Halfway Through Beer Week, Full of Gratitude
Let’s start with the most important people to thank: you.
Thank you to every single person who has chosen to spend part of their week celebrating Bay Area beer, community, and culture with us. Events like the amazing festival we enjoyed this past Saturday only exist because people like you show up, stay curious, and continue to support small, independent breweries. We are deeply grateful.
I also want to recognize our incredible brewery community.
The Bay Area Brewers Guild represents 71 member breweries. This past weekend, 48 of them donated their beer and their labor to make SF Beer Week Fest possible. That is an extraordinary act of generosity, collaboration, and belief in what we do together.
Quite simply, our festival was a success thanks to the brewers, cellar workers, taproom beertenders, sales and marketing teams, delivery drivers, and volunteers who made it happen, and the attendees, journalists, radio-hosts, and beer advocates who helped us spread the world.
A Volunteer-Powered Organization
It’s also important for people to understand how all of this comes together.
The Bay Area Brewers Guild has no full-time employees.
Everything you see during SF Beer Week, from festivals and collaborations to hundreds of neighborhood events, depends on volunteers, member leaders, small businesses, and part-time partners who consistently step up and go far beyond what we could reasonably ask of them.
People make time after long days doing their "real jobs" to answer last-minute emails, fill kegs, hang banners, clean jockey boxes, solve problems, and fill in all sorts of gaps. This work is all done quietly and without fanfare, in the spirit of mutual aid and shared responsibility, which is the backbone of this organization. It’s what allows Beer Week to feel less like a marketing tool or a calendar, and more like a cultural institution that belongs to all of us.
Made Possible by Your Support
We can be honest. The contributions, economic impact, and cultural importance of the Bay Area’s small breweries are often under-covered by major media outlets and not always fully appreciated by local governments.
These breweries:
Create thousands of local jobs.
Anchor neighborhood business districts.
Preserve local manufacturing.
Train future entrepreneurs.
Support charities, schools, and community organizations.
And serve as gathering spaces in an increasingly fragmented world.
All at a time when owning a small business in the Bay Area is more challenging than it has been in decades.
Your support is what sustains this ecosystem. When you buy a ticket. When you visit a taproom. When you bring friends. When you share a post. When you choose local. You make it possible for us to advocate on behalf of our members and deliver for our communities year-round.
All of Beer Week’s stakeholders—brewers, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, and supporters—share one thing in common: a belief that great beer brings people together and strengthens communities. The spirit of collaboration that makes Beer Week possible demonstrates that ethos more loudly and clearly than we can at any other time of the year.
And halfway through this year’s run, we are filled with nothing but gratitude.
Our SF Beer Week Fest MVPs
The amazing members of the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild volunteered before Beer Week even began, helping distribute promotional materials throughout the region. Then, on Saturday, they were instrumental in executing one of the weekend’s most ambitious activations: the Story of 21st Century IPA booth.
In addition to six beers produced by our regional chapters, the SFHBG poured two remarkable originals: an English-style IPA from gravity cask, and “Give Us Liberty Ale, Hamdi!”—a loving homage to San Francisco’s foundational IPA.
It was a powerful reminder that homebrewers are not just hobbyists. They are caretakers of our shared brewing history.
The Guild would also like to extend heartfelt thanks to Jaqueline Jimenez and the entire team at Truly Loved Events.
Their professionalism, creativity, and tireless work behind the scenes are what made SF Beer Week Fest run as smoothly as it did. We are incredibly thankful for their partnership.
Presented By
SF Beer Fest would not be possible without our hosts:
- Barebottle Brewing Company
- Transbay Joint Powers Authority - the organization responsible for the maintenance and administration of Salesforce Park.
- The Bay Area Brewers Guild—especially our dedicated Board, whose leadership and volunteerism make everything we do possible
Lead Sponsors
We are deeply grateful to our lead sponsors:
- Pier 39 — Beer 39 runs for six more days
- Hyatt Vacation Club
- Visit Santa Rosa, who offered not only beer pong but tastes of HenHouse’s elusive Big Chicken at their booth on Saturday!
- Berkeley Yeast, who, along with Sammy’s on 2nd, Andytown Coffee Roasters, and Donut Savant, kept our brewers and volunteers fed and caffeinated all day.
- Core Cans
With Support From
We are also proud to be supported by:
- CA Draft Tech - who came through last minute with extra jockey-boxes, tools, and dispense expertise to ensure all the beer was flowing smoothly on Saturday!
Plus...
These companies, along with Core Cans, were instrumental in making our Story of 21st Century IPA collabs happen this year!
Media Partners
Thank you to our media partners who help amplify the event and the stories of good Beer People all year-round:
- Wine Country Radio
- Brew Ha Ha Productions
Still Six More Nights to Go
We’re not even at the midpoint!
There are still six more nights of programming ahead, and hundreds of ways to experience the depth and diversity of Bay Area beer.
In lieu of our usual Brew Deck event listings, we are once again directing you to sfbeerweek.org.
There, you can browse our listings by activity, participant, and location, build your own customized itinerary, and share it with friends.
Don’t know where to start? Here are a few suggestions:
TONIGHT, Tuesday 2/24
Drunken Beer History at The Rake at Admiral Maltings
Hosted by our Executive Director, Sayre Piotrkowski, this panel explores Bay Area beer history while sampling Admiral-malt-driven selections from our collaboration slate.
Story of 21st Century IPA in Six Pints at Taplands
All six Guild collaborations, side by side, in the South Bay.
TOMORROW, Wednesday 2/25
Tank Tasting & Brewery Tour at Laughing Monk Brewing
Tour and taste with brewmaster Jen Jordan.
THURSDAY 2/26
Beer Dinner at Trumer Brewery
An intimate, multi-course pairing at America’s most awarded lager brewery.
Complete ASB Takeover at South Winchester BBQ
Every faucet pouring beers from Alvarado Street Brewery, plus exclusive culinary collaborations.
FRIDAY 2/27
Cask & Queso at The Rake at Admiral Maltings
A Beer Week classic: cask and gravity pours with artisanal cheese.
1st Anniversary Party at Headlands Walnut Creek
Help Headlands Brewing celebrate the completion of year one at their Walnut Creek location: Live music, delicious beer and food.
SATURDAY 2/28
Lagerfest at Paulista
Sixteen world-class craft lagers on tap.
Beer vs. Wine Dinner Benefiting Old Skool Cafe
A five-course duel, all in support of an extraordinary cause.
SUNDAY 3/1
Big Fried Chicken Cook-Off at HenHouse Brewing Company
Sonoma County’s best fried chicken, fresh beer, and a perfect closing celebration.
This is just a fraction of what’s happening over the next six days! Head to sfbeerweek.org to explore the full schedule—and again, thank you for being part of this community.