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From warehouse breweries to intimate inner-city pubs, here are the best Bay Area breweries.
It’s no surprise that the region that invented American beer in the late 1800s has also been a leader in the micro-brewery boom. Anchor Brewing Company arguably started it all with its steam ale that was naturally cooled on San Francisco’s foggy rooftops. Since then, several other breweries have joined the ranks and spread out from the City by the Bay. Here’s our list of the best Bay Area breweries.
Anchor Brewing Company
This legendary brewery was one of the first and last to produce the California common beer, or “steam ale.” Today, the Anchor brewery is located in a Portrero Hill warehouse and produces a popular IPA, the Liberty Ale, among other local favorites that visitors can learn about during the company’s in-demand brewery tours.
21st Amendment
Most famous for its canned IPA, emblazoned with the slogan “Brew Free or Die,” 21st Amendment runs a pub in SoMa that’s a hot spot after Giants games (it’s near AT&T Park). Good thing the company is opening a second brewery in San Leandro across the Bay.
Speakeasy Ales and Lagers
Paying homage to the Prohibition era, Speakeasy Ales and Lagers features an intimate bar in the Hunter’s Point district. Pull up a stool or settle into the leather couch for a Prohibition Ale or Big Daddy IPA and feel thankful that we can both imbibe legally and experience a 1920s style drinking den.
Linden Street Brewery
This Oakland institution is serious about its malts, Northern California hops (grown with the brewery’s help in Hopland) and proprietary yeast strains. The brews are small-batch and tuned to tradition, but they’re always changing depending on the best ingredients available.
Drake’s Brewing
Probably the East Bay’s most famous brewery, founded by a former Triple Rock brewer from Berkeley, Drake’s got started in 1989. The original English-style ales have become more West Coast in flavor. So has the barrel house, which offers tours and live music.
Check out our selection of San Francisco brewery and bike tours!
—Contributed by Serena Renner
