Whether you prefer your pints with bites from local chefs or you’re just looking for something new to eat, San Francisco Beer Week offers more than 100 tasty options throughout the 10-day event.
The food and beer pairings at San Francisco Beer Week are as diverse as the brews on tap at bars, brewpubs, restaurants and events spaces throughout the Bay Area starting Feb. 7. Here are some of our favorites:
Feb. 8: Opening Day Urban Picnic @ Spark Social (SF)
Celebrate the start of Beer Week at one of SF’s best new outdoor spaces with six local breweries and 10 food trucks. Brewmasters will be on hand to share details as you enjoy all-you-can-drink 10 oz. pours from noon to 4 p.m. Food options include Spark’s typical lineup of wood-fired pizzas, poke, empanadas, burgers and more. Tickets are $40.
Feb. 8: Island Vibes Food Fest @ Harmonic Brewing (SF)
Keep your Beer Week vibes breezy with food offerings inspired by Southeast Asia and beyond and the release of a collaboration double IPA from Harmonic and Barebottle Brewing that is “soft on the pallet, and absolutely clear.” Food venders include Chef Chris Yang, Tum.Lum.Tum.La, Prubechu, Ox + Tiger and Not Too Sweet by Penelope Lao.
Feb. 8-13: The Roost Dinner Series @ Picnic on Third (SF)
Santa Rosa’s HenHouse brewery is partnering with the Pleasure Principle Supper Club for an intimate six-night dinner series at Picnic on Third in SoMa. Each 25-seat dinner will feature the same rotation of beers but a completely different dining experience with a new chef at the helm each night. Menus include Campesino-inspired Mexican dishes, European/Indian fusion, Carribean and South American and other cuisines, depending on which night you attend. Reservations are $69.
Feb. 8-9 & Feb. 15-16: Guided Brunch Pairing with Good to Eat Dumplings @ Original Pattern Brewing (Oakland)
Oakland-based popup Good To Eat Dumplings introduces a special six-course menu paired with exclusive Beer Week brews for a guided brunch in Oakland. Pairings include rice dumplings with kolsch, pork belly bao with West Coast IPA and a coffee stout with dessert, among other dishes. Seatings are limited to 40 dinners and the meal costs $35.
Feb. 9 & Feb. 16: Girl Scout Cookie & Beer Pairing @ Wine Down SF (SF)
An SFBW favorite returns to SoMa with a beer flight designed to pair perfectly with Girl Scout Cookies. Four Bay Area beers will be paired with four complementary cookie flavors. Tickets are $47 and include gratuity. $4 from each sale will be donated to Girl Scouts of Northern Califonia.
Feb. 10: Dynamo Donut & Hair of the Dog Beer Pairing @ Old Devil Moon (SF)
A Cicerone® from Portland’s Hair of the Dog brewery has partnered with local doughnut specialists Dynamo Donuts for five beer tasters that will be paired with four doughnuts, including an Old Devil Moon and Dynamo collaboration doughnut that is still in research and development. Tickets are $40 per person, with a limited number of walk-ins available.
Feb. 12: Anchor & Hope Annual Shrimp Boil @ Anchor & Hope (SF)
Here’s your chance to find out how many shrimp you can eat in two hours. This mid-week all-you-can-eat feast also comes with unlimited pours from three local breweries, including San Francisco Brewing Co. and ThirstyBear. $50 per person with two seatings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Feb. 13: Female Focus @ Harmonic Brewing (SF)
Hoist your glass to all of our favorite craft brew ladies and make some new friends with women-owned and led beer and food businesses. Munch on vegan fried chicken, Taiwanese dumplings, siopao (Filipino steamed buns), and French-inspired pastries with SFBW brews from Harmonic.
Feb. 13: Dim Sum & Beer Dinner @ Palette Tea House (SF)
Two of the best new additions to Ghirardelli square – San Francisco Brewing Co. and Palette Tea House – have helped to elevate the area beyond the tourist trade and offer a legit reason to make the trek to SF’s waterfront. For SFBW, they’re joining forces for a nine-course tasting menu with the restaurant’s creative dim sum offerings and brews from master brewer Justin Boehle. Meals are $55.
Feb. 14: Beer & Ice Cream @ Harmonic Brewing (SF)
You can call it a gimmick, but beer and ice cream combos can have magical results. Humphry Slocombe will be in the building at Harmonic to help you get in the mood for Valentine’s Day. A $25 will get you three scoops paired with three beer tasters from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Feb. 14: Crab Feast @ Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery (SF)
It wouldn’t be right if someone didn’t bring San Francisco’s favorite crustacean to the table for SFBW. Seven Stills is stepping up with an all-you-can-eat crab feed for Valentine’s Day. Tickets are $45 for a two-hour seating that comes with two beers.
Feb. 15: Japan Beer Fest with Hitachino & Aburaya (Oakland)
Savor a selection of Japan’s celebrated Hitachino brews while you dig into Aburaya’s famous “punk rock fried chicken” at the 7th annual Japan Beer Fest in Oakland.
Feb. 15: North Beach Beerfest (SF)
Crawl through some of your favorite North Beach beer destinations and sample unique brews from participating SFBW breweries at the 11th Annual North Beach Beerfest. You can nosh on the Boardroom’s famous chicken wings or bacon-wrapped tater tots, or make a detour and sober up a bit in the line for Golden Boy Pizza. Participants can register in advance or at the Boardroom on the day of the event. Tickets are $14-$18 and include a map, a wristband for discount pours and a commemorative shirt for the first 300 participants to check-in.
Feb. 16: Tank To Table BBQ Fest (SF)
Beer is literally food at Barebottle Brewing, which gives its spent brewing grains to feed livestock at San Mateo’s Pmpino Ranch. The process comes full circle for a “tank-to-table” BBQ that will feature brisket sandwiches, jalapeno sausages, pumpkin sandwiches and other locally harvested eats from nearby farms.
Matt Crawford is a longtime contributor to SF Station and the host Tender Knob Radio on Bff.fm. Follow him on Twitter at @Metro_Matt.