“Public houses,” commonly referred to as pubs, have existed around the world long before anyone brewed so much as a drop of beer on American soil. Some were “free houses,” which could procure their ale from any old brewery they wanted. Others were “tied houses,” meaning that alehouse had a contract with a specific brewery, which just so happened to often own the pub. Historians unearthed records of ancient Egyptian innkeepers who operated brewery and bakery combos. Imagine the Yelp reviews a place that did that well now would get.

Today, of the over 1,600 breweries in the US, about a thousand of them are brewpubs, meaning they are breweries that sell most of their draught beer on premise even if bottles and growlers (refillable half-gallon jugs) are available to go. The best of them offer fresh, often local fare, that’s as good as the beer they serve. The Brewers Association defines a brewpub as a restaurant that sells at least twenty-five percent of its beer within its doors, meaning that it can also sell bottles at retail outlets. But once that beer accounts for over seventy-five percent of production — bam — it’s a microbrewery. A micro, incidentally, is defined as a brewery that produces less than 15,000 barrels a year. There are several larger craft breweries that operate restaurants, which are technically brewpubs, but the brewing company is still officially regarded as a brewery. Sort of like how all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares.

Visiting brewpubs is a great way to add local flavor to any trip since terroir is a chief ingredient in most of their beers, from the fresh-hop beers in Washington to the cherry beers in Michigan. Most of them were created by passionate brewers who have learned that having a restaurant is a great way to bring in early revenue while their beers develop a reputation and following.

It’s this sense of people and place that, above all else, compels the brewpub concept ever forward. There are good restaurants and good breweries, but when the two are merged and customers can put a face to it all, that’s what draws people. It’s a concept Bert Grant hit upon when he created the first post-prohibition brewpub in America in Yakima, Washington. In 1982, his Grant’s Brewery Pub, the outlet for his Yakima Brewing & Malting Co., kick-started America’s brewpub renaissance, even if Graneventually sold it in 1995 before it petered out in 2004.

That makes Hayward’s Buffalo Bill’s the oldest surviving brewpub. Then again, “Buffalo” Bill Owens sold his pub, too, so another Bay Area pub, Triple Rock in Berkeley (previously Roaring Rock), is reportedly the oldest brewpub still owned by the original founders, who in this case are brothers John and Reid Martin.

Incidentally, the oldest surviving brewpub in the world is U Fleků in Prague, established in 1499. While maintaining their brewing tradition for over five hundred years is impressive, offering up one single house beer — a dark or dunkel lager — and the fact that it has become more of a tourist trap that doesn’t serve many locals is less impressive.

One of the most famous brewpubs is the Hofbräuhaus, first built in Munich in 1592. Disregard how touristy it is; the beer and food are delicious. A few locations have opened stateside, adding to chains like Rock Bottom, Gordon-Biersch, Karl Strauss, and BJ’s. Chains masquerading as your “local” brewpub seem counterintuitive (but at least the Rock Bottom and Gordon-Biersch — which in November, 2010 were bought and folded into Craft Works — actually brew on premise at their non-airport locations).

So if you really want to celebrate your local brewpub, visit one — or all — of the dozens scattered around the Bay Area. Currently, there are six brewpubs in the City — 21^st Amendment, Thirsty Bear, Beach Chalet, Magnolia, Gordon-Biersch, and Social Kitchen. Best of all, to keep us in fresh suds, half a dozen more are in the planning stages set to open in 2011 including Fulton Street Brewing (NOPA), Southern Pacific Brewing (the Mission), Elizabeth Street Brewing (Noe Valley), Clara Street Brewing (SoMa), and the aptly named Local Brewing, because in the end, no matter the styles of beer and food, it’s all about keeping it in the neighborhood.

Sidebar: Notable North American brewpubs

A personal favorite is Stoudt’s Brewing in Adamstown, Penn. The German-accented brewery is Carol Stoudt’s offshoot of her husband Ed Stoudt’s Black Angus Steakhouse. Elizabeth Stoudt, their eldest of five kids, runs their on-site bakery, and she often incorporates family beers into her breads. Take that, Egyptians of old.

Up in New England, The Alchemist Pub and Brewery is a haven for all manner of beer lovers. Situated in Waterbury, Vermont just outside of the ski and hiking Mecca of Stowe and near enough to Burlington, craft beer styles are always available. From imperial IPAs such as Heady Topper to a nice, tall glass of Shut the Hell Up! (the actual name of their session-able mild ale), this joint is for those with great taste, no mater what their taste is. Not only is the pub grub menu celebrated for going above and beyond grease-bombs that soak up booze, but Alchemist’s owners, John and Jen Kimmich, go so far as to bedeck the walls with local artists’ creations.

Perhaps the most unique is Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh. It is housed in an actual, deconsecrated St. John the Baptist Church, which had operated from 1902 to 1993. With the stained glass still in place, the brew system placed where it belongs — on the altar — and benches fashioned out of actual pews, Church Brew Works may not have the best food or even beer for that matter, but it’s simply gorgeous and possibly the most awe-inspiring pub.

At the top of my Must-See-and-Drink list is Dieu Du Ciel in Montreal. A report from a beer industry friend who works at a top importer told me that upon a recent visit, “DDC had seventeen different beers on draft — all way different styles, and all completely delicious. It was truly mind blowing and is hands-down the most impressive brewpub I have ever visited. The brewer at the pub, Luc, is fantastic…The people are even better than the beers that they make, which is saying something.”