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 brewing concerns operated 83 breweries in the entire country, it can feel miraculous.

For those of us in the industry, it’s easy to take the current beer landscape for granted. When we’re deep in the day-to-day of navigating an evolving market, we tend to forget that our thriving beer scene and the culture it has fostered didn’t just appear one day. It was built with intention.

Back in 1998, the city of San Francisco was home to seven brewpubs, and six of them got together to brew the same beer. They called the project and the Hoppy Pale Ale recipe at its center, “Duplicale.” Each brewery produced a batch of Duplicale fermented with its own house yeast. Then, all six versions were presented at a Brewpub Conference hosted in San Francisco that year.

At the conference, those breweries—Magnolia, Thirsty Bear, Beach Chalet, 20 Tank, E&O Trading Co., and San Francisco Brewing Company—poured Duplicale side by side and invited attendees to visit each of their pubs.

The Duplicale collaboration was a first for many involved, and it became the model for our Guild. It showed what could happen when brewers collaborated, shared customers, and treated each other as co-conspirators rather than competitors. That spark became a conversation, those conversations became regular meetings, and those meetings led to the formation of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and, in turn, the seed for what would become one of the nation’s most successful and enduring Beer Week celebrations.

The can-do collaborative beer people who started this Guild believed that local beer was worth working together for, and worth partying about!

As we look ahead to Beer Week 2026, we’re channeling everything we’ve learned from a decade and a half of Beer Week history to make sure that this year's celebration is a party the entire Bay Area can’t imagine missing. Beer Week 2026 will be our best yet.

This year’s marquee Guild event will be the second annual Beer Week Fest at Salesforce Park, bringing together thirty member breweries, great food, live music, and entertainment in one of San Francisco’s most extraordinary public spaces.

Here’s where you come in: the Guild’s story has always been written by the people who showed up. Brewers, beer-tenders, and beer-lovers who believed Bay Area beer was something to build together. Beer Week 2026 is your chance to be a part of our next chapter.

Early-bird tickets for Beer Week Fest will go on sale soon and are expected to sell out quickly. As a Brew Deck subscriber, you’ll get first access to a limited batch of discounted tickets.

👉 So keep an eye on this newsletter, make sure all of your beer people are subscribed, follow @SFBeerWeek on your favorite social platform, and when the moment comes, head to sfbeerweek.org to plan your week and be part of Bay Area beer history in the making.

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🍻 Upcoming Events Featuring Our Member Breweries

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

TODAY! Tuesday, 11/11—Veterans Day Celebration at Epidemic Ales
(Concord, CA| 3:00–8:00 PM)
Every year Epidemic brews "DD-214" IPA with local Navy, Army, Marines, and Air Force Veterans. The beer uses Yakima Chief Hops Veteran’s Hop Blend, whic is chosen each year by military Veteran brewers. Buy one, Get one, taproom special all day for Veterans and Active Duty Military.
More Info –> Veterans Day Beer Release in Concord

TODAY! Tuesday, 11/11—Fathers Brewing at the Marine Corps Ball
(Livermore, CA| 5:00 PM –close)
Celebrate Veterans Day, and the 250th Anniversary of The US Marine Corps at the newly-opened, Stampede Livermore with the Bay's "clean beer" champions, Fathers Brewing!
More Info –> Veterans Day Celebration in Livermore, CA

TODAY! Tuesday, 11/11—Puzzled Pint At Triple Rock Brewery
(Berkeley, CA| 6:00–9:00 PM)
Drink delicious beer at the historic Triple Rock brewpub in Berkeley, while solving brain teasers!
More Info –> Puzzling in Berkeley

Friday, 11/14—Custom Pet Tag Workshop at Oakland United
(Oakland, CA| 6:00–8:30 PM)
Make your own custom UV-resin pet tags or keychains with the folks from Paint Your Pet! Personalize yours with your pet’s name, or turn them into keepsakes.
More Info –> Vinyl Celebration in Livermore

Sunday, 11/16—Livermore Record Show at Del Cielo
(Livermore, CA| 1:00–6:00 PM)
Dig through the crates and discover your next favorite record at Del Cielo's new Livermore brewery location!
Browse new and used LPs and 45s across every genre from some of the best rare vinyl vendors in California.
More Info –> Vinyl Celebration in Livermore

Monday, 11/17—Soft Pretzel Making Workshop at Canyon Club
(Danville, 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 delicious Canyon Club brew at their Danville brewpub.
More Info –> Pretzel Making in Danville

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

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📅 Save the Dates

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

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

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, 12/13— 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.org