Here’s how seriously they take their brew out on the San Francisco Bay: tickets for the 29th annual San Francisco International Beer Festival are sold out.
If you’ve got a friend in town of has an extra ticket, give ‘em a call and offer to buy them dinner. It’s worth it. Admission to this Saturday, April 28 event gets you a bottomless taster mug, the better to responsibly imbibe a select few of the hundreds of craft beers served up by a slew of local as well as international breweries.
In its almost 30 years of operation, SFIBF has developed quite a cachet among savvy connoisseurs. Don’t dare call it a ‘beer bust.’ That it isn’t.
Tasting starts at 7 p.m. Saturday night at Fort Mason Center, specifically at Festival Pavilion. Last call is at 9:30 and last pour at 9:45. Take public transportation if you can, or designate a driver. Be sure to eat as well as drink. No matter how good the brew, humankind cannot live by beer alone. To that end, a slew of San Francisco restaurants are setting out their fare. Among them: Liverpool Lil’s, Tommy’s Joynt, Chubby Noodle, Swan Oyster Depot, The Dark Horse Inn, Jaspers, The Pub at Ghirardelli Square and Scream.
The setting for the festival is perfect. Down by the Bay, Fort Mason funnels the sea-swept, salty tang of the ocean into your mug. That’s where it mingles with malt, hops and such to produce something singular. Let your nose linger over the rim of the mug for a minute – if you can.
What you can’t do is get in without an ID certifying you’re 21 or older. Don’t even try.
Proceeds from the San Francisco International Beer Festival go to a good cause. SFIBF is the sole fundraiser for the Telegraph Hill Co-operative Nursery School. The event itself is produced by parents of Tel-hi students. Monies raised will go to fund the teaching and learning programs of the innovative school for an entire year.
Story by Jerry Chandler
(Image: Blyzz)
