The San Francisco Brewing Company
155 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
Tel: 001 415 434 3344
Open: Noon to 1am
The beers are first-class, the decor amazing, the history intriguing, the atmosphere pubby.
Behind the bar, the wall is covered by a massive, ornate, superbly fashioned piece of wooden furniture, and this is matched by a similar piece on the opposite wall. Above is a weirdly wonderful and useless air-conditioning system turned by a chain drive.
The barman told me the furnishings were made for British government offices in Singapore, but a cock-up at the Foreign Office got it shipped to San Francisco instead.
The bar dates from 1907 when it was called the Andromeda Saloon and, in 1913, employed the great Jack Dempsey. Baby Face Nelson was captured there by the FBI in 1939.
In 1977 it was renamed the Albatross Saloon and in 1985, Allan G Paul re-opened it as the San Francisco Brewing Company.
It's a chaps' place a bit rough and ready for the girls. The bar opens onto the street and you can sit outside and drink and watch the world go by. A place to lift the spirits as well as pints.
