City Beer Store | SoMa, San Francisco, CA
City Beer Store's expansion will thrill beer cognoscenti
That can of Tecate you're drinking may be sweetly ironic, but should you be ready to hop down the beer rabbit hole, City Beer Store awaits.
A recent remodel of the SoMa space has expanded it beyond its original iteration as a retail shop with a small bar, into a retail shop with a comparatively large bar.
Now, owner Craig Wathen has the space to offer an impressive collection of bottle-aged beers. Some have never been released to the public; they're so rare that the store has only a half-dozen bottles.
These special selections can only be enjoyed in the shop, but that's no hardship. Drink in, and you can get a complimentary dose of beer knowledge.
The frequently changing draught selections, showcasing unusual kegs, are nothing to sniff at either. Two favorites are Cantillon Saint Lamvinus Lambic ($10 for 7 ounces), fermented with a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot grapes, and Cascade's Figaro ($10 for 7 ounces), a barrel-aged blonde sour made exclusively for the shop's fifth anniversary.
Later this year, City Beer Store will begin hosting classes. Until then, we recommend getting educated the old-fashioned way: by drinking.
City Beer Store, 1198 Folsom St., 415-503-1033 or citybeerstore.com