Every four years, something unusual happens. Millions of people across the planet who normally consume entertainment alone suddenly seek out other human beings. They wake up early, rearrange their schedules, and make plans with friends they haven't seen in months. They leave their couches to gather in public
Last week, we explored how some of the most interesting beers in the Bay Area right now are adjunct lagers. After decades spent chasing the biggest and the boldest, many of our breweries are becoming fascinated with restrained, crisp lager styles that craft brewers once decried as "fizzy yellow
The first few decades of American craft brewing specialized in intensity, novelty, and extremity. Meanwhile, the simple adjunct lagers that once formed the backbone of American brewing culture remained associated with industrial scale, commodity ingredients, and cultural blandness. But something fascinating has begun happening across the Bay Area. Some of
Last Saturday, Trumer Berkeley held its “Last Call” farewell event, and hundreds of Bay Area Beer People turned out. For a long time, Trumer occupied a very particular place in Bay Area drinking culture: the dependable local pilsner you could order almost anywhere. For many drinkers, it was an early
Twenty years ago, the Brewers Association launched American Craft Beer Week as a national celebration of small and independent breweries. What began in 2006 as a coordinated effort to spotlight a growing but still fragile manufacturing sector has endured through massive changes in both the beer industry and American culture.
Malt is beer’s main ingredient. In a typical recipe, it outweighs hops by a ratio of 50:1 to 100:1. Still, even the most savvy beer consumers tend to be far more fluent in hop varieties and processes than those of malt. This is understandable considering that IPA
Last week, much of the brewing industry gathered in Philadelphia, PA, for the Craft Brewers Conference, where the 2026 World Beer Cup medals were awarded. Alongside the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), which takes place annually in October, the World Beer Cup (WBC) is one of the two most prestigious
A couple of quick items before we get to the main event of this week’s newsletter: Foxtale Fermentation Project Heads Back to Television Our friends at Foxtale Fermentation Project are apparently becoming fixtures on culinary television. Following last week’s national appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Foxtale
Last week, we discussed how many small breweries are evolving into hospitality-driven destinations where exceptional food, culture, and community come together around great beer. Apparently, we are not the only ones taking notice. Over the past few weeks, two Bay Area Brewers Guild member breweries received visits from some
Last week, we explored applied descriptive sensory, the practice of translating what you perceive into clear, specific language. That skill doesn’t just help you talk about beer more clearly. It’s also the first step toward unlocking one of beer’s greatest strengths: its unmatched versatility at the table.
Brewers don’t just taste beer for pleasure. They taste it with purpose. At the brewery level, sensory analysis—the scientific process of putting beer in front of trained tasters—is one of the most important quality-control tools we have. It helps ensure that every beer leaving the brewery
Two weeks ago, we shared a survey through this newsletter and our Guild social media accounts. We were very pleased with the response: about 100 of you took the time to provide feedback, and most of your answers were thoughtful and detailed. Overall, your feedback was overwhelmingly positive. • 84% of
If you frequent the Bay Area’s leading brewery taprooms and beer bars, you have likely noticed an unusual faucet with a long horizontal handle that pulls toward the bartender. These are side-pull faucets, most famously made by the Czech manufacturer LUKR. They are a defining feature of beer
Hello Beer Friends, As 2026 SF Beer Week comes to a close, we want to begin with two simple words: Thank you. Because of your curiosity, your enthusiasm, your willingness to explore new neighborhoods, new breweries, new small businesses, and, of course, new beers, this year’s Beer Week was
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
One of the great joys of Beer Week is watching beer from small, independent breweries show up in places you’d never expect. For one incredible week each year, we expand our orbit and get reminded that great beer belongs everywhere. A Michelin-starred dining room. A one-of-a-
Beer Week 2026 begins in just 10 days, and the countdown to the best 10 days of the year is officially underway. Beer Week works because, for one concentrated stretch of time, the Bay Area’s beer community moves together. Breweries, bars, retailers, and most importantly, beer drinkers align their
Sonoma County Models a Community-Grounded, Self-Renewing Beer Economy With FeBREWary underway and Beer Week on the horizon, Sonoma County’s beer advocates are once again showing us how thriving beer communities are built: slowly, deliberately, and together. In 2020, a national database ranked beer cities based on the
Every February, as San Francisco Beer Week comes roaring back to life, it’s worth remembering how we got here. Beer Week did not begin as a marketing construct or a calendar placeholder. It started out more like a pilgrimage. Well before our app, before tap takeovers were passé, before
**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'll find details at the bottom of this email.** Roughly 18 years ago, the Bay Area beer scene experienced a
