Brew Review

San Francisco was once the capitol of brewing for the entire west coast.

Meet San Francisco Brewers Guild at Brews on the Bay

By Joel Williams
Published: September, 2006

San Francisco was once the capitol of brewing for the entire west coast. There were over 30 breweries at the turn of the 20^th Century, and most of the hops for the west coast were grown in the Bay Area (barley was grown in the Central Valley and there were malt houses in Fisherman’s Wharf). Brewing was a rather integral part of the community and economy up until prohibition.

Today, there are 8 small craft breweries operating within San Francisco’s city limits: Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, San Francisco Brewing Company, Thirsty Bear Restaurant & Brewery, Eldos Grill & Brewery, The Beach Chalet Brewery, Gordon Biersch, Magnolia Pub & Brewery and 21^st Amendment. All 8 are currently members of the San Francisco Brewers Guild and are trying to revive the rich tradition of local breweries in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Brewers Guild was formed in 2003 as a non-profit trade association to preserve, celebrate and promote the heritage of San Francisco’s artisan breweries. It also provides a forum for local brewers to communicate, network and promote their products and educate the consumers.

As a former member of the Illinois Craft and Washington Brewers Guilds, I remember that meetings were a great time to socialize with my fellow brewers, but there is much more to a Brewers Guild than the camaraderie it offers. When brewers get together they share ideas and opinions about new products and techniques and often will pool together to purchase larger quantities of supplies to take advantage of better prices.

But the real reason for the Guild, according to President Steve Bruce of Speakeasy Ales & Lagers is to promote the fact that there are great beers made right here in San Francisco. He says, If people support the local products, support the local restaurants and drink local beer then your local brewers have better jobs and more job security and have more of an opportunity to be part of the community.

The Guild holds a Meet the Brewers night once-a-month at a one of the member breweries at an informal happy hour where people can meet brewers from the different breweries, show appreciation for the products and, often, homebrewers come to ask questions about recipes and brewing techniques. The aim is getting the brewers out in the public eye and getting them some recognition for all of the hard work they do. Bruce says.

The San Francisco Brewers Guild’s biggest event, the Third Annual Brews on the Bay, will be held Sept. 9 onboard the historic Jeremiah O’Brien, docked at Pier 45. Proceeds will benefit the historic ship. Over 50 different beers are being served. There is also food provided and music by local bands. Bruce said, Hey we may be only 8 breweries but we’re going to serve you over 50 different kinds of beers all made in San Francisco. That’s the kind of variety that we can provide as a group