Tools tips and tricks: a SF Beer Week survival guide

So, by now have you cleared the decks for SF Beer Week 2011?

Here are some survival tips, plus a little video valentine to this beer week from last year’s.

1. Have a backup plan. If you get to point A without a reservation to find a line around the block, know what’s easy to get to and just as awesome or at least another flavor of awesome.

2. If you are not packing a mobile device, grab your addresses, routes and logistics ahead of time. Field tested directions to many fine sites can be found on here on Beer By BART, on the right side of the main page, with details that will assure you how easy it is to get to places like Hayward (for the Double IPA Festival), and dozens of other venues.

For even more information, check out:
http://www.bart.gov/schedules/ Detailed route info and BART schedules
http://www.511.org/ Transit info from various agencies all around the Bay.
http://www.nextbus.com/ Get live arrival time info for assorted buses

3. Enhance your mobility. Figure out how to use any new apps before you need them. There’s an official SF Beer Week schedule iphone app here: http://www.sfbeerweek.org/app
Some other transportation apps and tools you might like:
http://www.511.org/apps.asp
http://m.511.org
http://www.bart.gov/schedules/ Listed again, because sure, you can get BART schedules here, but you can also find a bunch of cool BART schedule and live arrival apps.

Or keep it simple. Remember that you can phone 511 and use a voice menu at any time to figure out how to get from point A to point B.
You can even use texting for getting up to the minute bus arrival info with a less-than-smart phone if you look ahead at http://www.nextbus.com/ Try it.

4. Shoot!

Take pictures, videos, notes. Your best Beer Week photos and short video clips are welcome in the Flickr group pool at http://www.flickr.com/groups/sfbeerweek/ and by putting them there you offer them to the http://www.sfbeerweek.org webmaster for use on the beer week site. YouTube videos are also welcomed. It’s our beer community history, let’s get it out there for everybody.

5. Tell your friends – beer fans and otherwise – what’s going on. Tweet a little, all about #sfbeerweek – or become a Bay Area Beer Blogger – #babb – and write a longer article about your experiences.

6. Water! Especially when you are drinking stronger beers. You know this, so all you have to do is to remind yourself. Matching big beers one for one with glasses of delicious Hetch Hetchy mountain water out of the tap can help shift your experience of a marathon from an ordeal into an epic adventure.

That takes care of survival. Now for love. What do you like about SF Beer Week? A year ago we asked some of the fine people who created and enjoyed SF Beer Week 2010.

Here’s an encore performance:

Cheers!

Explore Beer By BART; use our list of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best beer places with detailed transit info, so you can get out there to enjoy without driving.