San Francisco and the Bay Area are well known for their breweries and brewpubs. That sublime sipping experience also extends to a small interior strip to the south, along the western bayfront of San Francisco Bay. In San Mateo County, in a 30-mile stretch along highway 101—from the Caltrain commuting hubs of Burlingame down to Redwood City—tap lines and tanks are full, creating a new beer trail worth traipsing.
Here’s where to find inspired pints along the San Francisco Peninsula:
Twelvemonth (Burlingame)
Just south of SFO airport, Twelvemonth is an ambitious, plant-based restaurant and bakery complex opened in a previous brewery space by tech executive-turned-chef Bob Trahan. Among its tremendous expanse of taplines, you’ll find the requisite IPAs like Pliny the Elder and other Russian River favorites, easy-drinking lagers from East Brother Beer Co. in Richmond, and non-alcoholic brews from nearby Fort Point Beer Company.
Alpha Acid Brewing Company (Belmont)
In the back of an industrial lot in Belmont’s Harbor Business Center sits Alpha Acid’s brewery. Here, you can test out La Chulita Mexican Lager alongside offerings from the taco trucks that park out front. Since 2014, pints and pinball machines have been bringing drinkers in for May The Haze Be With You, a 7% New England-style IPA with an essence of orange and pine, as well as Murder She Wroatmeal, a rich, dark oatmeal stout with notes of cacao and coconut. If you want to go bigger, there’s also a sought-after barleywine and a selection of barrel-aged beers, including Flying Dutchman, a 10.2% ABV rum barrel aged tropical stout.
Blue Oak Brewing Co. (San Carlos)
Known for its sours, San Carlos’s Blue Oak brewery has a sprawling indoor/outdoor open space where you can try their Cherry Bomb fruited sour with cherry and lime, or the POG is My Copilot, a tropical fusion of passion fruit, orange, and guava. Check out Blue Oak’s food truck calendar beforehand to plot out what you’ll pair with a glass or growler of the super juicy Hello Motueka, an 8+% hazy IPA brewed with a new thiolized yeast that amplifies the fruit flavors.
Ghostwood (Redwood City)
A neighborhood brewpub, Ghostwood wins awards for its lauded light American lager called Extra Crispy, perfect for quaffing while watching sports on the many TVs. The brews pair well with food too; order trays of little smash sliders and share with friends during Wednesday night trivia, or for quick intermittent bites while you play billiards or Mario Kart in the back. If you don’t have time to hang, pick up a 32-ounce crowler of Ghostwood’s crisp Dat Boi Pilsner or its Serial Chiller, a Cold IPA fermented at lower temperatures than traditional IPAs, brewed citrusy and bright thanks to Riwaka, Nelson, and Enigma hops.
Freewheel Brewing (Redwood City)
Park in Marsh Manor Shopping Center for excellent English cask ales at Freewheel Brewing Company, which has been producing exemplary ESBs since 2012. Its flagship Big V Amber, which tastes similar to a brown ale, is made with Maris Otter and hints of roasted barley and wheat for a rich, malty flavor. Nitro pours are part of Freewheel’s British tendencies, winning over many expats looking for smooth, creamy stouts in the States.
BONUS: A few storefronts down is State of Mind Public House and Pizzeria, where Lars Smith not only makes world class pizzas—he’s on the U.S. Pizza Team and has won many international awards—but has a rotating draft list that’s worth a looksee, and probably a pie while you’re at it!
Gourmet Haus Staudt (Redwood City)
A classic Bavarian Bierstube, with a market in front and bottle shop in back, Gourmet Haus Staudt may even be outpacing all of Germany with the amount of Weihenstephaner it serves and sells per capita. Open early and late, it’s no wonder that this is a first and last stop for many seeking the best in both international and domestic craft beers.
Michael Harlan Turkell, a once aspiring chef, now an award-winning food photographer and writer, has shot many prominent chefs’ cookbooks, co-authored a few (including “The Beer Pantry” with Chef Adam Dulye) , and wrote one of his own, “Acid Trip: Travels in the Word of Vinegar.” Turkell has also been podcasting about food and drinks for over a decade, most recently, the Modernist Pizza Podcast.
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