SF Visit in May, Napa Valley and Breweries?

[flyerwire]

I'm going to visit a friend who recently had a baby in SF in may with SWMBO. Since i'm tall and uncomfortable on flights, i want my cross country flight to be worth it, so we are going a week early and want to go through Napa Valley a bit and hit up a few breweries (what others are in the area besides Russian River?). Anyone have any good ideas where to go/where to stay?

We will have 5-6 full days to tour/taste/drink before we need to head into SF for our visit. Just starting to pull some information but i have no idea where to get started. Any tips/experiences/reviews are greatly appreciated!

 

[boostsr20]

SteelHead Brewing in Burlingame is good and there is a little Italian place within walking distance that had the bes Lasanga my wife and I have had. It was called La Scala. Couple cool little shops on that street too as well as a BevMo.

Depending on how far north you want to go you should hit up Bear Republic, Lost Coast and North Coast for sure. If you haven't had Old Rasputin Stout, definately hit up a BevMo if you don't make it to North Coast. And if your at BevoMo, look for anything from Port Brewing out of San Diego. Old Viscosity Ale Rocks.

 

[calpyro]

I recommend that you stay in downtown Napa, there are a bunch of pretty nice new hotels. If stick to this area, all of the great downtown restaurants are within walking distance. Also, Downtown Joe’s brewpub is at the intersection of first and Second street for local brews. A great local beer bar is Bilco’s which has fifty+ local beers on tap, located at the intersection of Third St and Franklin St. They have the best selection of draft beers in the Northbay.
Napa is a great launching point for both the wine a beer scene. Russian River, Lagunitas Moylans, Sonoma Springs, Bear Republic and SF are short drives away. If you want to go to SF, take the Ferry out of Vallejo to Pier 41 in SF. It is a beautiful trip and you don’t need to drive.

 

[flyerwire]

thanks! I am staying in SF after the week in Napa to spend time with friends, so after the week in Napa i'll be moving on to SF for the final weekend. The wife is more into the wine and i'm more into the beer, so if everything is a quick ride away, i'll definitely be hitting up as much as possible.

Also Bilco's sounds great, definitely want to try as much as I can due to the lack of west coast choices out east