Best San Francisco Breweries, Beer Bars, Taprooms, Craft Beer Stores Bay Area
Best Bay Area breweries, taprooms beers. Best San Francisco craft beer bars, beer stores. SF Bay Area craft beer recommendations. Famous San Francisco Bay Area breweries. Where to drink beer in SF.
Last updated: April 23, 2024
Note, this is not a directory. These are my notes of breweries, bars, bottle shops, taprooms and grocery stores I have accumulated over the years. If I haven’t included your place, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out.
My focus is on the beer for this list; not where to drink outside, not where to take your kids/dogs, and not places that are most convenient for tourists. These are bars, bottle shops, taprooms, grocery stores, wine bars w/ beer, cocktail bars w/ beer & breweries.
Best San Francisco Craft Beer Stores, Best Beer Taprooms SF, Best Bay Area Breweries
My preferences are largely around lagers, pilsners, WCIPA’s, dark/bitter stouts, some hazy IPA’s, nelson hops/nectaron hops and sour beers (specific beer recs below).
Other lists online are more like directories listing every beer bar or every brewery location. Like all the items on my site, this is my curated list for San Francisco, Marin, Oakland, Berkeley, Peninsula.
This list is for those who:
are passing through and don’t have much time
want nuance across offerings in beer types, ambiance
appreciate classic styles of beers and less about seltzers, fruited sours, diabetes stouts and ordering ‘hazy ipa’s’
are looking for wine bars with the best beer selection
are locals and looking to show guests around
want to know the best areas for nearby food or other bars
I spent way too much time making this. It doesn’t make sense.
This list of places is in no particular order. It will be updated over time with more places, details, and events. I added a Google Maps with places on the list below.