AT&T Park (Home of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants)

AT&T Park (Home of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants)
24 Willie Mays Plaza (3rd & King Sts)
San Francisco Giants Schedule
MUNI: N, K/T, 10, 30, 45, 47, 76, 80, 81, 82, 91, 108
Caltrain 4th/King Station
sfgiants.com transportation page

I’m breaking this down into sections, as the location of AT&T Park (home of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants) offers many options for beer fans, one of which is a few feet away from the main gate at Willie Mays Plaza.

In the Neighborhood

Public House, beer bar
located at the ballpark; see below

21st Amendment, brewpub
It’s a five minute walk down 2nd Street from 21A to AT&T Park (home of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants). Full brewpub, usually with a handful of guest beers (and wines). No happy hour on game days, and they can be weird about seating people inside. Being so close to the ballpark (and on the way for those walking from downtown), expect crowds and occasionally surly staff. Best bet is to go out back to their patio on De Boom St and grab a few cans of house-made brews in the sun (or, equally likely, howling wind).

Thirsty Bear, brewpub
This is a fifteen minute walk down 3rd Street, with a full regiment of house brews, cocktails, entrées, tapas, and tons of room to consume them all. The plus side of its location is that it won’t be packed with fellow baseball fans; the down side is that it may be very well be packed with downtown happy hourers, who can be as obnoxious as Dodger fans (though less likely to stab you).

Gordon Biersch, brewpub
This is a fifteen minute walk down The Embarcadero- the boulevard that runs along the Bay, and under the Bay Bridge. GB has become a national brewpub chain, but it started down US-101 in Palo Alto.  It’s huge, with two large levels and a patio, and a big American menu with some nods to traditional Bavarian and German beer food, as well as a full bar with a happy hour.

Public House

As you can see above, Public House (and taqueria/tequila bar Mijita) is actually in the same building as the ballpark; its heated patio is right there on Willie Mays Plaza (plaza of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants). It’s a standalone restaurant, so no game ticket is required, and it’s open year-round. There’s over 20 taps, 20 bottles, and 2 casks- one of which is a bitter made by Magnolia specifically for Public House. Being a tenant of MLB, they’re under contract to carry the usual fizzy yellow beer, but those are far outnumbered by breweries like Unibroue, Duvel, Rodenbach, and Allagash, as well as more local options like Speakeasy, Stone, Firestone Walker, and Lagunitas. The food is based on basic ballpark fare, classed up by local chef Traci des Jardins. (I’m no foodie but I do know that if you have a Wikipedia page, you’re Very Important.)  And don’t forget to get one last Billy Sunday Bitter in a to-go cup, as you’ll be allowed to bring it into the ballpark with you.

Inside the ballpark

We’ve established that there’s plenty of places to grab a brew before and after the game, but surely it’s mostly crap once you’re actually in the stadium (stadium of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants), right?

Uh, well, kinda.  (There are some actual bars available to club & field level ticketholders, but screw those yuppies.)

However, as Draft Magazine notes, AT&T Park does have one of the better beer selections in Major League Baseball.  And as mentioned above, you can order something from Public House and bring it into the ballpark.

One both main levels, taps at the general hot-dog-and-pretzel windows are generally the usual macrobrews (though a handful have Gordon Biersch or Widmer).  But keep an eye on the opposite side of the walkway- many of the stand-alone beer carts will have better fare- Anchor Steam, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, etc.

The best concentration of good beer will be on the Promenade (lower) level behind sections 112 & 119, on either edge of the press box.  Again, you’re not going to find Supplication, but you should be able to grab a Mirror Pond or a Prohibition.  Once you venture into foul territory (which will be on the main concourse level), you’ll find a handful of decent beers behind the scoreboard, in both the hot dog windows and the standalone beer carts.  In the View (top) deck, the best concentration of beer (and food) will be in an open plaza behind the plate.

Admittedly, once you’re in the stands, the beer scene isn’t hugely better than other ballparks, but there is good stuff to be found, and considering the plethora of options immediately surrounding the ballpark, I’d say any non-baseball fan beer geek would still be able to enjoy a day out at the yard (yard of the 2010 World Series Champion San Francisco Giants).