SF Beer Week Events Brewing Everywhere Except Here

If you're getting ready to join the Bay Area's community of beer lovers next week for the annual SF Beer Week , expect to travel anywhere except Millbrae and her neighbors. Our part of San Mateo County is a void of places that serve much else than the usual macrobrews (Busch, Miller, Coors, and their subsidiaries) that one can guzzle at any sports/dive bar. This means we are off the roll call of places that will be hosting events for SF Beer Week.

The nearest event is going to be at Grape and Grain  in San Mateo, at a trendy wine and beer bar that opened up just a few months ago. Had they not recently appeared in the scene, you'd have to go even further south to Devil's Canyon Brewery in Belmont for the next closest event. Speaking of Devil's Canyon, they were the one local microbrew that could be enjoyed in a bar anywhere near Millbrae until The American Bull (next door to Lunardi's) stopped serving their Full Boar Scotch Ale a couple months ago. That gave me the blues, which could unfortunately no longer be chased away by the beer I wanted.

Let's look at what we do have in Millbrae...

Fiddler's Green is your best bet. They have ten beers on tap and a few in bottles. The only two craft beers they have are Sierra Nevada and Fat Tire (which are only a barrel of production away from not being considered craft beer). They do have all of your Irish and British macros, which are preferable to American macros in my opinion. They have Guiness and Boddington's on nitro tap, meaning you get an extra-creamy, delicious foam at the top of your glass. They also make a pretty amazing Irish coffee and other cocktails at Fiddler's Green. The staff are happier to carry on a conversation with you as a person, so be patient while they take the care to be friendly. They take cards, but it is good to be ready with some cash.

The Veranda Bar at El Rancho Inn and Suites only has a handful of taps, Fat Tire being the only craft beer. They also have Widmer Hefeweizen, which actually isn't considered a craft beer because Anheuser Busch has a large investment in their company. The Veranda Bar's beer glasses are rather puny and they don't sell pitchers, but they do have a cozy fireplace and a comfortable atmosphere.

Rosie's Cantina is the only other bar within our city limits. They have great food, good margaritas, and fun music, but beerwise, don't expect to find anything more than a few skunky Mexican style beers and bottles of Bud and Bud Light. Also, they let people smoke right in the alcove where the entrance is.

A few other places in town have beer on tap, but again, nothing that was brewed with much love.

If you are up for a bit of a drive (or not, since you have been drinking) there are some good places to the south of us. The Barrel House recently opened on the corner of Burlingame Ave. and California Ave. They only have a few taps, but they are chosen with beer geeks in mind. The Steelhead brewpub is right next door to the Barrel House. They brew all of their beer on site. Already mentioned in this blog is Grape and Grain in San Mateo. They have eight rotating craft beers on tap and about eighty or so different bottles, including some that are rare or difficult to find in our area. My favorite place to the south is an authentic German Biergarten called Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City. They have a dozen taps that are constantly rotating German standards, as well as three guest taps that often feature outstanding breweries of the Bay Area and California. Just be careful drinking there because beer comes in large quantities and generally has a higher percentage of alcohol by volume. Some other good places in Redwood City are Angelica's Bistro and City Pub.

Since it is illegal and extremely dangerous to drive after consuming alcohol, I would recommend taking Caltrain (you can drink your beer on the train too!). There's a great website/community called Wet Your Whistles  that lists every place to enjoy a beer, wine, or cocktail that is within walking or stumbling distance from a Caltrain station. They often organize gatherings and pub crawls at all the favorite places between San Mateo and Sunnyvale. They will be hosting a pubcrawl for SF Beer Week, but all fifty spots have already been filled.

See you (anywhere other than Millbrae) next week! Happy drinking!

What is your favorite microbrew that you would like to see served in Millbrae?