Over the previous few years, I’ve taken brewery-centric day journeys to just about each nook of the Bay Space, from Alameda to Silicon Valley and San Ramon. This time, I headed for Harmony, the place a number of taprooms lie inside strolling distance of the Harmony BART station.
Facet Gate Brewery & Beer Backyard
This downtown Harmony brewery is the brainchild of Kevin Wilson and Paul Culbertson, who met at their day job and bonded over their shared love of dwelling brewing. Over a house brewing session, Culbertson talked about he’d written a marketing strategy for a brewery years earlier than — and Wilson confessed he’d as soon as thought of it, too. The result’s Facet Gate. They signed the lease on the property at a less-than-perfect time — February 2020 — however the ensuing lockdowns proved a blessing of their case. It gave them time to remodel a former pizzeria and bar into this enjoyable brewery, which opened in September the next 12 months.
Facet Gate provides 13 to fifteen beers in quite a lot of types and a housemade arduous seltzer that may be flavored with syrups. Facet Gate’s flagship is On the Fence, a hazy IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic and Idaho 7. However their Planter Field Pils is a detailed second. It’s a refreshing summer time climate beer, supreme for the beer backyard. Different standouts embrace Sucker for Succulents, a vivid, clear IPA brewed with Mosaic, Centennial and Simcoe; Seashore Learn, a hefeweizen; Structural Integrity, a brand new Baltic porter collaboration; and Suburban Forager, a saison brewed with flora present in Wilson’s yard.
The taproom is heat and welcoming, and the beer backyard is the place to be in sunny climate, particularly when there’s stay music. Meals vehicles roll by virtually every day, and there’s trivia on Wednesdays.
Particulars: The brewery is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and midday to 10 p.m. Fridays and weekends at 1822 Grant St. in Harmony; sidegatebrewing.com.
The Hop Grenade
Technically, this isn’t a brewery, however the Hop Grenade is so brewery adjoining, I can’t not embrace it — and it’s simply two blocks from Facet Gate. Justin Crossley opened the Salvio Road taproom in 2013, however its origins date again to 2005, when Crossley launched a house brewing radio present, the Brewing Community, in his Pacheco storage. When it outgrew the area, Crossley moved the studio to Harmony and added a craft beer bar, so patrons can watch and hearken to the broadcasts whereas having fun with a brew.
The Hop Grenade serves a rotation of greater than 20 California-focused craft beers, usually brewed by friends from the broadcasts. There’s a full kitchen, too, which provides flatbread pizzas, sandwiches, snacks and desserts.
Particulars: Hop Grenade opens every day at midday at 2151 Salvio St., Suite J, in Harmony; thehopgrenade.com.
However wait, there’s extra…
One other nice Harmony possibility is Epidemic Ales — a reputation chosen by co-owners Holly Brown, Erin Shally and Brian Wang in 2016 as a playful reference to the explosion of craft brewery openings throughout the area. Epidemic’s taproom opens at 3 p.m. weekdays and midday weekends at 150 Mason Circle in Harmony; epidemicales.com.
And in neighboring Nice Hill, Morgan Territory Brewing opened a brand new taproom final month. Brewmaster Craig Cauwels and his Tracy-based brewery have had an amazing 12 months, profitable eight medals and brewery of the 12 months within the California Craft Brewers Cup, plus a gold medal at this 12 months’s World Beer Cup. You’ll discover about 15 of Cauwels’ beers and three home arduous seltzers on faucet on the Nice Hill location — with room to develop. No kitchen, however native favourite Jack’s Restaurant & Bar is subsequent door and the Crescent Café is throughout the road and delivers. The brand new tasting room opens at midday every day at 40A Crescent Drive in Nice Hill; morganterritorybrewing.com.
Know an area brewery or brewpub that’s knocking it out of the park ? Drop me a line at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com and inform me why you like them.
