SF Beer Week kicks off in Silicon Valley with Feb. 11 gala
Willow Glen brewer helped craft collaborative beer for festival, an 8.5% ABV Hazy double IPA
It's called SF Beer Week, but the festival long ago extended its reach beyond the borders of the city by the bay. That fact is in evidence this year, with each chapter of the Bay Area Brewers Guild holding its own kickoff event on Feb. 10 or 11.
Members of all five guild chapters came together to brew This Beer Creates Opportunity, the official collaborative offering of this year's festival. The 8.5% ABV hazy double IPA will be poured at the kickoff events, including the one set for The Guildhouse in downtown San Jose on Feb. 11.
The collab was created by members of the guild's diversity, equity and inclusion committee, including brewer Aaron Ramson from
S27 Alehouse & Brewery in Willow Glen. Proceeds from the beer's sales will go to a Guild Scholarship Endowment at UC Davis for brewing education courses and brewing certificate programs.
This marks the second year that SF Beer Week has hosted five regional galas instead of one large kickoff event. Pre-pandemic, the opening gala was held in San Francisco.
The guild's Silicon Valley chapter is hosting the kickoff event at The Guildhouse, located at 420 S. First St. Breweries set to pour include S27, Fox Tale Fermentations, Narrative Fermentations, Camino Brewing and Umunhum Brewing, all based in San Jose; Hapa's Brewing, which has locations in Los Gatos and San Jose's midtown area; Loma Brewing Company in Los Gatos; Sunnyvale-based
Shaka Brewing; Strike Brewing Company, with locations in San Jose and Campbell; Brewing with Brothas in East Palo Alto; Taplands Taproom and Brewery in Santa Clara; and Redwood Citybased
Ghostwood Beer Company
SF Beer week runs through Feb. 19. Silicon Valley breweries are poised for a strong start on Feb. 11, with several events planned in addition to the gala. Taplands is hosting its seventh annual Wake and Break(fast), featuring beers that pair well with doughnuts. Hapa's is hosting a sixth anniversary party at its San Jose location, while Clandestine Brewing is celebrating its fifth anniversary at its downtown San Jose brewery and taproom. Fox Tale is offering tastings of fermented syrups and Berliner Weisse, while SPS Market Beer Company in San Pedro Square is hosting a Sour Saturday event.
Gala tickets are $55-$90 at Eventbrite.com. The higherpriced ticket comes with early access, a commemorative vintage SFBW taster glass and a Meet the Brewer and brewing community networking session. Bay Area Brewers Guild's Silicon Valley Chapter will present an SF Beer Week brewer discussion to whet attendees' palates for the rest of the festival.
For a complete schedule of SF Beer Week events, visit https://sfbeerweek.org.