The Story of the Guild
In 1920, a small hiccup called "prohibition" crippled San Francisco's thriving brewing culture, not just by making the stuff temporarily illegal, but by forcing brewers to shift their production into other areas. Unfortunately, most of these shifts were permanent. Even after the 21st amendment was passed, San Francisco, like the rest of America, was dominated by cheap beer with flavor that was (to put it kindly) uniform.
The San Francisco Brewer's Guild formed during a renaissance in American craft brewing that took place largely in San Francisco and the surrounding counties. In the interest of restoring and preserving San Francisco's artisan beer traditions, The Guild hopes to unite those who make local beer with those who love it, and revive the vibrant heritage of beer brewing in the city.
From the Blog: Join Us for Slow Beer, A Celebration of Local Artisan Beer & Food
by Brian Stechschulte on April 18, 2012
Slow Food San Francisco and the San Francisco Brewers Guild present Slow Beer, a celebration of local artisan beer and food. Over 25 handcrafted beers from members of the San Francisco Brewer’s Guild will be showcased as part of Slow Food’s effort to promote the pleasures of eating and drinking from the well of our own backyard. Grilled sausages and charcuterie will be provided by local producers. Explore different tastes from pairing local brewers with the locally made foods. Proceeds from the event will benefit Slow Food San Francisco programs which include sending a Bay Area farmer to Terra Madre 2012 in Turin, Italy.
While tasting the brews, enjoy some some live music from The Brothers Lekas. The Brothers Lekas have been kicking back playing guitar, mandolin, and singing and writing songs for more than half of their lives. For the past five years, the brothers have been a backbone of the San Francisco music scene with their band In Rare Form, who have opened for diverse acts like The Mother Hips, Burning Spear, Spyro Gyra and Perpetual Groove at historic venues such as Slim’s and 12 Galaxies in San Francisco, The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and Sweetwater in Mill Valley.
Participants include:
Thirsty Bear Brewing
Magnolia Gastropub
Hog’s Island Oysters
Abbott’s Cellar
21st Amendment
Anchor Brewing
Beach Chalet
AppleGate
Hip Chick Farms
Speakeasy
SourFlour Bakery
Republic
Southern Pacific
Sponsors include:
Acme Bread
Whole Foods
Pacific Sun Olive Oil