locations in Bernal Heights) sells homebrewing supplies and offers beermaking classes in addition. and gets especially lively after Giants baseball games at Oracle Park. Meanwhile, a few blocks south, tucked between the scruffy-hip neighborhoods of Bayview and Hunter’s Point is Speakeasy Ales & Lager, which is coming up on its 30th year of wowing imbibers with its Prohibition Ale.
Newer San Francisco Breweries
In a city known for innovation, it should come as no surprise that there will always be brewers here that like to get creative. Humble Sea Brewing Company brings its signature laid-back, surf-inspired style to the Outer Sunset, where its taproom near Ocean Beach pours hazy IPAs and inventive small-batch beers in a beachy setting. Across town in the Bayview, Laughing Monk Brewing stands out for its Belgian-inspired approach, producing everything from traditional saisons to innovative hybrids in a spacious, community-oriented brewery. Meanwhile, Fieldwork Brewing Company operates sleek locations in the Mission District and near the waterfront, known for an extensive, frequently rotating lineup that ranges from crisp lagers to hop-forward ales.
East Bay Breweries
If you’re venturing across the Bay Bridge to East Bay, you’ll land in another hotbed of craft brewing, with standouts including Drake’s Brewing Co. in San Leandro, Faction Brewing in Alameda, and Original Pattern Beer in Oakland, as well as another location of Fieldwork Brewing, the under-the-moon beer garden at Jupiter, and the raucous scene at Triple Rock, all in Berkeley.
Continuing east, you can taste your way along the emerging Contra Costa County Beer Trail, dotted with taprooms and breweries just a short BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) ride away. Or, along the coast, south of San Francisco, head to Half Moon Bay and stop in at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (which also has the Pacific Standard Tap Room in Berkeley) for local handcrafted beers.