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Friday Night Beer Blog [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-02-14
Hi beer fans, happy Friday!
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Beer news from the Bay Area: Cherished San Francisco bar listed for sale as owner to retire after 38 years
After nearly four decades of running San Francisco’s most venerated dive-turned-beer bar, owner Dave Keene is selling Toronado... “This marks the end of an era for the generations of beer drinkers that have shared lives with us,” Toronado wrote on Instagram. What began as another Lower Haight dive bar eventually became a monument to exceptional beer in San Francisco, with 50 taps boasting everything from Hazy IPAs to locally brewed barley wines. To celebrate the latter brew, the bar has held an annual Barleywine Festival for over 30 years.
I’ve only been to the Toronado a handful of times, all roughly 20 years ago when they weren’t just the best beer bar around but one of the only good ones. Remember what 2000 was like? The U.S. craft beer scene hadn’t exploded yet and very few bars were making an effort to find a variety of good beers. Toronado was one of the first great beer bars and IIRC was voted Best in California more than once. And it’s not just a place with a lot of beers, it’s a San Francisco dive with a whole shitload of character. I hope the new ownership doesn’t fuck it up.
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The beer pictured at top doesn’t seem to have a name, other than “West Coast-Style IPA”, it’s a collaboration between two San Diego area brewers, Mother Earth and Coronado. The “mermaid with a beer” artwork is a riff on Coronado’s logo and probably what caught my eye at Total Wine. I don’t love it and I’m glad I only bought one. There’s a hop flavor I don’t care for (the label doesn’t mention what hops were used.)
After this I have a variety 12pack from Figueroa Mountain Brewing (Buellton CA). This was a newcomer to Total Wine, I wonder if Fig Mtn is expanding production, or if they’re having to send beer further away to get it sold?
What are you drinking? Anyone brewing?
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