Booths pouring fresh craft beers for smiling people filled the massive Pier 35 structure, a dark wooden warehouse on the Bay where teamsters once unloaded ship cargo. A large banner hung from the ancient rafters, displaying an image that was the theme of the week – a suited astronaut in space, presumably longing to return home.
The SF Beer Week Gala was finally back.
Back in 2020, SF Beer Week had provided the region with some of the last big face-to-face indoor gatherings before North America shut down. After spirit-lifting but downsized and decentralized SF Beer Week events for three years, by the time 2024 rolled around, cravings for the massive large-scale “everybody pours” opener were becoming acute for local brewers and fans.
Did it work? This year’s re-boot felt like a homecoming, a “hugfest” as one grinning brewer called it. There was a noisy buzz of excitement in the old pier building as old friends reunited over plenty of lovely beers. We later asked Joanne Marino, Executive Director of the Bay Area Brewers Guild, the organization which convenes SF Beer Week, how it compared. She said Opening Gala attendance was at about 70% of the 2020 total. About 100 breweries signed up to pour, versus about 130 four years ago. She mentioned the enthusiasm of those who were there, and told us the Guild was happy with the turnout considering the four year gap.
Battle of the Guilds
On the first Saturday of SF Beer Week, Pond Farm Brewing in San Rafael set up one of the traditional events, the Battle of the Guilds. The four coastal California brewers guilds each sent beers to show off their prowess. During the event, the brewpub bustled with birthdays, talkative lunch parties and the steady stream of Beer Week pilgrims, sipping their tasters and thoughtfully voting. The Bay Area Brewers Guild came in first in the People’s Choice vote. This tradition continues thanks in part to the determination of Phil Cutti, long the head brewer at Headlands Brewing and now a consultant working with breweries from around the state.
Seventeen beers from four guilds were also judged blind by an expert team. An elegant brown lager, later revealed as Olfactory’s Roggenbier, put the Bay Area Brewers Guild in first place. Beachwood BBQ and Brewing’s Kriek, representing the Orange County Brewers Guild, was second. And a Rice Lager from Fall Brewing took third for the San Diego Guild. A sparkling mini-keg trophy was presented to the Bay Area Guild, until the next battle commences.
The Double IPA Festival at the Bistro in Hayward, one of the events that existed before SFBW began in 2009, pulled in brewers and fans for another strong year. This year, “The Suspense is Terrible,” by Sunriver Brewing of Oregon, took first place, followed by “HopTomic,” by Morgan Territory Brewing out of Tracy, California, and “Chux,” in third place, from nearby Danville Brewing. Peoples’ Choice went to “Cone Goblin” by Oakland’s Ghost Town Brewing in collaboration with Alvarado Street of Monterey, California.
We went out most nights during Beer Week. We showed up for the chef-made cookie pairings at Monk’s Kettle – spectacular in combo with the suggested beers; for a string of meet-the-brewers events at Holy Water; for Postcards at Bartlett Hall, (variations on Postcard from St. Petersburg Russian Imperial Stout); for a talk between all the former brewers in the history of Triple Rock Brewing, one of the earliest breweries still operating in California; for a cheesecake and stout pairing at Harmonic, for Woods’ “Divine Origins” wine-beer creations.
On the second weekend, The Celebration of Craft at Trumer Brewery in Berkeley again went all out to maintain the continuity of tradition with a destination festival that supports the California Craft Brewers Association and includes not just a solid lineup of breweries but a free shuttle bus from BART and dinner included.
SF Beer Futures
After SF Beer Week, questions remain on the business side. There were significantly fewer events listed on the official site than in 2020. Some events we love have vanished when breweries, bars and restaurants closed. How did participating venues do when costs and income were tallied? Some businesses were pleased with the turnout – yet told us that others they’d spoken with did not see expectations met. Without a well-designed confidential survey, confirming that observation is way beyond our scope. It would be hard to guess how the overall sales impact compared with 4 or even 10 years ago. We’d be interested to hear other observations about this, since Beer Week’s viability rests in profitability as well as enthusiasm
However, since our wrap-up here is itself an anecdote, we do have an anecdotal impression to share. Visiting breweries and craft beer bars around the Bay, we talked to enough casual participants to get the sense that if the main role of SFBW is to raise awareness of craft beer and draw people into the beer scene, the magic is still working. We overheard people explaining what Beer Week is, making event suggestions and just talking about the beer in their glass with strangers. And that chatter is part of the secret sauce that shifts this ancient industry to a shared cause, at least for a week. It’s a spark to be fanned.
Steve and Gail
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