SF Beer Week, scheduled to take over taps and taste buds from February 6–15, is right around the corner. And while half the city plans on participating, there’s no way our calendar (or liver) can handle all of the boozy festivities. From meeting with brewers to specialty tastings to beer-themed food feasts, we’ve narrowed down the massive SF Beer Week schedule to a few stellar events.
SF Beer Week Opening Day Urban Picnic Sat Feb 7 11am, SoMa StrEat Food Park
Kick off nine straight days of sudsing with 16 beers on tap, grub from ten of San Francisco’s best food trucks, live music, plus numerous opportunities to chit chat with your favorite brewers. Food is not included in your ticket price—but plenty of beer is.
Dodge Ball, Drink Beers Sat Feb 7 1pm, Pyramid Alehouse (Berkeley)
Channel your (aggressive) inner seventh grader during Recreational Adult Dodgeball League’s (RAD) massive tournament. The last person standing wins a brewing class for eight people (an $800 value). Players need to arrive with a donation for Project Open Hand or pay the $10 entrance fee. Costumes encouraged.
Beer & Beats with Altamont Beer Works Sat Feb 7 6pm, Liquid Gold
California knows how to party. Sample some of the Livermore brewery’s finest flavors while drinking in beats from some of the Bay’s 2Legit2Quit rap legends.
Beerunch Sun Feb 8 11:30am, Public House, AT&T Park
Grab your elastic-waist pants for a midday pairing feast filled with combinations like WOODS Porsha Imperial Stout with smoked bacon pancakes and salted caramel sauce, and Moonlight Brewing toast with pulled pork mac ‘n’ cheese fritter.
IPAs, ABV, & Bukowski Mon Feb 9 4pm, Fig & Thistle
“Stay with the beer. Beer is continuous blood. A continuous lover.” It’s as if author Charles Bukowski just gets you. Raise your glass to the man of the hour at this literary beer bash, featuring IPA flights and drunken quotations.
Anchor & Hope’s Shrimp Boil Wed Feb 11 5 & 7:30pm, Anchor & Hope
How much shrimp and beer can you consume in two hours? Hand over $35 to attend the annual SF Beer Week boil and find out.
Craft Beer and Sausage Eating Contest Sat Feb 14 2–3pm, Rosamunde Sausage Grill
What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a sausage eating contest? Contestants must consume at least one beer and as many sausages as possible (including toppings and buns!) in five minutes.
Chocolate, Beer and Cupid Sat Feb 14 6pm, Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
Believe it or not, suds pair wonderfully with the sweet stuff. See for yourself at the the chocolate-making class, led by TCHO chocolatiers and homebrewer Pete Slosberg. (We can’t wait to sample the Panda Bear Ale, brewed with TCHO organic cocoa nibs and organic vanilla beans.)
15 Romolo Booze and Beer Brawl Sun Feb 15 6pm, 15 Romolo
Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! It all comes down to this. Beer cocktail crafters, whose concoctions will have been featured on 15 Romolo’s menu for the entirety of Beer Week, battle to prove their creation is tops. This event is wildly popular, so grab tickets early.