**Before we dive in, a quick reminder that our 2026 Beer Week collaboration brews begin this week, with public meet-ups following each brewday at the host breweries. You find details at the bottom of this email.** Roughly 18 years ago, the Bay Area beer scene experienced a paradigm shift. In
One idea we often return to at The Brew Deck is that beer styles are not fixed targets. They’re conversations — shaped by ingredients, technology, culture, and the people who show up to brew and drink them. That question was at the heart of a recent Brew Deck issue, “Should
The Brew Deck is back from our holiday hiatus, and with Beer Week approaching and clouds in our current forecasts, we figured now was a great time to dig into dark beer. The culinary world is fond of reminding us that we “eat with our eyes,” and the same is
Hello Beer Friends, As the year winds down, we just wanted to say thank you. In just a few short months, The Brew Deck has grown into a community of more than 20,000 Bay Area beer lovers, and we’ve been genuinely overwhelmed by your response. Together this year,
Last week, VinePair released its list of the 26 Best New Breweries of 2025. As usual, the Bay Area Brewers Guild was well represented, with two of our newest members, Livermore’s Heady Works Brewing and San Rafael’s Hidden Splendor Fine Beer Company, making the list. It was a
Guess what? You woke up this morning with just over seventy days between you and the country’s biggest and best regional beer celebration. SF Beer Week 2026 kicks off Friday, February 20th, and this year is going to be extra special. Your Subscriber-Only Perk Two years ago, the SF
As the holidays approach, many of us are searching for gifts that feel personal, thoughtful, and a little extraordinary. With that in mind, this year the Bay Area Brewers Guild would like to submit, for your gifting consideration, a category of beer ideally suited for the holiday season: The Keepsake
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
There are more than 100 breweries in the Bay Area today. The best estimates indicate that we Bay Area residents collectively spend approximately $1 billion annually on craft beer. Those numbers are staggering enough on their own—but when you add the fact that just four decades ago, only 44
,“Lagers for many craft drinkers are like rediscovering a band you haven’t listened to in a long time. There’s a reason you loved them the first time.” — Phil Emerson, Owner/Brewmaster, Olfactory Brewing Jack’s Abby, a regional lager brewery based in Framingham, MA, sells a shirt in
"We joined the Hasta La Raíz movement because standing up for human dignity is our duty—especially in times of crisis. As one of the only Mexican-owned breweries in the Bay Area, we take pride in our family history and the sacrifices that made our work possible today. We
Two weeks ago, this newsletter explored several contemporary iterations of IPA. Our section on one of the newest variants, the Cold IPA, included this passage: “Where the Hazy IPA smuggled elements of a Bavarian Hefeweizen into the IPA tent—softness, turbidity, expressive yeast—the Cold IPA does the same thing
This past Saturday, the Brewers Association announced the 2025 Great American Beer Festival medal winners, recognizing the very best beers in the United States. The ceremony—held, as always, on the final day of GABF in Denver, CO—capped off three days of festivities celebrating the nation’s brewing community.
The Endless Evolution of IPA: As American IPA splinters into haze, clarity, cold, and more, one question lingers: how many IPAs does a beer scene really need? What does a great beer scene entail? A fair answer might be one where as much of the potential spectrum of beer flavor,
Every third Thursday in November, France, Wales, and wine-enthusiasts worldwide celebrate the arrival of Beaujolais Nouveau—a young, fast-fermented Gamay wine bottled just weeks after harvest. It’s a raucous, gourmet get-down built around light, fruity, easy-to-drink wine. Here’s the thing, though: The vins de primeur (first wines) that
Imagine a wedding party so epic that the entire country got invited, and the party raged on for more than 200 years. That is the spirit that breweries, pubs, and communities around the globe are tapping into right now. Oktoberfest traces its origins to October 12, 1810, when Bavaria celebrated
For over forty years, the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) has been the premier stage for craft beer in the United States. Each October, a three-day extravaganza unfolds in Denver, CO, now hosting hundreds of breweries and approximately 50,000 guests. The long weekend culminates in an awards ceremony, where
Hello Beer Friends, We, the Bay Area Brewers Guild, are thrilled to introduce The Brew Deck, a new way to stay connected with the Bay Area’s craft beer community. This is the spot for regular dispatches from our Guild—for stories, community-connection, education, events, and insider perks from the
The Bay Area Brewers Guild is back and launching a new service — The Brew Deck — delivering timely member news to followers soon. Subscribe to stay to date and receive emails when new content as it's published!
