311174 Fri Jul 21 16:26:12 -0700 2006 22 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 1758856 I've heard that Amnesia on Valencia has a good selection of Belgian beer, but fellow Belgian beer lovers, where would YOU go for a few Belgian ales? In the San Francisco summer, nothing beats a good Tripel when the fog starts blasting over Twin Peaks, heading east. Fri Jul 21 16:26:12 -0700 2006 11938 Tripeler 1 1758883 I haven't been recently, but Khana Peena on Oxford St. in Berkeley used to have a decent selection of bottled Belgian beers - nothing on tap I'm afraid. Fri Jul 21 16:33:32 -0700 2006 1758856 20726 abtal 1 1758904 I think Luka's Taproom in Oakland has the biggest selection in the East Bay. Seven or eight on tap plus a dozen or so in bottle. http://www.lukasoakland.com/bar.htm#beers Nizza la Bella in Albany now has several Belgian beers on tap to complement the expanded pizza menu. Fri Jul 21 16:38:55 -0700 2006 1758856 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 1758912 haven't been in a few years, but is Fritz still around? Fri Jul 21 16:40:31 -0700 2006 1758856 17116 kc72 2 1759769 You must mean Frjtz - yes, see: http://www.frjtzfries.com/ Yes, it has Belgian Beers, but I don't know how many in comparison with others that have been posted here. Fri Jul 21 22:00:23 -0700 2006 1758912 19048 annalou 3 1760083 I found the Belgian beers at Frjtz to be not very good in terms of care and freshness. Soggy fries, too. But that was a year ago -- I will return to recalibrate. Sat Jul 22 01:11:08 -0700 2006 1759769 11938 Tripeler 1 1758913 Toronado - http://www.toronado.com/ Fri Jul 21 16:41:00 -0700 2006 1758856 10252 larochelle 2 1759142 Definitely the largest selection in SF and possibly still the largest on the entire west coast. If you are just looking at what's currently available on the draft board, you are missing the whole bottle list. Most Belgians are only available via bottle, and I believe that is true in Belgium as well as here. Fri Jul 21 18:11:59 -0700 2006 1758913 15879 Joan Kureczka 1 1759218 I think that someone on this board said Ledger's Liquors at Acton and University in Berkeley had a large selection. It's across the street from both Fellini and Bread Workshop and Andronico's. Fri Jul 21 18:44:46 -0700 2006 1758856 13192 chocolatetartguy 2 1759237 Try Bo's BBQ in Lafayette. Good selection of Belgian Beer, and, the best BBQ around. Fri Jul 21 18:51:47 -0700 2006 1759218 20783 Peterg 1 1759251 In terms of East Bay restaurants - Luka's is the clear winner. They used to do a Belgian Beer tasting every Tuesday but I'm not sure if they've kept it up. I'd rank A Cote second to Luka's - it has an excellent list of Belgian, German and English bottles and also keep Delerium on tap. Both serve food that is several degrees of magnitude above your standard bar fare. Ledgers Liquors has the best selection of bottles of any store in the East Bay. Fri Jul 21 18:55:37 -0700 2006 1758856 10793 Morton the Mousse 1 1759438 Here is another in SF: Bar Crudo. http://www.barcrudo.com/menu.htm Fri Jul 21 20:00:10 -0700 2006 1758856 19934 Guzgo 1 1760081 Crudo looks great, but a quick look at their menu on their site proves that Toronado has a much wider selection. So far, it seems to be Toronado by a wide margin, though they haven't a scrap of Belgian food (or any food, for that matter). Sat Jul 22 01:09:35 -0700 2006 1758856 11938 Tripeler 2 1760123 Yes, but you can bring in sausages from Rosamunde (the wild boar goes exceptionally well with some of the Belgian beers, especially saisons) or from any other neighborhood place for that matter. Sat Jul 22 01:30:37 -0700 2006 1760081 15879 Joan Kureczka 3 1760335 Great tip. One of my favorite Toronado/Haight 500-block pairings is the smoked beef brisket from Memphis Millie's and an Alaskan Smoked Porter at Toronado. I go home happy! Sat Jul 22 04:19:11 -0700 2006 1760123 11938 Tripeler 1 1760509 There is a beer store/sampling environment on the north side of Folsom Street between 7th and 8th [closer to 8th, just before the Rausch alley] which has an interesting selection of boutique beers ... it's sort of stealthy and I dont remember the name, but they have a sandwich board out front usually. Oh here we go, I found some email from them: >From: City Beer [mailto:thecitybeerstore@yahoo.com] >Subject: Chimay Tasting Tonight + New Releases > >Brasserie D'Achouffe- Ardennes >Houblon Chouffee IPA Tripel > >Het Anker >Gouden Carolus Grand Cru of the Emperor > >Browerij Verhaeghe- Vichte >Dushesse De Bourgogne Flemish Red Ale > >Coming next week... >ever heard of a little Belgium brewery called Fantome? >how 'bout a little Belgium classic by the name of Brut des >Flanders? >let's not forget California- Stone Imperial Stout anyone? > The proprietor is usually willing to talk at length about the beers, the beer business etc. It's mostly a store but there is some weird loophole that let's them serve beer as long as you split one with somebody or something like that ... so it is more of a "tasting room" than a bar? anyway, it wasn't clear whether you were just looking for a supplier or a venue to hang out in. ok tnx --psb oh here are some links [on yelp too], including details on the not-a-bar loophole: http://extras.insidebayarea.com/blogs/beerblog/2006/06/city-beer-store-opens-in-sf.html http://hedonistbeerjive.blogspot.com/2006/06/san-franciscos-city-beer-store.html Sat Jul 22 12:07:43 -0700 2006 1758856 16770 psb 1 1760655 Anybody seen Mort Subite Kriek around? I have a dream of finding it on tap. G Sat Jul 22 15:32:33 -0700 2006 1758856 10990 Gerard 2 4132160 Right you lot.... You live in the possibly one of the best places for beer in the world, be thankful. then get your asses to one of the following: Toronado, haight st. The Trappist, Oakland. The Monks Kettle, in the SFMission. The Trap SF. The Monks Kettle is great - and your have belgian beers being brewed in Santa Rosa, and San Diego Russian River & Lost Abbey that are great - But, if you want bottles - try Ledgers on Universty in Berkeley or City Beer on Fulsom St, SF. Monument Liquors has some fun stuff too.... and, I live in ENGLAND, I work in Belgium.... and work here -> Http://beermerchants.com See you all in February! Mon Oct 27 11:59:03 -0700 2008 1760655 198375 Phil_L 3 4308215 Phil's right on all accounts. The Trappist and La Trappe have an awesome selection of belgian/belgian style ale, but both bars are on the small side. The Trappist is practically the size of a closet. My vavorite is La Trappe. It's got a cozy, plush, tavern feel, and it never get unreasonably loud. Great environment to enjoy some good brews. The Monk's Kettle has a great selection of beer, but what drives me away is also the unaccomodating size of this pub/restaurant AND the fact that the same beers at La Trappe and The Trappist cost several dollars less. This place is INCREDIBLY PRICEY. The Toronado is simply a great place. Tons of beer, a fun rowdy environment. However, this place of the four Phil mentioned has the smallest selection of belgian ale...but the prices are the best, especially during happy hour! Thu Jan 08 12:27:47 -0800 2009 4132160 255365 nephilae 3 4308547 Damn, it took 17 posts to get to this answer. Phill L is totally on point. The only place Id like to add is in San Carlos, on the Peninsula called "The Refuge," which exclusively serves up only Belgians and the best west coast pastrami you can find. They have about 20 taps, and a small bottle selection that features some VERY rare and hard to get bottles. Thu Jan 08 13:46:27 -0800 2009 4132160 245988 Adamsimpson 4 4319928 Healthy Spirits at 15th and Castro has a ton of Belgian beer. Here is a link to their beer list. http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dctx4rfg_0d2mp79gp Mon Jan 12 15:26:36 -0800 2009 4308547 123409 csp1 4 4320513 I concur, the Refuge is a diamond in the rough that is the Peninsula. It's 100% a chow destination, to use the parlance. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Bourdain did a segment on it. The food is as excellent as the beer, and the owner is a master charcutier two trained at 2-star places in Paris. Mon Jan 12 18:44:50 -0800 2009 4308547 43540 orezscu 1 4323062 Try Plumpjack Wines in Marina. Great selection. Tue Jan 13 13:44:18 -0800 2009 1758856 76488 EnderWiggin