7 Urban Breweries, Wineries, and Distilleries Blowing Up in NorCal

2. Magnolia Brewing

In honor of Valentine’s Day and SF Beer week, Magnolia Brewing Co. and Birite have paired up and paired 7 delicious beers and 7 delicious cheeses for your tasting pleasure! Beer + Cheese = Love

A photo posted by Smokestack at Magnolia Brewing (@sfsmokestack) on Feb 14, 2015 at 4:56pm PST

In the same building as Sutton Cellars is Smokestack at Magnolia Brewing, where you can line up at the counter and pile a tray with BBQ and beer. After 16 years, Magnolia added another brewery location in the Dogpatch neighborhood, opening a bar and BBQ joint to go with it. I love the Kalifornia Kolsch on a summer day, but the tap always has a range of stronger options for when the fog rolls in.

3. Harmonic Brewing

Ah hell, let’s release TWO new beers today! Small Axe (right) hoppy pale and Halcyon Days saison (left) with orange peel are both 5.6%, super #sessionable and perfect for sunny #daydrinking (Warriors yellow and Giants orange purely coincidental but we’ll market it anyway.) Taproom open 4-10 today, come get em! #dogpatch #brewpatch #saison #paleale #hoppypale #hops #farmhouseale #belgianale #freshbeer #craftbeer #sfbeer

A photo posted by Harmonic Brewing (@harmonicbrewing) on May 4, 2016 at 3:47pm PDT

In the same neighborhood (like how I’m encouraging you to avoid driving?) check out the new kids on the block. Harmonic has about 12 beers on tap and a sleek new brewery co-located with an industrial design studio. The owners are also music-heads so you can expect quality sound, and rotating DJs and live music.

4. St. George Spirits

Bruto Americano is here! We have added Bruto to our tasting menu as of today, and bottles are just starting to pop up at local bars, restaurants, and spirits shops. Our latest newsletter has more info on Bruto and details on the rollout; if it’s not already in your inbox, check the link in our profile.

A photo posted by @stgeorgespirits on May 18, 2016 at 3:29pm PDT

For a window into the American craft spirit revolution, take a tour at this distillery in Alameda, right on the San Francisco Bay. Located in a former airplane hangar, St. George Spirits is where the mad scientists behind some of the country’s best small-batch spirits are tinkering away. Don’t miss the gins, the agricole rum, the single malt whiskey — matter of fact, try it all. Open to the public Wednesday through Saturday noon to 7pm, Sunday noon to 5pm for distillery tours and spirits tastings by reservation. Depending on your tolerance, head next door to Faction Brewing or Rock Wall Wine afterwards.

5. Temescal Brewing

An excellent shot of our entire lineup by @theurbanenomad! We’re open today (and every Tuesday and Wednesday from now on) and have #earthlycoffee shop set up in the patio making some hot sandwiches! #Oakland #neighbors

A photo posted by Temescal Brewing (@temescalbeer) on Jul 6, 2016 at 5:09pm PDT

Oakland’s newest brewery is right next to Church’s Chicken, and I think the smells mingle kinda nicely. The taproom opened with a number of easy-drinking suds, a big garden, art installations from local artists and rotating food trucks.

6. Oakland Wine Trail

An easy way to taste wines in the East Bay is the #oaklandwinetrail. #girlsthatroam #dashecellars #visitoakland

A photo posted by Girls That Roam (@girlsthatroam) on Aug 23, 2015 at 4:02pm PDT

Why tell you about just one Oakland winery, when you can visit all 10? Use this map to locate them (there’s a walkable cluster in the Jack London waterfront district), and most of the wineries are housed in renovated warehouses. Expect grapes from some of California’s top vineyards, unique wines, and unpretentious vibes.

7. Seven Stills

This is the Anastasia, basically a White Russian with Fluxuate Whiskey. We will be pouring this at our Fluxuate beer release party this Friday, link in the profile. Huge thanks to @torinnielsen for another beautiful shot #thenewshotandabeer #rethinkcraftbeer #drinkwhiskey #craftbeer #craftwhiskey #whiterussian #coffee #porter #smallbatch #drinklocal #sanfrancisco #bayarea

A photo posted by Seven Stills of SF (@sevenstills) on Jul 25, 2016 at 8:35pm PDT

Whiskey made from high-quality local craft beer? Yes, San Francisco took it that far. Visit this new brewery and distillery in San Francisco for interesting whiskeys made from their own craft beer or collaborations with other local brewers. In homage to San Francisco’s seven hills, each bottle from the Seven Stills series is inspired by a different hill with bottle art from a local artist.

Featured image by: Justin Schuck