On Tuesday, February 12th, Cerverceria de MateVeza (3801 18th St.) celebrated SF Beer Week with the release of an dessert-inspired collaboration: Salted Caramel Ale. In the world of craft beer, collabs occur all the time. What makes this beer exceptionally unique is that it’s the product of a combined effort between MateVeza and nearby ice cream icon Bi-Rite Creamery.

Behind every good cocktail is a solid mixer. By and large this necessary component is non-alcoholic, yet is every bit as crucial in guiding the end result toward proper palatability. And whereas quality booze is relatively simple to procure in a city like San Francisco, mixers can be far more elusive. Thankfully, The Fizzary (2949 Mission Street) has got you covered.

When it comes to innovative fare, San Francisco’s Mission District is an embarrassment of riches. Yet within this diverse culinary landscape Hog & Rocks (3431 19th Street) has managed to carve out its own distinct identity as the Bay Area’s ‘first ham and oyster bar.‘ Executive Chef Robin Song recently took over in the kitchen, making some interesting changes to a menu that pairs exceptionally well with a comprehensive list of seasonally-rotating cocktails. He sat down with me last week over a few drinks to explain what led him to this two-year-old neighborhood fixture.

Our good friends over at Monks Kettle in San Francisco have announced they are opening a new space… and only blocks away in the Mission! If you have never been to Monk’s Kettle, you are missing out. Please stop reading immediately and head over there for a beer/bite and then continue reading. Christian and Nat have signed the lease on 740 Valencia – to open Abbot’s Cellar this coming Winter.  The new space (which will hold about 95 people including the bar space) will be a restaurant that focuses on beer pairings and seasonal American and European fare.  The beer selection will be a bit more focussed than the massive and widespread selection at Monks Kettle, but we know their 100 bottles and 24 tap selection (including 2 hand pump casks) will still be pouring delicious brew.  We can’t wait for them to open (and we hope we can get a [...]

SAN FRANCISCAN SALOONS OF THE PAST – Looks like we’re in the right neighborhood. by James Jarvis, ECV Today at the busy intersection at 16th Street & Mission of San Francisco’s Mission District you may find the Drink Me Offices, but you will not find a saloon on any corner.  But this belies it’s drinking past.  In the 1850s and 1860s this part of the city was pastureland with grazing cows and rolling hills.  The city of San Francisco was where today’s Financial District now exists;  16th & Mission was considered the boondocks.