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PHILOSOPHY

Unpretentious excellence. While it can surely happen, attitude is not generally served up at Toronado. It’s just a great place to have a beer, try something new, and meet or make friends.

KEY BEER

Alpine’s California Uncommon (5.7% ABV), Pat McIlhenney’s version of “steam” beer, the sort of lager beer fermented at warmer temperatures that Anchor made famous. It’s got a wallop of hop character and a soft, caramel malt base for harmony.

BEST of the REST: CALIFORNIA

CITY BEER STORE

1168 Folsom St., No. 101 • San Francisco, CA 94103 • (415) 503-1033 • citybeerstore.com

In this little hole-in-the-wall SOMA bottle and draft emporium (inspired by wine shops and organized by style rather than brand) visitors sip fresh, ultra-rare domestic and imported craft beers and snack on artisan cheese plates and freshly baked breads. There are six taps for growlers and more than three hundred bottled beers to mix and match. Opened in 2006, it has become a key gathering place for San Francisco craft beer fanatics.

BEER REVOLUTION

464 3rd St. • Oakland, CA 94607 • (510) 452-2337 • beer-revolution.com

This combination bottle shop and craft beer bar opened in 2010 has quickly become an anchor of east Bay Area drinking culture, despite its humble location and pallid fluorescent lighting. All five hundred selections are available to take home—or pop open right here for a mere dollar (compare this to the average wine corkage fee of $15 to $25). Then there are forty-seven drafts to choose from and a sunny patio for al fresco tastings. Add in correct glassware for every beer, appearances by notable brewers, and afternoon barbecues, and you have all the makings of the ultimate craft beer party. Look for Marin Brewing Company’s San Quentin Breakout Stout (7 % ABV) with creamy flavors of dark chocolate, vanilla, espresso, and bourbon.

ALBATROSS PUB

1822 San Pablo Ave. • Berkeley, CA 94702 • (510) 843-2473 • albatrosspub.com

Being the oldest pub in town all too often means having a selection that could use some dusting off, too. And while the Albatross is Berkeley’s oldest pub—it was founded 1964—it’s hardly old-fashioned in the beer department. In between contests of skill in the wood-framed dart alleys or a game of dominoes, sip such treats as North Coast Brewing Company’s silky, espresso-like Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout (9% ABV), a craft beer classic.

TRIPLE ROCK BREWERY & ALEHOUSE

1920 Shattuck Ave. • Berkeley, CA 94704 • (510) 843-4677 • triplerock.com

A pilgrimage to Triple Rock is a trip into American craft brewing’s earliest days: When it opened in 1986 after a lengthy battle with town officials (who feared a factory), it became just the fifth brewpub in the United States. (Today it’s the last remaining of those five still owned by the founders.) The interior has all the warmth and wear of a much older establishment, in fact, with wood paneling, ochre walls, framed brewery posters, and a beautiful, wide old bar. Behind all the nostalgic décor, though, is some of the most sophisticated brewpub equipment anyone had seen in the United States back when the company was founded. It is still a winning setup, and today the Triple Rock is just as welcoming as ever, though with far better beer and a full menu. Try the Dragon’s Milk Brown Ale (6.5% ABV) with toffee, smoke, and floral notes that work well together.

HOPMONK TAVERN

230 Petaluma Ave. • Sebastopol, CA 95472 • (707) 829-7300 • hopmonk.com

Built in a gorgeous old stone barn–like structure and lined with hundred-year-old salvaged Douglas fir floors, this spacious brewpub (est. 2008) features house ales among the sixteen taps and a hundred bottled selections including a swath of Russian River, Sierra Nevada, and Anderson Valley beers. The menu features beer-focused cuisine, such as charcuterie plates, cider-braised salmon, and hot beer sausage. If you haven’t found it yet, this is the place to try Russian River’s superb Temptation, a 7.25% ABV blonde ale aged in Chardonnay barrels