Tricycle drag races, science and brews — here are eight fun ways to celebrate SF Beer Week.
The 10th annual San Francisco Beer Week extravaganza is in full swing, with more than 600 events rolling out between now and Feb. 18. Some require tickets and reservations; others are walk-ups and you pay at the bar. Here are eight especially fun, under-the-radar events to add to your itinerary — some wild, some playful and some educational in the best possible way.
The wild and wacky
Part of the fun of SF Beer Week is the assortment of wild and wacky events that explore the beer world in new or different ways. This year, the lineup includes tricycle drag races at Oakland’s Ale Industries (Feb. 18), the disco-themed Twisted Tasting at Santa Cruz’s Civic Auditorium (Feb. 17, $18), and Pinball and Pints at Alameda’s Pacific Pinball Museum (3-7 p.m. today, $40).
Beer Week NightLife
Don’t miss the beerthemed NightLife at the California Academy of Sciences ($15), which mixes science and suds from 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday. The science museum’s NightLife events are always fun, but this particular one is a frothy mix of education and beer, including homebrewing demonstrations, brewer talks and nearly a dozen breweries pouring Beer Week-only beers.
Magnolia Brewing, for example, will be pouring its Aliciella Bitter, which is brewed with plant varieties found on the academy’s living roof. (The beer’s name gives a nod to early 20th-century botanist Alice Eastwood, whose daring rescue of academy plant specimens during the 1906 earthquake and fire was recognized in the most appropriate form: The genus Aliciella is named after her.)
Sweet & Sour Valentine Takeover
Chocolate and beer are a winning combination. There are a variety of chocolate-beer dinners offered this year, but I’m heading straight for the Sweet & Sour Valentine Takeover at Walnut Creek’s ØL Beercafe & Bottleshop. From 4 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, you can taste a sour and a sweet beer from each of seven breweries, served alongside chocolates and other sweets. There’s no quicker way to get to the heart of the matter.
Collabopalooza
Ten “official” collaboration beers have been brewed this year to salute the festival’s 10th anniversary, but there are numerous informal ventures, too.
One of the latter is rolling out at one of my favorite Oakland bars, the Good Hop. Long before owner Melissa “Malty Maven” Myers opened her beer bar, she was a brewer at Magnolia, Pyramid and Ross Brewing (now Iron Springs). She definitely knows her way around the mash paddles. This year, she’s done special collaboration beers with Hoi Polloi, 21st Amendment, 47 Hills, Oakland United Beerworks and Benoit Casper, and a cider with South City Ciderworks. Taste them all at the Good Hop’s Collabopalooza, which runs 3 to 10 p.m. Monday.
‘Brew Free! or Dine’ beer dinner
A beer dinner can be one of the best ways to learn how beer pairs with different foods. Many of these are multiple-course affairs with a different beer paired with each dish, from appetizers to dessert. I could go to one every night. But I’m particularly looking forward to this one at San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery on Monday. Brewmaster Shaun O’Sullivan will be on hand, along with Brooklyn Brewery’s Garrett Oliver — author of “The Brewmaster’s Table” — and Gordon Schuck from Denver’s Funkwerks. The 7 p.m. dinner ($75, reservations required) includes beer pairings from all three breweries, as well as three desserts.
Yeast class
Education has been part of the SF Beer Week mission since its earliest days. The more you learn, the more you appreciate the beer in your glass. This year’s festival includes more than 70 educational events, including this fascinating lecture and tasting ($70) at San Jose’s Santa Clara Valley Brewing. New York City craft beer pioneer John LaPolla will be lecturing and leading a tasting from 2 to 5 p.m. today.
Find details on all of the above, plus another 600 suds-centric events, at sfbeerweek.org.