
For those interested, be sure to check out our Best of 2019- but for now, dive into the best California beers we had in 2020!īottle Logic has been a favorite of The Beer Travel Guide for years. This is our first Best of 2020 article– be on the lookout in the coming weeks for more lists of our favorite beers across America over the past year. We’re looking forward to hopefully getting to explore the Bay Area more in 2021! Also, as you might expect, since we live in Southern California, the honorees here do tend to skew more toward the southern side of the state. We limited ourselves to two beers per brewery, in order to most effectively spread the love to as many deserving California breweries as possible. This year, with COVID shutting down all of our plane travel, our percentage of California beer consumption was higher than ever in 2020- so for our first Best of 2020 article this month, it only felt right for us to discuss the best California craft beer we drank this year.īy the end of 2020, we’ll have consumed over 500 different California craft beers, much of it incredibly good- so narrowing it down to 50 beers was a huge struggle, and a good number of *fantastic* beers did not make this list. Most of the festivals we attend are in California, our favorite bottle shops carry largely California beer, and, since we love supporting our local craft breweries, we consume a huge amount of Los Angeles County craft. What city in California has the most breweries?Īt over 150 establishments, San Diego has the most breweries of any California city, with San Francisco in a close second place at around 121.Living in California, we routinely drink more California beer than beer from any other state. started the first of the six Anchor locations on Pacific Ave. What was the first brewery in California?Īnchor Brewery is the oldest in California.

Some bigger beer festivals include SF Beer Week and San Francisco International Beer Festival. Yes, San Francisco has many beer festivals, mainly in the summer but plenty throughout the year. Does San Francisco have any beer festivals? What’s the official beer of the San Franciso Giants?ĭating back to the California Gold Rush, Anchor Brewing is intrinsically tied to San Francisco and has been the unofficial beer of the Giants for decades. The Bay Area has a ton of breweries: over 120, and many of them are within San Francisco city limits.

Many also believe that Anchor Brewing Company is the oldest craft beer maker in the US (I highly recommend a tour). San Francisco is known for Anchor Steam Beer, first crafted at Anchor Steam Brewing in 1896. If you’re traveling in a group, consider this private tour, where you can select your breweries and be chauffeured around in luxury. There is! I highly recommend this tour because of its comprehensive local guides and generous cancellation policy.

These days, Magnolia Brewing is the best place in Haight-Ashbury to enjoy beer and locally sourced California cuisine.īest Known For: Kalifornia Kolsch, Narrow Universe, Fivey Time, Cloud CoverįAQ Are there any craft beer walking tours in San Francisco? It’s been many things in its time: Schumates Pharmacy, the Drugstore Cafe (one of the original hippie hangouts), and in the late 60s, it was Magnolia Thunderpussy’s, named for a famous burlesque performer and radio gossip of the time. There are 12 beers on tap if you ever want to drink it again, bring a growler.īest Known For: Coffee & Cigarettes, Dank of the West, It’s Essentialīefore breweries were ever big in San Francisco, Magnolia founder David McLean made craft beer in a basement in Haight-Ashbury.Īlthough Magnolia Brewing Co. opened in 1977, the building’s history dates back to 1903. The team at Cellarmaker got bored making the same few beers all the time, so instead, they produced small batches of experimental beers.
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Guided tours are offered on weekends only and include a look at the production facility, plus a mini demonstration on how to properly taste whiskey.īest Known For: Hazy IPA, Apricot Wheat, Kolsch, PilsnerĬellarmaker Brewing Co Photo Courtesy of Cellarmaker Brewing CompanyĬellarmaker Brewing Company is popular, and it’s not because they make consistently awesome beer.

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Unlike other breweries on this list, Seven Sills has a full restaurant and bar, billiard rooms, a patio, and a beer garden with live events. Artisanal whiskey and craft beer go hand and hand at Seven Sills, a beloved brewery in the heart of San Francisco’s Mission Bay district.
