You might've seen Local Brewing Co.'s Regan and Sarah at Dolores Park, towing their five-gallon mobile kegs spray-painted with logos, giving away homebrew to what they call "focus groups." They've also been regulars at the SF Underground Market, demystifying the art of homebrewing in free workshops.
It's been a long road, but the founders and aspiring entrepreneurs of Local Brewing Co. are finally showcasing their beers during SF Beer Week where they've always wanted to be: in San Francisco bars. On Saturday, they premiered their 1776 IBA, an American-style India Black Ale made in collaboration with ThirstyBear Brewing Co. It's the first time Regan and Sarah have been able to sell their beer, brewing a whopping 3,700 pints to serve the public. (Scroll down for a list of bars serving it this week.)
Local's SFBW collaboration meant scaling up from its usual five-gallon batches of homebrew to 15 barrels, equivalent to 645 gallons. "Our mobile kegs were three gallons," recalls Regan. "For SF Beer Week, one keg is 13 times that size. "
Named for the year the city's first presidio and mission were founded, the all-organic India Black Ale tastes, according to Local, like a "medium-bodied, hoppy IPA-style beer," despite its porter coloring. The hoppiness can be attributed to Lagunitas Brewing Co., which donated 22 pounds of hard-to-find Amarillo hops.
Regan and Sarah are true to their brewery's name ― they live, brew, and drink in the Mission, which makes it no surprise that neighborhood favorites Range and The Sycamore are offering 1776 IBA on tap during Beer Week. Along with their brew, they've got shiny new toys to show off: Local Brewing Co. beer taps, made by a friend and welder. They've also got commemorative pint glasses, which they'll hand out to the first 15 people who say hello at any of this week's meet-and-greets.
Sarah jokes that after this week, she and Regan will probably need to take a break from drinking beer as they figure out their next move. If things go well, we'll all be able to drink more Local Brewing Co. on tap very soon.
Meet the brewers:
-Tue., Feb. 15, 5-9 p.m. at Rosamunde Sausage Grill, 2832 Mission (at 24th St.), 970-9015
-Wed., Feb. 16, 6- 9 p.m. at Shotwell's, 3349 20th St. (at Shotwell), 648-4104
On tap all week at ThirstyBear, Range, Kilowatt, The Sycamore, and Pi Bar.
Keep tabs on Local Brewing Co. during SFBW on Twitter at @localbrewingco.
