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Bay Area Brewers Win Big Once Again

By The Bay Area Brewers Guild —
Bay Area Brewers Win Big Once Again
Craft Beer and Brewing just released its annual surgery of the Best In Beer

Last week, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine released its annual accounting of the best breweries and beers, as voted on by the publication’s deeply knowledgeable readership and editorial staff. If you’re unfamiliar, Craft Beer & Brewing is the rare publication that blends technical rigor with genuine reverence for American small breweries. It’s part brewing school, part cultural steward: a publication that both recognizes and demonstrates that brewing is an artisan discipline worthy of study, preservation, and celebration.

In a media landscape where niche beer coverage is too often seduced by hype and where mainstream food and culture writers barely acknowledge the category at all, CB&B has become both a record-keeper and a taste-maker for a generation of brewers and drinkers. Because its authority was earned through credibility, not clout, the Best in Beer list has become an honor that holds great significance for the brewers who are recognized.

And this year, Bay Area breweries showed out. 🍻

Bay Area Standouts in the 2025 Best in Beer Results ⭐

In the Small Regional Brewery category (5,000–25,000 BBL), four of the top twelve are from here in the Bay Area:

Beyond that:

  • Wondrous Brewing (Emeryville) landed on the list of the 20 Best Small Breweries in the U.S.
  • Russian River Brewing (Windsor) once again topped the Midsize Brewery category.
  • Alvarado Street’s “Double Cone” earned a coveted spot on the editors’ list of the 20 Best Beers of 2025.
  • In the “Who Brews It Best?” style-based categories, the Santa Cruz–area husband-and-wife duo of Sante Adairius and Private Press each placed:
    • Private Press among the world’s best Stout & Porter producers
    • Sante Adairius at #2 for Saison and #8 for Sour Ale

To summarize: according to the most trusted authority in craft beer, 10% of America’s very best small breweries are located right here in the Bay Area. That’s cause for celebration, and a powerful reminder of what it takes to sustain our extraordinary beer culture. 🎉

A Small Gripe (Delivered With Love)😉

It feels almost counterproductive to complain after a showing like that. But CB&B readers also ranked the country’s best beer scenes… and somehow placed the “San Francisco Bay Area” at #10.

Look: there are many great beer cities in the U.S. and around the world. But tenth?
Really?

Consider what we’re talking about here:

  • The Bay Area is where modern American craft brewing was born. Anchor Brewing rekindled this country’s appetite for regionally specific, idiosyncratic beer.
  • We host one of the most enduring and influential regional beer week celebrations in the world.
  • We are home to Admiral Maltings and their Rake pub. Admiral is the largest floor-malting craft malt facility in the United States. They are a pioneer in the craft malt movement, spearheading the return of true regional terroir in American beer, complete with a taproom pouring beers brewed from their malt.
  • Trumer Berkeley operates a public taproom which offers the most-awarded beer in the world’s most popular style in a unique, brewery-fresh, unfiltered condition that is not regularly found anywhere else on earth.
  • And thanks to our slow-food/locavore DNA, you’ll find more fresh, local beer on everyday grocery shelves here than almost anywhere else in the country.

This isn’t accidental. It isn’t guaranteed. And it certainly isn’t the kind of thing that maintains itself.

Why We Do This Work, and Why Your Support Matters

Recognition like CB&B’s reminds us how special this place is. But keeping the Bay Area a world-class beer region takes constant work: supporting breweries, nurturing talent, connecting the industry, educating drinkers, and celebrating what makes this community unique.

That’s the mission of the Guild, and it’s only possible because our breweries enjoy the support of people like you.

Thank you for helping us champion, protect, and grow one of the most extraordinary beer cultures in the world.

The best way to keep this extraordinary scene alive is beautifully simple: visit a local brewery. Every pint you drink in a taproom helps sustain the people, places, and traditions that make the Bay Area special.

If you’re looking for a place to start, here are some upcoming events across the region.

🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries


🎉 Free (Pay-As-You-Go) Public Events This Weekend!


TONIGHT - Tuesday, 11/18—Beer and Sushi Pairing at Hop Dogma
(Half Moon Bay, CA| 6:30–7:30 PM)
5 courses of delicious Hop Dogma beer and sushi pairings from the talented sushi chefs from Shiki Sushi, all for $40!
More Info –> Beer and Sushi in Half Moon Bay

Thursday, 11/20—Manzanita Release Party at Fort Point Valencia
(San Francisco, CA| 5:00–10:00 PM)
"Manzanita" is Fort Point's imaginative take on the classic German Rauchbier. It combines traditional ingredients with inspiration from the Northern California wilderness. On Thursday the beer will be paired with BBQ Oysters and other delicious treats.
More Info –> Manzanita Smoked Altbier Release in San Francisco

Thursday, 11/20—Fall Flavors Bread-Making Workshop at Five Suns
(Martinez, CA| 6:30–8:00 PM)
Join the amazing folks from Grainbakers and learn how to make your own soft pretzels, while sipping on some tasty beers from Five Suns Brewing in Martinez!
More Info –> Spent Grain Bread Baking in Martinez

Thursday, 11/20—Drag Bingo at Drakes Dealership
(Oakland, CA| 7:30 PM)
Beauty and The Brew is back at Drake's Dealership with host Sally Limon!
More Info –> Drag Bingo in Oakland

Friday, 11/21— Enterprise & Standard Deviant Brewing Collab Release
(San Francisco, CA| 3:00–7:00 PM)
Enterprise founders Cameron McDonald and Jesse Hayter worked at Standard Deviant before opening their brewery. Every year for Jesse's birthday that release a collaboration with Standard Deviant and host a great party! This year's beer is an "eminently hooverable XPA loaded with Nelson."

Sunday, 11/23— Dominoes Social at Del Cielo
(Livermore, CA| 3:30–6:30 PM)
Come to Del Cielo's Livermore taproom for an afternoon of strategy, skill, and good vibes as players face off in Dominoes Fives.
More Info –> Dominoes in Livermore

📅 Save the Dates

Sunday, 11/30— Beer Pong Tournament at Del Cielo
(Livermore, CA| 4:00–6:00 PM)
Del Cielo is hosting a Beer Pong Tournament at their Livermore Taproom! Grab your partner and get ready to sink some cups! The winning team from the tournament gets its team name added to the championship trophy!
More Info –> Beer Pong in Livermore

Saturday, 12/6— Haole Days Winter Luau at Old Caz SOMO Brewpub
(Rohnert Park, CA| Noon)
There will be a full roasted pig, poke, AND paella for the release of Old Caz's beloved Pineapple IPA
More Info –> Haole Days in Rohnert Park

Saturday, 12/13— Holiday Market at Cuver Brewing
(Windsor, CA| 3:00–7:00 PM)
CUVER’s 2nd Annual Holiday Market is a free, family friendly event showcasing local craftsmen, artists, and non-profits from across Sonoma County.
More Info –> Holiday Market in Windsor

Friday 2/20/2026 - Sunday 3/1/2026 — Beer Week 2026
(The Whole Damn Bay Area!)
The biggest and best regional celebration of independent craft beer on the planet! 
Keep up-to-date on all the events at sfbeerweek.or