It’s SF Beer Week 2019 and although I appeared to arrive too late to attend most events, there are a few that I am able to check out. Tonight – I checked out an event with The Brew Coop and Faction Brewing.
The Brew Coop opened recently off Valencia and 19th Street in the Mission District. The concept is a pour-your-own beer concept, think The Pub, but instead of having British beers it has craft beers from around California. Customers can get their own beer cards and load them with cash to use at the beer stations, pouring as much or as little as beer as they want.
Tonight was very lively at The Brew Coop with many customers coming in and out to drink and watch sports….mainly basketball on television. It certainly had that sports bar vibe with some hip-hop backdrops.
Faction Brewing held a trivia contest for some complimentary beer and the crowd was busy playing games and catching up with friends.
I had a chance to chat for some time with the Sales & Marketing rep from Faction Brewing, Corey Hennegan. We talked about craft beer, the many differences between beer in Florida and California, and the history and mission behind Faction Brewing. I then tried Faction Brewing’s Winter Pilsner beer (7.2% ABV) which was so incredibly smooth, I was blown away by it.
I drink pilsners at most breweries, but none taste quite as good as this Winter Pilsner. Hennegan mentioned that it is one of the pride and joys of Faction Brewing. I highly recommend it and could easily drink it all day.
The Owner and Head Brewer of Faction Brewing, Rodger Davis, has been in the West Coast beer scene for at least 20 years and it shows. Brewers carry their experiences like chefs into their craft brews. I always notice subtle differences at Leaven Brewing in Riverview from KJ Lynch’s experiences at The Brew Hub and Ft. Lauderdale Brewing. It’s noticeable. Rodger Davis worked at Drake’s Brewing in San Leandro in the past as well as Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley.
After the Winter Pilsner, I needed some food so I ordered the Carne Asada Fries at The Brew Coop. When perusing reviews online, most people seemed to mention the Carne Asada Fries and I’m previously a fan of that dish from California Tacos-To-Go, which previously hailed from San Diego before their sale.
The style of the Carne Asada fries at The Brew Coop isn’t the same as SoCal style fries. It’s still good though. Their bar food is savory, flavorful, and filling without being greasy which is great. It truly went down well with the beer. You can’t say that about most dive-bars selling food.
I enjoyed a Triple IPA from Faction Brewing with my Carne Asada fries and I was impressed that despite the hops – I enjoyed every last sip. I finally found an IPA I can love…not a small feat. It went really great with the fries as well. Beer pairing is a slight hobby of mine.
Brew Coop Owner, Gore Song, told me the idea was to create food that can be enjoyed by customers with their beer without the harsh after-effects of bar food and I completely agree that this was the case. Prices will run you about $10-$20 total which is about standard for bar eats.
The menu was created by Tim Luym, a James Beard Rising Chef Nominee from Alchemy Bar. Chef Ronnie Taylor is also a part of Brew Coop, him and I are both acquainted from his work over at where I have eaten at in the past with my friend Jo from JBKollaborations.
I still have plenty of things to try on the menu, but I think repeat visits would be necessary. The Brew Coop is perfect to visit with some friends to split a few dishes and enjoy some brews, maybe watch a sports game. The noise level certainly spikes when it gets busy, but what sports bar doesn’t?
The location in the Mission District is next to many other San Francisco popular shop names like Boba Guys and Stonemill Matcha. Watching the transformation of the Mission District as former SF resident in the 90s is intriguing and also quite exciting.
I’ll be back.
Event Name: SF Beer Week: Wings x Faction Brewing
Bar Name: The Brew Coop
Neighborhood: Mission District
Address: 819 Valencia St., San Francisco, CA 94110
Website: http://www.thebrewcoop.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebrewcoop/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thebrewcoop/
Carlos Eats 