The third brewery on the third day of my Bay Area trip was Social Kitchen and Brewery, where I would be meeting a couple friends for dinner. It didn’t take too long to walk from Magnolia in The Haight, and so I arrived a bit early. But that was a good thing because I could then get started on a taster flight and not be as distracted when my friends showed up. (I was going to make some sort of pun about being social, but I’m somehow managing to resist, luckily for you.) SKB has a pretty upscale feel to it – I felt a bit conspicuous with my jeans, t-shirt and daypack, but nobody seemed to mind. Prices were fairly reasonable, too.

Cooking up some samplers at Social Kitchen and Brewery — San Francisco, CA

Rob’s Picks
• SKB Pilsner – 4.9% – Somewhat bready, with light herbal hops. Pretty crisp. Bitter zing at the end.
• Saison du Semillon – 8% – Nice mix of saison and grape. Smooth, doesn’t taste 8%.
• Waterfront Porter – 4.9% – Coffee/chocolate aroma and flavors. Light, somewhat dry, and very drinkable.
• New World Lager – 6% – Citrus and tropical fruit hops. Crisp and light, with some bitterness on the finish.

The Rest
• SF Session – 4% – English summer wheat. Light, and not very bready. Some bitterness that mellows out on the finish.
• Rapscallion – 6.7% – Belgian golden. Banana/clove start. Some caramel malt. Smooth, but not much else.
• Mr. Kite’s Pale Ale – 5.9% – Floral and fairly malty.
• The Smell – 6.7% – IPA. Tropical fruit, some citrus, and earthy hop flavors. Light caramel malt. Wasn’t too fond of the earthiness.

What else? I was there on a Monday, and they seemed fairly busy. Glad I didn’t try and visit over the weekend. And yeah, that wraps up Day 3.