kenmc

Recipes 

Well I'm being sent there to work for a bit, and would like to drink some nice beers, all too familiar with the usual American Pish that ends up in the toilets around Ireland.
So, how bout it then? Will be staying in Mountain View most likely, working in SJ.
Cheers
Ken

david_42

Recipes 

Silicon Valley is not know for it's breweries, but there are a few.

Tied House Cafe & Brewery - 954 Villa St, Mountain View, 94041 - (650) 965-2739
Tied House Cafe & Brewery - 65 N San Pedro St, San Jose, 95110 - (408) 295-2739
Faultline Brewing Company Restaurant - Pricey & not all that great

Plan on doing a bit of driving. Much better pubs are either up towards S.F. or on the east side. One I like that has great beers is The Bistro - 1001 B St, Hayward, 94541 - (510) 886-8525 There are a bunch of places around Berkeley.
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/CoolThings/Other/breweries.html

Must visit is the Toronado in S.F. [ http://gear.toronado.com/draft.htm ] You can drive over to Hayward and take the BART in.

Toronado Barley Wine Festival 2007

Saturday February 17 to Saturday 24, 2006
Location: Toronado, 547 Haight, San Francisco, California
Time(s): 11:30 AM to 2:00 AM Daily

Regardless of what you have heard about California drivers, the reality is worse.

__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

"I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact." Elon Musk

Blender

Recipes 

I think there is a Gordon Biersch pub over there and you might visit the Los Gatos Brewing company which is a little bit south. On the weekend I know that Drakes Brewing in San Leandro is a fine brewery. In San Francisco and north you have Speakeasy,Lagunitas, and Anchor just to name a few. They won't be hard to find as I am sure there are others.

__________________
Gary

kenmc

Recipes 

Thanks guys, but there's a wee problem - you're talking about 'driving' in the same sentence as 'Beer Drinking', which kinda defeats the purpose if I can't sample all the offerings available.....
Hmmmmm. How about off-licences (bottle shops, take aways, whatever you guys call it over there) - is there a good variety of local beers bottled then?

david_42

Recipes 

Many of the grocery stores in the Bay area carry microbrews. BevMo! (beverages and more) 423 San Antonio Road Mountain View, CA has a very good selection. http://www.bevmo.com/productlist.asp?area=beer

Most brewpubs will have their products in bottles as well. What I like to do is get a sampler, typically 6-10 100 ml (about two pints), then buy bottles. The BART (Bay Area Regional Transit) isn't extensive, but you can get around using a combination of buses and trains. http://www.transitinfo.org/

__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

"I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact." Elon Musk

Brewnurse

Recipes 

Look into taking the train to san fran, and check out the night life. But, while at home go to Bevmo and pick yourself up some tasty microbrews , or some smithwicks if you really want. They have lots to choose from. Enjoy the great state of California! Good few "Irish" pubs in San Fran too!

__________________
Stephen
Primary #1:Apple Cider(x2)
Secondary #1:Honey Stout (10 Gal)
Drinking, Ed's Original Apfelwein, Cheesefood's Ale, Krolsh, Ed's House Ale, Nut Brown
Kegged, B's Honey Wheat

kenmc

Recipes 

Cheers Stephen,
don't drink Smithwicks at home, so surely won't bother drinking it here!I tend to avoid the "irish" pubs the world over unless I need to see a rugby match or something, they tend to be reliable for that. I'll type 'bevmo' into my neverlost in the hire car and see what happens.
Cheers
K

kenmc

Recipes 

Can't believe I forgot to ask this - are there any homebrew stores in the bay area worth driving to, to have a nose around?
Cheers
K

david_42

Recipes 

www.oakbarrel.com

1443 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702

Best one I've ever been in. There's a lot of wine gear there, but most of the year it is all homebrewers. Generally they'll have a few on tap for sampling.

__________________
Remember one unassailable statistic, as explained by the late, great George Carlin: "Just think of how stupid the average person is, and then realize half of them are even stupider!"

"I would like to die on Mars, just not on impact." Elon Musk

kenmc

Recipes 

thanks, must check it out!
Ken