What are the best breweries in San Francisco?

Hey there, bar-hoppers! If you’re looking for the best breweries in San Francisco, I’ve got you covered. I also included some other beer bars and breweries from East Bay and the Peninsula as well. Here’s a rundown of some of the top places that you won’t want to miss.

My Top 5 Breweries in San Francisco

• Cellarmaker Brewery: This small-batch brewery is an absolute standout and their San Francisco location has Detroit Pizza that actually holds it’s own. They have a constantly rotating selection of beers that are sure to surprise and delight. They recently expanded to Oakland and Berkeley after shutting down their SoMA location, which is now occupied by another favorite of mine, Enterprise Brewing.
  • Favorite beers: Tiny Dankster (but really everything is good)
• Olfactory Brewing: I’m a huge fan of Olfactory Brewing. They are dedicated to making quality beer and showcasing local ingredients, and I think it really shows in their beer. They are a relative newcomer to the San Francisco beer scene, but the four founders are industry vets. This brewery, located in Dogpatch, has a funky, fun vibe with rainbow-makers and other hippie accents sprinkled throughout the space. They also recently expanded to Berkeley (more on this below) and you can often find them at the Farmers Market at Stonestown or other local events.
  • Favorite beers: The Lamp Industry is Booming During These Dark Days, Orange Sunshine
• Enterprise Brewing: Enterprise Brewing is relatively new to the San Francisco breweries scene — they turn 1 in August 2024 — and I was beyond excited to hear that they quickly took over Cellarmaker’s SoMA location that closed last year. The name is actually a callback, or resurrection if you will, to a San Francisco Enterprise Beer Company that was established back in 1873. They like to call their space a mix of Midwestern hospitality and San Francisco History, and I can certainly vouch for the friendly vibes here. I also love that they support other breweries; one of the first beers I had from Enterprise was the Solidarity Ale that they created in collaboration with Anchor Brewery’s former union workers to raise funds to support a purchase bid.
  • Favorite beer: Hayter’s Pale Ale
• Barebottle: I love that this brewery was founded by three Cornell Business School friends that wanted to essentially create a larger scale home brewing project. Situated close by to Bernal Heights Hill, Barebottle truly is a realization of that dream. They have a deep bench of varying styles of craft brews that are sure to impress even the most discerning palate. They now have 4 locations: Bernal Heights, Salesforce Park, Menlo Park, and Santa Clara.
  • Favorite beer: Muir Woods IPA
• Standard Deviant Brewing: Located in the heart of the Mission District, Standard Deviant Brewing offers a laid-back atmosphere and a great selection of beers brewed on-site. According to Stories SF’s podcast on their co-founder, Mark DeVito, Mark found the brewery’s location just by walking around Mission scoping out For Rent signs and someone literally called out to see if he was interested in seeing the spot. Completely unrelated side note: Mark has an amazing curly mustache. They’re apparently set to open a second location soon at Pier 70 in San Francisco!
  • Favorite beer: Kolsch

Other Great Breweries in San Francisco

• Woods Beer and Wine Co.: Woods helped me survive the pandemic times! Just kidding…well, only sort of. Woods’ offers a flavorful beer and wine selection. Some of their beers feature the South American herba tea, yerba mate. Once a year, they come out with a fun Girl Scout Cookie inspired beer collection, pictured above. They have 5 locations around the San Francisco Bay Area that are all unique with fun themes to match their location. Woods on Polk has distinct Swiss ski lodge vibes and has ski lift seating out front.
  • Favorite beers: Retro Pilsner, Local Honey
• Magnolia’s Brewing: Nestled in the heart of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, Magnolia’s gastropub and brewery is known for its cozy atmosphere and delicious house-brewed beers since 1997. I also really enjoy the hearty pub fare at this historic location, which tips it’s hat to the breweries original English-style brews.
  • Favorite beer: Kali Kolsch
• Laughing Monk: Combining Belgian brewing techniques with a California twist, Laughing Monk offers a unique and flavorful beer selection that’s sure to please. I am also generally a big fan of Belgian beers. They recently acquired Faultline Brewing down in Sunnyvale and , as they were acquired themselves by Bedrock Restaurant Group.
  • Favorite beer: Holy Ghost
• Honorable Mention — Fort Point: Fort Point’s beers are a solid and fairly inexpensive local option with good distribution. I like that they are branching out with Korean flavors, ciders, and Italian styles. I also enjoy their locations within San Francisco at the Ferry Building and their swanky Mission outpost has bold colors and a modern and fun design. They also host fun local events and new beers, which you can find out about from their newsletter.
  • Favorite beers: KSA, Sfizio

Bars in San Francisco

• Radhaus: This German-inspired beer hall in Fort Mason is a favorite of mine, with a wide selection of German beers on tap and hearty, delicious food to match.
• Biergarten: Another German spot, this outdoor beer garden is the perfect place to enjoy a cold stein of beer with a pretzel on a sunny day in Hayes Valley.
• Toronado: A San Francisco institution, Toronado is known for its extensive beer selection and lively atmosphere. It’s definitely a dive and it’s cash only. However, it’s a must-visit for any beer enthusiast in the Bay Area and they have a large selection of Cellarmaker.

• The Crafty Fox: With 36 beers on tap and great food to match, The Crafty Fox is another go-to of mine. I can also usually count on them to have Pliny the Younger on tap during an event or two during San Francisco Beer Week.
• Holy Water: Love this cheekily outfitted religious-themed bar in Bernal Heights. Holy Water has a great rotating tap list and amazing cocktails. This is a favorite stop when taking visiting friends and family to Bernal Heights Park.
• Outer Orbit: Hawaiian food and delicious beer? Sign me up! Outer Orbit is just that, and they have a fun arcade section as well. Outer Orbit is fairly close to Holy Water in Mission Bernal. I am also happy that they often have beers from my favorite brewery from San Luis Obispo, There Does Not Exist.
• Ocean Ale House: Call me biased, but Ocean Ale House is my go-to local neighborhood bar. Check out more of my favorite business on Ocean Ave here. It also has a killer live music schedule, and great beers on tap and delicious food from Chef Daniel. They also do trivia regularly if that’s your thing. I also did a mural for them!

Peninsula Brewery/Bar Favorites

• 47 Hills: 47 Hills is conveniently located fairly close to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in South San Francisco. It’s a nice spot to hang out before a flight or if you have friends who live on the Peninsula. They normally only have a few of their own beers on tap alongside a few guest ones but they have food and some surprisingly good churros.
• Hop Dogma: Hop Dogma is by far my favorite brewery south of San Francisco. Hop Dogma is in Half Moon Bay and it’s a perfect place to take a drive to. My favorite beer there is the Alpha Dankopotomus.
• Refuge: After La Trappe closed in North Beach, I was sad that there weren’t many Belgian beer outposts in the San Francisco Bay Area. Refuge, which has locations in San Mateo and San Carlos, thankfully has a very good selection of Belgian beers and really tasty pastrami sandwiches.

East Bay Brewery Favorites

Oakland

• Original Pattern Brewing: This brewery is one of my favorites in Oakland and they certainly have awards from Great American Brew Fest (GABF) to back them up. One of the founders, Ryan Frank, was previously the Director of Brewery Operations from 21st Amendment in San Francisco. They focus on classic beer styles but also have a fair number of sour options. I really like their unique and fun labels and have enjoyed attending their annual Oktoberfest event, where there is live German music.
  • Favorite beers: Yamagata, Marto
• Dokkaebier: With a focus on Asian and Korean-inspired flavors, Dokkaebier brewery offers a unique and delicious beers like Kimchi Sour and Yuzu Blonde. The name Dokkaebier actually derives from dokkaebi, which are playful ghost-like creatures from Korean folklore. I actually first learned of Dokkaebier because they had a pop-up in San Francisco nearby my apartment during the pandemic. They ended up acquiring Federation Brewing, a Star Trek themed brewery, and found a permanent home in East Bay. Both breweries live together under the new ownership. Their merch, which often features the playful dokkaebi when it is in stock, is A+.
  • Favorite beers: Bamboo Pilsner, Lemongrass Witbeer
• Tiger’s Taproom: This taproom has a fantastic selection of beers from the Bay Area and also beers that are a little harder to find from the Pacific Northwest, like Fort George. Fun fact: Tiger refers to Brian’s (one of the co-owners) dog.
  • Favorite beer I’ve had at Tiger’s: 3-Way IPA
• Temescal Brewery: If you’re in the mood for craft beer in a laid-back atmosphere, Temescal Brewery is the place to be. With a rotating selection of brews and a chill beer garden, it’s perfect for a relaxing afternoon or evening.
  • Favorite beer: Temescal Pils

Self-guided walking tour in Oakland

There are many Oakland breweries within walking distance of each other, so I actually quite enjoy doing my own self-guided beer tours. Here is a sample itinerary I’ve done. Be sure to get some food in-between so you don’t get completely sloshed!

• Tiger’s Taproom
• Buck Wild
• Original Pattern
• Dokkaebier
• Oakland United Beerworks
• Cellarmaker Oakland
• Sante Adairius

Berkeley

• Fieldwork Brewing Company: Fieldwork Brewing Company has been brewing in the Bay Area since 2014. Their co-founder and co-owner, Barry Braden, actually was a high school drop-out and worked at Sony and other tech companies for 20 some years. They have a great variety when it comes to their selection of beers: from stouts to Belgians to IPAs. They have expanded significantly and now have 7 locations around the Bay Area. One of them is in Napa Valley, which is perfect if you want a break from wine or have someone in your group that prefers beer. The Berkeley outpost is the original and has a fairly large and has a nice outdoor area.

New Outposts

• Olfactory Brewery just opened a Berkeley outpost in May 2024. Once you’ve finished binge-watching The Bear, you can come here for their delicious Chicago-inspired food like Chicago Dawgs (hot dogs), Italian Beef (pictured here), and Italian Hoagies.
• Cellarmaker Brewery also has a new Berkeley outpost. I haven’t been to this one yet, but they expanded from SF to Berkeley after they acquired a previous favorite of mine, Rare Barrel Brewery. They’ve also got a new location in Oakland!

So whether you’re a beer aficionado or just looking for a great spot to unwind with friends, these breweries and bars are sure to offer a memorable experience. Cheers!