SF Beer Week Returns Feb 11-20

SF Beer Week is back February 11-20 to celebrate independent craft beers and those who brew them. Events, activities and at-home offerings await from dozens of bars, restaurants and breweries, including members of the Bay Area Brewers Guild, producer of this much-loved tradition.  

More types of activities this year mean more options for craft beer fans, including take-away, delivery and shipping selections to enjoy at home, making SF Beer Week accessible to craft beer appreciators anywhere in California.

New in 2022, too, are five opening night festivities that spotlight the five regions of the brewers guild in place of the single centralized gala of years past. Each Kick Off offers a more intimate experience and a nod to the distinct craft beer scene in its corner of the greater Bay Area. 

Five Simultaneous SFBW Kick Offs Showcase Local Craft Breweries

• Harmonic Brewing reminds the region where it all began, as it gathers the San Francisco brewing community at Harmonic Thrive City at Chase Center, complete with the photogenic SFBW letter display which lights up social media each year. This will be the place to sample what’s brewing in SF from Barebottle Brewing Co. to Cellarmaker Brewing Co. to Woods Beer Co. and more.

• San Rafael’s Pond Farm Brewing hosts the craft beer brewers of the North Bay. Taste the freshest and the best from favorite brewers, from Cooperage Brewing to Parliament Brewing and more.

• In San Leandro, 21st Amendment Brewery – the largest venue with plenty of tasting room – will be ground zero for mingling with East Bay breweries. From Del Cielo to Drake’s to Fieldwork to Temescal to Ghost Town and many more, come meet the neighborhood. 

• Down the coast in Seaside, Other Brother Beer Co. will welcome beer-loving coastal residents to a tasty celebration in the space it shares with Ad Astra Bread Co. Meet brewers from Alvarado Street to New Bohemia to Woodhouse and all around their region.  

• Sunnyvale is home to the South Bay Kick Off event at Off the Rails Brewery & Restaurant. Try beers from newcomer ShaKa Brewing, which launched during the pandemic, along with Taplands and more – including the Silicon Valley Official Collaboration brewed at Devil’s Canyon. 

These exclusive Kick Off events are the only places, barring a few exceptions, where consumers will find all five of the much-anticipated annual SF Beer Week Official Collaboration Releases on tap. (Learn more and where to find them, including retail locations like Whole Foods Market and local shops like San Francisco’s City Beer Store.) 

Attendance at each event is limited. Tickets and guest brewery details for these five exclusive Feb. 11 showcases can be found at: https://sfbeerweek.org/kickoffs 

Live Events Live On — With an eye on health and the weather

The Bistro’s Double IPA Festival, held outdoors annually rain or shine, returns to Hayward on Feb. 12. Along with new activities listed at https://sfbeerweek.org/activities many cherished events at smaller venues are slated to return. (Check with the venues for any last-minute changes and applicable Covid policies.) 

Others have made a pivot or two. The annual Celebration of Craft — benefitting the California Craft Beer Association, traditionally hosted by Trumer Brewery and an industry insider’s favorite — returns virtually as a specially curated 10-pack of California beers available for shipment anywhere in the state, with exclusive streaming conversations and tasting notes from craft brewers. Find ordering information for this statewide box and more delicious gift boxes for pre-order from local breweries at https://sfbeerweek.org/promotions 

“The craft beer community is elated SF Beer Week is back, even while remaining vigilant in keeping staff and customers safe,” said SF Beer Week organizer Joanne Marino, the Bay Area Brewers Guild’s executive director, “As an annual tradition since 2009, having SF Beer Week return feels like one more step toward normal after two years of challenges.”

SF Beer Week 2022 is made possible thanks to the generous support of its sponsors, including title sponsor Whole Foods Market, along with Visit Santa Rosa, Drake’s Brewing Co., 21st Amendment Brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Trumer Brewery, Hop Head Farms, Barretto-Co., Custom Label, Northwest Hop Farms, Tiger’s Taproom, City Beer Store, Hollingbery & Son Hops and Admiral Maltings.