“SF” Beer Week Starts — And it’s as boring as usual – except for these events

2025-02-21 / 2025-02-21 by Beergeek

I have many real issues with SF Beer Week — but it’s here again. Sure, I’ll go to a bunch of events but I’ll be grumbling under my breath the whole time. So here, is my list of reasons I hate-attend SF Beer Week and the events I’m actually looking forward to that should be highlighted.

First issue, San Francisco Beer Week has very little to do the San Francisco, the SF Brewers Guild, or even the bay area as a whole. The vast majority of events are nothing to do with beers produced in or around San Francisco. As can be seen by the huge number of “San Diego Beer Night,” “Portland Night,” and “East Coast Banger” events on the calendar. The events are about beer, most of them, but many are just excuses to attach a loosely related event to beer week calendar in hopes of getting a few people in the door. And that’s an admirable goal in these post-covid slowdown / millennials don’t know how to go to bars / everyone thinks San Francisco is a hellscape times for sure. But can we at least try a little harder and find something that hypes the amazing Bay Area beer scene a little? Getting your distributor to drop off an extra sixtel of some east coast hazy IPA that is readily available is the absolute minimum of effort.

Same Events, Same Year, Same Same Seems like the same events pop up every year too. A lot of times they seem to have the same beers.

It’s San Francisco Beer Week, but it’s mostly not about San Francisco A story for another time, but most of the breweries in the Bay Area are outside of SF these days — so most of the events are outside of SF. It’s just way too big of an area to hold a single weeks worth of events for. I’d prefer to see a regional event, one at a time, to focus on those locations way better than this does. As it stands now I’m unlikely to leave SF for any of the events because there are just too many.

One thing is obvious from SF Beer Week, and the rumblings I’m hearing about the SF Brewers Guild. This might be the last “big” SF Beer Week. Next year, if SF Beer Week (or the SFBG) still exists, expect something smaller, and hopefully a little more on subject.

I’ll resist the urge to call out a “hall of shame” of bad events at beer week — let’s just say if it’s focused on Scotland, the East Coast, or Canada, you missed the whole freakin point of beer week.

Complaining aside, there are a few events worth highlighting. Inventive Bay Area focused events. Here are a few of my very opinionated picks:

2/21 – Hop on MUNI IPA Release First Stop on MUNI Beer Trail Crawl @ Standard Deviant Brewing Company
280 14th St., San Francisco, CA
An IPA collaboration between Standard Deviant, Muni, and San Francisco City Football Club. All things I love.

2/21 – Santa Rosa Beer Passport

2/21-2/22 – Local Brewers Showcase @ The Willows
1582 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

2/23 – Grain to Glass: A Farmer, Maltster and Brewer(s) Walk into a Bar @ The Rake
651A West Tower Ave., Alameda, CA

2/25 – SF Drunken Beer History @ The Rake
651A West Tower Ave., Alameda, CA

Legendary tales from the people who lived them
A tap list featuring both historic brewing styles and modern interpretations
Guest speakers sharing infamous beer lore
A lively atmosphere to raise a pint and toast to S.F.’s spirited past

History is best told over a beer—so grab one and join us for an evening of storytelling, laughter, and a few surprises along the way!

2/26 – Brewery Tour + Tank Tasting @ Laughing Monk SF Brewery
1439 Egbert Ave, San Francisco

Try samples of beer at various stages of fermentation poured straight from the tank & enjoy a tour with head brewer Jen Jordan (the Professor Frizzl-iest of all the Monks)
Ask Jen all your burning brew related Q’s!
Ticketed event ($10) -12 tickets per session Includes one pour & glassware