5 Most Loved Breweries Of San Francisco

Home to America’s first craft brewery, San Francisco’s beer brewing history dates back further than the city itself. Now home to as many breweries as there were before the prohibition, SF has an impressive and fast-paced brewing culture. The city hosts a number of small-batch breweries and long-running microbreweries, all changing the way people taste, talk, and think about beer. From smokey pilsners to experimental milkshake IPA’s, there’s a lot to be explored at 5 of the most loved San Francisco breweries.

Fort Point Beer (Ferry Building, One San Francisco Bay trail)

The mini-beer-garden of this Presidio-based brewery is backed by a giant aluminum wall of their colorful trademark cans. Founded by brothers Tyler and Justin Catalana in 2014, this brewery now boasts about 20 varieties of craft beer—from a tropical fruit-infused IPA to a smoked altbier with charred manzanita. At this ferry building kiosk, you’ll find six taps with rotating craft beers, growlers, and chilled six-packs to-go. Plus, they also serve hot dogs from Golden gate meat Company and Firebrand Bread pretzels. That’s always a winning combination, isn’t it?

Magnolia Brewing Company (1398 Haight St.)

Magnolia’s founder, David McLean was brewing beer in a tiny basement long before the craft beer scene hit San Francisco. Twenty-one years later Magnolia has grown to two locations, plus a proper brewery in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Located in the hippie neighborhood of Haight-Ashbury, their original gastropub is among the best brewpubs in SF. So, the next time you’re in this iconic neighborhood, make sure to grab a pint of their Kalifornia Kolsch and don’t forget to order one of their crowd-pleasing burgers.

Cellarmaker Brewing Company (1150 Howard St.)

Although Cellarmaker isn’t one of those breweries that has something ‘you have to try’, they’re all about the hops. They just love the stuff. They do have a balanced tap list with something for everyone, but you can bank on the fact that three to five of their taps will be pouring luscious, fragrant hoppy brews like Mo’Nelson or Hop New Tricks. Head to their bright, brick-walled taproom for a taste, half-pint or a pint. Better yet, bring a 1L growler and they’ll fill it up for less than $20.

Novel Brewing Co. (6510 San Pablo Ave, Oakland)

Teresa Tamburello and Brian Koloszyc’s second date ended with the purchase of a homebrew kit. Now married and living in the Golden Gate neighborhood, they opened Novel Brewing Company in 2016. Within walking distance from their home, this industrial-chic neighborhood brewery and tasting room serve homemade pints in a friendly, and slightly nerdy, library-themed atmosphere. From the juicy Book Thief to the smoky Dust Jacket, Novel has a wide range of IPAs to suit every (bookworm’s) palate. They also host regular book swapping and game night events as well.

Fieldwork Brewing Co. (1160 Sixth St. Berkeley)

Producing over 200 different beers, this brewery has a dedicated cult following for their experimental beers in almost every category. Founded by brewer Alex Tweet and Barry Braden, Fieldwork Brewing has become something of a household name since the opening of the original taproom in Berkeley in 2015. Right now they have locations in Berkeley, Napa, San Mateo, Monterey, Sacramento, and soon, San Ramon. Their most popular beers include the Chocolate Thunder God imperial milk stout and Destination Unknown double IPA. 

The Bay Area’s beer scene is something worth exploring, and it keeps getting better every year. Thankfully, we don’t see an end to this ‘beer full’ madness any time soon as creative San Francisco breweries keep pushing new boundaries. The more the merrier, right?

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