Latest reviews from San Carlos

“Location right at the Belmont station, which is interesting. I walked over from Hapa's where parking is easier. This was a surprise find for me. I had been to the Campell location before but didn't connect the two and wasn't expecting much here. What I found was a ton of taps, good range of breweries and styles, very CA brewery focused. Three new breweries for me, which was good. All beers come in 5 oz sizes, flights of four for $16. Friendly service. Beer cooler for onsite or to-go. Cans individually priced. Good selection of breweries including Alvarado, Cellarmaker, Moonraker. I would def. come here on the regular if I lived in San Carlos.“

bytemesis 91 days ago

“Hapa’s Place: 16 beers in tap, 2 of which are seltzers, atmosphere similar to other locations, $3/5oz. Parking is easy.“

wetherel 91 days ago

“Thursday afternoon stop. Parking avail behind but becomes a challenge later. Nice place, short bar, friendly service. 16 taps. Flights of four or individually priced 5oz pours. Good prices. Limited food menu. Beer quality decent.“

bytemesis 92 days ago

“Newest (9/4/2023) Out of the Barrel location. Extensive tap list of 32 beers. Wide range of styles including sours and barrel aged beers. Reasonable $4/5oz pour. Huge selection of cold cans and bottles to go. Parking is a little more difficult at this location, but not a deterrent. Great place to visit regularly.“

wetherel 257 days ago

“Not sure why I haven’t rated this place before. Ale Arsenal is awesome. Today they a Private Press on tap, DDH Pliney, Awesome barrel aged barley wines and sours. They also have a small, but excellent selection of cans and bottles. Parking is easy.“

wetherel 321 days ago

“Nice bar in a stretch of small businesses in San Carlos. Doesn't stand out on the street, and the interior is pretty low-key, too. But the regulars here knew their stuff, as did the one bartender working. She was attentive and friendly. They had some surprises in the cooler and on tap and it was hard to decide, so luckily they have half pours available. Prices were lower than I expected for the area and quality of the stuff. Just a really good beer bar. We need more places like this in more cities.“

phaleslu 363 days ago

“There are two Redwood Coast Cider locations: one in San Carlos, and a second in San Mateo. Low priced flights of 5x4oz ciders for $12 in mini beer mugs. 12 ciders on tap. Nearly empty on a Saturday afternoon, even though Blue Oak door is hopping. I love ciders, so it a great place to visit. Good, but not great ciders. Nice decor. Super friendly staff.“

wetherel 1028 days ago

“Visited June 2017. In the same space as Blue Oak, just on the other side of the building. A handful of seats at the bar with the draft list written on a chalkboard above the taps. A few other tables for seating around the space. Not a huge tasting room, but not super tiny. Service was very friendly and they happily poured me a flight of all their draft offerings, 10 during my visit. Unfortunately, the ciders were generally not very good. Note: this was four years ago now, so they may have improved.“

brokensail 1029 days ago

“Met John here on a Saturday. Quite busy, doing a good business. Seating inside and a fairly large courtyard in back. Flights available at Bay Area prices ($18 for four six oz pours). Friendly service. They had a food truck when I was there as well. Beers were decent, not amazing but it sounds like they have improved since Broken was there in 2017“

bytemesis 1052 days ago

“Meh. Not bad. Slightly above average liquor store. Not a home brew shop. A few Hermitage beers that are harder to find. Looks like someone entered into the database as an advertisement.“

wetherel 1120 days ago

“Visited June 2017. Garage/warehouse brewery tasting room just off of 101. Friendly service from the owners of the brewery. Opted for a flight of four and unfortunately I just did not enjoy the beers. They all were a bit off in some way--astringent, green apple, etc. Sounds like things may have improved in the last few years, so I will have to give them another shot when I'm in the area.“

brokensail 1190 days ago

“Blue Oak is a perfect 23 mile bike ride from my house. This place is awesome. Visited during Thanksgiving at the peak of Covid. Lots of people but well spaced out with plenty of empty tables. 20 beers on tap, including a couple barrel aged beers, a half dozen sours, and a half dozen hazies. Awesome. Must visit! $18 for 8oz tasters+ $5 mandatory awesome food truck purchase.“

wetherel 1266 days ago

“Updated 9/4/2023. Long after CoVid has ended, but exactly the same. They have very limited taproom hours of Fri 5-9. On Sunday afternoon they sell 4packs at the door. I got a mixed 4 pack with tax for $26. Meh. Not worth visiting. Keep my 2.8 rating. I’ve been waiting years to retake this place, because I’m waiting for their beer list to have 4 beers I haven’t tried. Finally. They rarely create a new recipe. Dropped by during October Covid. They are only selling 4packs and a couple of bombers at the door. Sigh. At least the selection was nice about 16 beers including a couple of barrel aged beers. Not worth visiting. Maybe I’ll try again in the future.“

wetherel 1295 days ago

“Dropped in for an awesome cheesesteak. Not a beer place, though. 11 taps. Mostly large craft breweries: Stone, Firestone, etc. Strip mall. Close to ghostwood brewery I think.“

wetherel 1315 days ago

“Exceptional lunch sport (Valley is a dead zone for food but burgers + pastrami here are great) with a solid tap list (heavy on Belgians), good bottle list (nothing you won't find elsewhere around here but a decent sampling of what's available around here, both locally and from around the globe) in a very popular spot (it's popular for a reason). You're better off going two doors down to Ale Arsenal for beer, but this is a damn good place in its own right.“

WestCoastHawkeye 1704 days ago

“The space is seriously amazing - like it's big and airy and clean and I would not be ashamed to bring my fiancee or a kid here. The beer - look at these guys like a home brewer who really likes to experiment but doesn't really have a great sense for what works and what doesn't. You'll get some interesting stuff you won't see elsewhere (like why are they aging a scotch ale in rum barrels? A boozy fruity rum-barrel-aged red?). So while I admire the willingness to experiment, I would go elsewhere before I go back.“

WestCoastHawkeye 1785 days ago

“Little brewpub in an industrial park in San Carlos. Heavy into Belgians / saisons and a really good IPA on tap. Space is well lit, one of the brewers was behind the bar and very enthusiastic about the beer and they were liberal with sample tasters. The bigger pours I had were both good and I'd be thrilled to check this place out again. Glad I swung by and the place was already decently busy just after opening on a Wednesday so hopefully they become a fixture.“

WestCoastHawkeye 1983 days ago

“Local focus on both taps and bottles. Lots of stuff you don't really see elsewhere because it's so local. Well lit and clean. One of the better beer places in the Valley that I've found.“

WestCoastHawkeye 1999 days ago

“Found this by chance - visit 30-Nov. 9 taps (mostly popular craft) and a decent choice of bottles. Beer c.$5/pint. Great burgers / sides. Burger / Sports Bar.“

R4N5H 2358 days ago

“Cool looking bar in the SF airport area. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Big selection of about 40 beers on draft, with lots of nice Californian beers. Prices are reasonable, too bad they don’t do fries though. Food is delicious, especially their homemade chipotle aioli and the garlic fries. Nice friendly people. Liked it a lot.“

MarcoDL 2464 days ago

“Next door to Ale Arsenal, bar with a Belgian flair. And the pastrami...to die for. Nice selection of Belgians on bottle and tap, others round out the menu.“

stevoj 2608 days ago

“Place recommended by a friend. Nice rounded selection of taps and bottles, including some special releases. Low key vibe, some TVs, but music playing over them. Worth checking out.“

stevoj 2608 days ago

“A cool little bar & grill with a large outdoor space that is spotted with fire pits and heat lamps for the winter. A number of TVs that were not particularly invasive. Service was good and the bartender knew the large list of rotaters off the top of her head. They had ~30 beers (mainly local) on tap with no samplers. Food was quite good and prices seemed reasonable. Had a work happy hour here and it was a blast!“

deyholla 2715 days ago

“Great place with local and domestic micros. This is a beer bar. I don’t even know if they have wine. They have good beer at semi high price. Daily list of whats on tap.“

TEJA 2878 days ago

“Good selection and a knowledgeable staff. Often not too crowded. Great place to stop by on a weekend afternoon and sit at one of the small tables out front. My go-to when ordering food in San Carlos for the family on Friday night and conveniently able to stop by for a pint or two while waiting for the food.“

Zymurgeist2 2886 days ago

“Good cheese steaks. They have 9 taps with a few bottles. Nothing special you can’t get anywhere else. They did have 1 Devils Canyon beer. Good food, a little pricey“

Sledutah 2964 days ago

“Good beer, helpful staff, and a comfortable setting.“

fidel 3425 days ago

“Oddly, I have never been in this place before, despite eating at the Refuge several times in the past few years. It finally became necessary this weekend though; they had a hella good taplist for their 2nd anniversary. I arrived about 3:30 on a Saturday. Place was hopping and getting steadily busier. Despite the crowds, actually getting a beer was not a challenge at all - kudos to the staff on efficient crowd control! Beers were amazing, but that is not really a fair assessment of their normal lineup, so I will pull back the score a bit. Pretty standard bar atmosphere with a small outside seating area. Will return.“

bytemesis 3611 days ago

“This is a great bar. aside from the parking situation, wide open bar, easy to chat with friends without it being too loud. Their bottle and draft selections are incredible...possibly the best beer bar south of San Francisco. The staff knows their beer and there’s no snobbish crap here. I had a great time.“

AdamChandler 3733 days ago

“Sampled for the first time tonight. A nice local liquor store that is expanding in micro brews. They have a nice bomber wall that has some quality finds. The owner seems to really care about bringing in quality over quantity. Real hope here.“

rmussman 3742 days ago

“Family operated. Always friendly, they know their beer and are always quick with a recommendation.“

dawoz 3814 days ago

“Pretty cool large space nestled in a nondescript industrial park. Huge expansive warehouse with tall ceilings. Underwhelming outdoor "patio" with space heater and access to food trucks. Beer is average. IPA was pretty good but unfortunately most of their beers are of blander styles. And you can’t just buy a beer here; you need to buy a glass first. Not a bad concept if your beer is stellar. Only open on Fridays and last Friday of the month has live music. Kid friendly.“

ElGaucho 3820 days ago

“Next door to Ale Arsenal, so that’s convenient. Wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat, but everyone says the pastrami here is great. Tap list isn’t quite as big as Ale Arsenal, but certainly respectable. The seemed to have a lot of Belgian beers when I stopped in. Service was kind of on the slow side, but it was really busy (on a Tuesday at 9pm, even).“

brokensail 3823 days ago

“Have been meaning to stop here and finally got a chance to. Small bar but plenty of places to sit. A couple dozen taps with a pretty good variety and a respectable bottle list. Service is kind of hard to grade since my friend works here and he told the bartender that was working that I was coming in. She seemed friendly to everyone else, too.“

brokensail 3823 days ago

“This place is not open to the public other than a couple hours on Fridays for growler fills, and "Beer Friday" on the last friday of each month. However, they have a really interesting space, and do a lot of catered events. I was there for one of those events. They have a stage, a large reception area, bar, some seating, and an outdoor patio. Pretty nice setup, and for events the beer is free! I had fun, despite the fact that the beer is not the best. I think pints are normally $6, and they don’t do tasting flights.“

bytemesis 3861 days ago

“Visited during SF Beer Week 2013 (February).

I missed it the last time I was here stopping at Ale Arsenal as they close early. This is a little more upscale than Ale Arsenal but there is no dress code or anything like that. We sat outside after waiting for 15 minutes in chairs on the sidewalk. They serve beers while you’re waiting so it isn’t all bad. For beer week they had a bunch of interesting taps going including 3 of the new Zymatore beers. They have a number of bottles in the fridge too like some of the Almanac barrel aged beers and a few other oddities. The food was pretty good albeit expensive. Service was a bit slow but good otherwise.“

t0rin0 3881 days ago

“Small place with a great selection of both bottles and draughtbeer. Service was friendly and prices fair. No food served but you’re allowed to bring outside food. (Try the pastrami-sandwich from nextdoors...) Will definitely stop by here in the future.“

baggio 3906 days ago

“Pub/eatery with Belgian leanings. Interesting if not exceptional tap list, friendly service, decent food, a bit noisy with an awful lot of screaming children for a Friday night.“

OldMrCrow 3921 days ago

“Really nice beer bar with a significantly Peninsula feel. Very interesting tap list (I would have been delighted to try five or six of the taps instead of the one I had), friendly-enough service. Good place.“

OldMrCrow 3921 days ago

“Killler pastrami!!! with a great Belgian beer. What more could you want?“

mrhoppy 3949 days ago

“Visited in February 2013.

Hadn’t been since 2005 when they were only open one Friday a month and since I certainly have spent enough time in Belmont I figured it was time for a revisit. I think their Friday hours are really just for people to come fill growlers and buy bottles since there was pretty much no one else there. They dont do flights or samples but we grabbed a pint each and got a taste of one or two of the others before heading out. There really wasnt much going on but that also meant that there were no lines for beer. Tried a couple of the regulars like the blonde and the IPA as well as a light spiced beer and some Belgian blonde. Regardless of what you think of the beer there isn’t much going on at this place unless you visit on a Beer Friday (I think it’s the last Friday of the month) in which case they’ll have bands and a lot more people and actually stay open late enough to visit after work.“

t0rin0 4002 days ago

“Though I lived in the yay area for 7 years, within 5 miles of this place no less, and have been coming back 3 times a year to visit tonight was the first time I’ve ever been.

Prices are kind of ridiculous but the food is pretty good. To get the cheese steak combo and "upgrade" it to include bell peppers and I paid about $15. The upside is that there are 4-5 Devils Canyon ticks on at all times.

Service is basically deli counter style and there is a small bar in the back with about 4 seats. I’ll have to go back to tick some Devils Canyon at some point.“

t0rin0 4164 days ago

“Nice new beer bar. The cleanest restroom I have ever seen. Target in the urinal....nice. Hahaha. Good variety of beers on tap. They don’t have food but you can order food from Morty’s nearby delivered and they said I could bring any food I want in. Even from home! Kudos to that.“

mrhoppy 4179 days ago

“Havent been in a while and I’m told the service has gone down hill but the few times I was there about a year ago they had 15-20 taps and more than half of those were non macros. Things like Speakeasy, 21st Amendment, Drakes, Devils Canyon, Palo Alto, and a handful of others.

The food was pretty good but expensive. The service was nice and attentive though the bartenders werent overly helpful. During the day its a nice place to sit outside and have a burger, at night its a party atmosphere. I know I’ve run into a bunch of people that I went to highschool with here. They could also do a lot more with the beer if they wanted since they certainly have the taps for it.

Overall, the food is good, there are some decent beers, but isnt the greatest bar around, especially with the two new places right around the corner (Ale Arsenal and The Refuge).“

t0rin0 4197 days ago

“Visited with some of the bay area crew last week. Cool place. Small patio by the sidewalk, good service, lots of taps, and got to converse with a former brewer for Devils Canyon, and a sales rep for Ninkasi. Had a glass of the Ninkasi double alt and then for no good reason other than gluttony I had a pint of Racer X (full "pint glass", not tulip, so probably 12-13 fl oz).

Prices were good and the service was very friendly. Interesting that this is literally next door to The Refuge. I’ll have to check that out next time (this weekend).“

t0rin0 4197 days ago

“Not bad at all, with a nice tap list, regular rotation, and a pretty interesting bottle list as well. Definitely Belgian emphasis, but there is something for everyone here. Open for lunch and dinner.“

bytemesis 4231 days ago

“This is more of a restaurant, but they do have a handful of Devil’s Canyon beers on at all times. Great hoagies and cheesesteaks, plus they have TastyKakes and Cel-Ray soda, which is pretty legit. The food here will kill you, but I love eating it when I can. Service can be a little bit surly, but it’s a cheesesteak place, eh?“

brokensail 4306 days ago

“Tap list changes regularly! 18 draught beers with a focus on Belgians list ususually includes: IPA Whites Blondes Doubles Tripels Quads Sour 20 or so regular bottles and an additional 20 "reserve" bottles. One of the best bars in the bay area.“

Kramer620 4588 days ago

“About 15 Belgian style ales on tap. Mostly true Belgians plus a couple Allagash. Typical Belgian ales offered on draft are St. Bernardus 12, Golden Carolus, Houblon Chouffe, Triple Karmaliet, Delirium Tremens. Food is very good too, and a nice selection of Old World wines by the glass or bottle. It’s been open about a year, I’m surprised to see it not rated.“

bennylava 5495 days ago