ONE-OF-A-KIND BAY AREA BREWS
Celebrating its 10th year, San Francisco Beer Week (Feb. 9-18) is back again in all its hoppy, sour and funky glory.
The annual opening gala at San Francisco’s Pier 35 on Friday, Feb. 9, will mark the start of the nine-day Bay Area celebration, which includes hundreds of events ranging from tap takeovers and beer dinners to TED Talk-style educational seminars.
Complete event details can be found at www.sfbeerweek.org/schedule, but here are some highlights worth checking out: — Sarah Fritsche
BEER PAIRINGS
Girl Scout cookie + beer pairing (3-8 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11): Do Thin Mints and beer actually go together? Only one way to find out. SoMa beer and wine bar Wine Down will be offering flights of four beers to taste alongside Girl Scout cookies. Best of all, $4 from each flight will be donated to the Girl Scouts of Northern California. $24/person in advance; $30/ person at the door. Beer & caviar pairing (5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 13): Caviar and Champagne are a natural pairing, but the folks at San Francisco’s Barrel Head Brewhouse are teaming up with the Caviar Co. to prove that briny fish eggs and beer can also be a winning combo. $25/ person. Beer & beef (Friday, Feb. 9-Sunday, Feb.18): For the duration of Beer Week, TenderNob Japanese beer and beef specialist Hitachino Beer & Wagyu will offer a special menu pairing A5 Hitachi Wagyu Steak ($125) and U.S. Wagyu ($98) with two never-before-released beers — 2016 and 2017 vintages of Hitachino Commemorative Ale — plus a Sour Yamahai Genshu Sake. Limited supply; reservations recommended.
DEEPER DIVES
German beer school (4:30-7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10): Learn all about the styles, ingredients and production methods of German brews at Oakland boathaus and biergarten Brotzeit Lokal. $30/person. Hops class: Lecture & tasting (7-10 p.m., Monday, Feb. 12): John LaPolla of Bitter & Esters in Brooklyn will join Santa Clara Valley Brewing to lead an interactive exploration of how hops are used for flavoring, bittering and preserving beer. $70/person. Almanac presents: Beer talks (noon-3 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 17): The Alameda brewery will host a TED Talk-style event that highlights the science and culture of craft beer, featuring UC Davis professor of malting and brewing sciences Charlie Bamforth, Averie Swanson from Jester King and Good Beer Hunting’s Michael Kiser. Beer samples and light snacks included in the price of admission. $40/person.
IPA ALL THE WAY
Double IPA festival (11 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 10): Hayward beer bar, the Bistro, will host its 18th annual celebration of super hoppy brews, featuring over 60 double and 30 triple IPAs on tap. There will also be live music, plenty of eats — including frickles (!) — and a competition for best double and triple IPAs. $55/person. IPA ice cream collaboration (6-8 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15): Smitten Ice Cream and Barebottle Brewing Co. have teamed up to develop a new ice cream flavor: IPA. In addition to made-to-order scoops, they’ll be serving beer floats and selling pints of ice cream to go at the Bernal Heights brewpub. Battle of the state IPA challenge (6-10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 16): Half Moon Bay Brewing Co.’s Pacific Standard Taproom in Berkeley will host the ultimate showdown between Northern and Southern California breweries to see whose IPA reigns supreme.
BRING ON THE FUNK
United Sours of America, an American sour/funk fest (11 a.m.-2 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 10): Mission gastropub Monk’s Kettle will fill 20 of its taps with sour and funky beers from a variety of American breweries. Plus, it offers an impressive vintage list. The Sour Sunday (noon-5 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 11): Jupiter, Triple Rock and Drake’s Brewing host an all-afternoon party with 60 funky beers from producers like Sante Adairius, Jester King, Drie Fontein and more. Happening simultaneously at the Jupiter and Triple Rock pubs in Berkeley. $35$100/person, depending on ticket type. Craftsman brewing showcase (2:307:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 16): Oakland’s Hog’s Apothecary will host its 5th annual celebration of Pasadena brewery Craftsman by featuring nine of founder Mark Jilg’s beers on tap — three core brands, three foraged beers and three sours. Jilg will lead a talk and tasting. 10 percent of beer sales will be donated to Oakland Ed Fund. Reservations recommended via OpenTable.
SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT FOR V-DAY
A very Viking Valentine’s beer dinner (6-10 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 14): Richmond’s Armistice Brewing Co. will host a Viking-inspired five-course dinner (drinking horn and Viking helmet included) where beer pairings “will flow like the tears of the vanquished.” $75/person. 24th St. three-way: Beer, doughnut & ice cream night (5-10 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 14): Almanac Beer Co., Dynamo Donut and Humphry Slocombe are teaming up for an anti-Valentine’s Day celebration at Almanac’s Mission Tap Room, featuring doughnut cheeseburgers, ice cream doughnut sandwiches, beer ice cream affogato and Dynamo Donut Stout (brewed with maple syrup, smoked malt and doughnuts). My funky Valentine (11 a.m.-9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 14): Stinky cheese and funky beers? Who says romance is dead? For Valentine’s Day, Valencia Street’s Mission Cheese will be serving up cheese and beer flights featuring suds from San Diego brewery Modern Times.