I work around the corner, suckers!!

Okay, so it is probably important to note that Sierra’s new taproom is literally, literally one block from my work. As in, I walk out the door, take approximately 20 steps, and BOOM. I’m there. And if I skip, I can get there even faster. And who are we kidding, I will be skipping, if not running, over there everyday after its opening. No passing go, no collecting 200 dollars.

The Torpedo Room will have 16 taps, all pouring unique and limited Sierra Nevada beers. Sierra Nevada will host educational tastings in the taproom, as well as the occasional craft-centric event dedicated to beer science. Because of licensing requirements (I assume), all draught beer will be served in taster flights. Guests will also have the option of filling growlers to go, as well as purchasing six-packs, cases and individual specialty bottles. Light snacks will accompany beer flights, but there won’t be a full food menu.

Cause ghosts dig beer too.

But the opening of Sierra Nevada’s new taproom isn’t the only beeralicious project that has got Berkeley beer geeks sitting on edge. Southwest Berkeley is also the very proud home of a new all-sour barrel-aged brewery aptly named The Rare Barrel. Oh, The Rare Barrel, how do I give thee the justice thou deserves?

I love unicorns.

Picture a fantasy land where the sun is always shinning, rainbows are always in the sky and unicorns are playing freely and peacefully with dragons and fairies. Imagine a world where dreams really do come true and sour beer runs through the land like water. This is The Rare Barrel.

Oh yes, they fancy.

Okay, but for real. The Rare Barrel is going to be a magical place. The entire focus of The Rare Barrel will be on sours and they have created a space specifically dedicated to the conditioning of barrel-aged sour beers. High ceilings, a moderate climate and plenty of space–the barrels will have an ideal home for developing amazing and unique sour beers.

And where is this magical land of sours and pixie dust? Three blocks from my apartment and about 1 mile from The Torpedo Room. Yes, kids. That’s right. I can hop, skip, jump, run, bike or walk to both places in a matter of minutes. And that is a beautiful thing.

Brewers on barrels. Doesn’t get much sexier than that.

But sour beers and rare Sierra samplers are not the only beertastic things going on down in Southwest Berkeley. It is also home to the largest craft beer cooler in the East Bay. And we aren’t talking about a few refrigerators. We are talking about a beer cooler the entire length of a grocery store isle. It is so big, I can’t even capture it all on my camera phone.

ZOMG! Beers for days!

Southwest Berkeley also boasts an eclectic range of bars, from dive to fancy, that feature awesome and, often times, very special craft beer selections. In fact, my really good friend Josh was recently hired to renovate the beer program at an Old-Fashioned Hofbrau and Sports Bar located in the the historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot on Berkeley’s 4th Street. Josh is well-known amongst local craft beer drinkers for his previous work, revamping the craft beer list at a popular NY-style pizza place near the UC Berkeley campus.

This is what my hometown beer world will look like.

Speaking of weird and awesome things that happen in Southwest Berkeley–my favorite dive bar within stumbling distance of my apartment recently tapped Firestone Walker’s Parabola. Not sure who exactly was in charge of tapping the keg that night, but let’s just say there may have been a bit of miscommunication with the staff. Said bar ended up pouring $5 pints of Parabola–and news of it spread like wild-fire throughout the local beer geek community.

And there is always the fact that I live in Southwest Berkeley, with a rather healthy beer cellar. Not saying that everyone and their mother is invited to come drink my cellar, but I’m always willing to pop open a few fun bottles with friends who visit the area. Especially, those who bring tasty treats for my mouth in either the form of suds or pig parts.

Supplication for days.

As hip and cool as Southwest Berkeley is becoming, I probably should tout the awesomeness of the other neighborhoods in Buzzerkeley as well. Just a wee bit north from all the Southwest Berkeley beer action, you can find two of our city’s more well-known breweries–Trumer and Pyramid. Technically speaking (for all the sticklers out there), Pyramid is no longer privately owned, so by definition of the Brewers Association, they are not a *craft* brewery. But, I still feel that their presence in the area should be noted.

IPAX FTW!

But the beer fun doesn’t stop below San Pablo Ave. Head up towards Central Berkeley, where the UC Berkeley campus is located, and you will find a mecca of craft beer offerings including Berkeley’s oldest brewery–Triple Rock–the only East Bay bar to receive weekly keg shipments of the ever-coveted Pliny The Elder and the oldest liquor store in Berkeley (76 years and counting), which boasts one of the most extensive craft beer bottle selections in the area (including weekly shipments from RRBC).

It’s always Pliny o’clock in Berkeley.

Well, as you can tell, I have mad pride for Berkeley’s craft beer scene. And if you think the beer scene sounds cool, you should also check out our food scene. Some say California cuisine and the Slow Food movement were born in Berkeley. And I believe them. Berkeley: come for the beer, stay for the food.

Mmmmm fried things.

Let me know if you ever come to my neck of the woods! I’d be more than happy to show you around! Hit me up on Twitter @TheBeerWench, on Instagram @thebeerwench, or send me a message on Facebook! Cheers!

There is a great community of craft beer enthusiasts and craft breweries on Instagram – but often times the two don’t always connect. Instagram users are more likely to tag pictures with a brewery’s hashtag rather than the brewery’s user name. Whereas hashtags are a necessary search tool for both Instagram, but my experience suggests that the @ sign works better when trying to connect with brands.

With the goal of increasing engagement in the community, especially between breweries and fans, I’ve developed a working list of all the craft breweries that I know of that are on Instagram. Each brewery is linked to their static instagram page. As long as you are signed into Instgram.com, you should be able to like the brewery from your computer. If you experience any issue, please let me know!

The next time you share an awesome #craft picture on Instagram, don’t forget to tag the brewery!

Craft Breweries on Instagram

Note: Breweries, please don’t be offended if I leave you off at first. Instagram does not allow for key word searches. If I missed a brewery, I encourage you to mention them in the comment section below so I can edit my list accordingly.

A

18th Street Brewery: @18thstreetbrewery

Against the Grain: @atgbrewery

Alaskan Brewing: @alaskanbrewing

Allagash Brewing: @allagashbrewing

Almanac Beer: @almanacbeer

Anchor Brewing: @anchorbrewing

Anderson Valley: @andersonvalleybrewing

B

Beachwood BBQ Brewing: @beachwoodbbq_brewing

Bear Republic: @bearrepublic

Bells Brewery: @bellsbrewery

Bellwoods Brewing: @bellwoodsbeer

Big Bend Brewing Co: @bigbendbrewing

Bison Organic Beer: @bisonbrew

Bootlegger’s Brewing: @bootleggersbrew

Boulevard Brewing: @boulevardbeer

Breckenridge Brewing: @breckbrew

Brooklyn Brewery: @brooklynbrewery

C

Captain Lawrence: @cptlawrence

Carton Brewing: @cartonbrewing

Center of the Universe Brewing Company: @COTUBrew

Cigar City: @cigarcitybeer

Court Avenue Brewing Company: @courtavebrew

D

Deep Ellum Brewing Company: @deepellumbrewco

Descutes Brewery: @deschutesbeer

Dogfish Head: @dogfishbeer

Drake’s Brewery: @drakesbrewery

E

Eagle Rock Brewery: @eaglerockbrew

Epic Beer: @epicbeer

Epic Brewing: @epicbrewery

F

Fireman’s Brewing: @firemansbrew

Firestone Walker: @firestonewalker

Flying Dog: @flyingdogbrewery

Founders Brewing: @foundersbrewing

Frog Hair Brewing: @froghairbeer

G

Great Lakes Brewing Co: @glbc_cleveland

Green Bush Brewing: @greenbushbrew

Green Flash: @greenflashbeer

H

Half Acre: @halfacrebeer

Hangar 24 Brewery: @hangar24brewery

Hardywood Brewery: @hardywood

Harpoon Brewery: @harpoonbrewery

Hopworks Urban Brewery: @hopworksbeer

J

Jackie O’s Brewery: @jackieosbrewery

Jolly Pumpkin: @jollypumpkin

K

Kane Brewing: @kanebrewing

Karl Strauss: @karl_strauss

L

Lady Face Ale Co.: @ladyfaceale

Left Hand Brewing: @lefthandbrewing

Licking Hole Creek: @lickingholecreekcraftbrewery

Lost Abbey: @lostabbey

M

Magnolia Brew Pub: @magnoliapub

Maui Brewing Co.: @mauibrewingco

Migration Brewing: @migrationbrewing

Mikkeller Brewing: @mikkellerbeer

Mothers Brewing: @mothersbrewing

N

New Belgium: @newbelgium

Newburgh Brewing: @newburghbrewing

New Holland: @newhollandbrew

Night Shift Brewing: @nightshiftbeer

Ninkasi Brewing: @ninkasibrewing

Noble Ale Works: @noblealeworks

O

Odell Brewing: @odellbrewing

Ommegang: @breweryommegang

Oskar Blues: @oskarbluesbrewery

P

Peak Organic Beer: @peakorganicbrewing

Pipework Brewing: @pipeworksbrewing

Pizza Port: @pizzaport

Philips Brewing: @philipsbeer

R

Rogue Ales: @rogueales

S

Samuel Adams: @samueladamsbeer

Schafly Brewing: @schaflybeer

Sierra Nevada: @sierranevadabeer

Six Point Brewery: @sixpointbrewery

Shmaltz Brewing: @shmaltzbrewing

Ska Brewing: @skabrewing

SocieteBrewing: @societebrewing

Solemn Oath Brewery: @solemnoathbeer

Speakeasy Beer: @speakeasybeer

Stone Brewing Co: @stonebrewingco

Sun King Brewing: @sunkingbrewing

Sweetwater Brewing: @sweetwaterbrew

T

The Bruery: @thebruery

Thomas Creek Brewery: @thomascreekbrewery

V

Victory Brewing: @victorybeer

W

Wynkoop Brewing: @wynkoopbrew

Z

Zauber Brewing: @zauberbrewing

What is Instagram? Essentially, its a mobile-based photo-sharing social-media platform. Instagram also allows its users to connect to and share its photos to Facebook (pages and profiles), Twitter, Tumbler and Foursquare – making it quite the one stop shop. And since Facebook bought it last year for one billion dollars, Instagram has quickly become one of the most-widely used and fastest growing social networking sites.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of craft beer fans and dozens of breweries use Instagram. Today, the #craftbeer hashtag boasts over 280 thousand pictures. Hundreds of pictures of craft beer are posted every day. Hundreds of users view these pictures, liking them and even commenting on them, every day.

I have been spending more and more time, much to the dismay of my friends and family, on the #craftbeer feed. As a result, I’ve uncovered new friends and followers that I might not have otherwise. Here is a list of the craft beer-focused Instagrammers that I enjoy following the most. Some of them are extremely talented photographers, some quirky and fun, and all are very engaging and interesting to follow!

15 Must Follow #CraftBeer Instagramers

1. @thatbeerguy

Colby posts really great quality photos of really awesome, often hard to find, craft beers. He is also extremely engaging on the #craftbeer hashtag, often commenting on posts he likes.

2. @beersex

Artistic photos with a creative use of color. If I had to make an assumption, I’d say he takes and edits the photos with a camera before uploading to Instagram. Either way, the photos are oustanding!

3. @brewpublic

Angelo works at a great craft beer bar and is always taking pictures of new beers being tapped. He also has an epic beer cellar and his feed boasts some of the most sought-after beers in the world.

4. @kimsbaybrews

One of the most popular #craftbeer Instagrammers, Kim posts fun and cute pics of herself with beer – often telling a story with her pictures. She also visits a lot of breweries, sharing her adventures in the form of pictures on Instagram.

5. @draftbeereditor

Chris is the beer editor for DRAFT Magazine. He gets sent lots of awesome beers from awesome breweries and shares them with us on Instagram. His feed gives me serious beer envy.

6. @thehopfather

Although based in the beer mecca of Portland (OR), Dan gets his hands on amazing craft beers from all over the country. He takes great photos.

7. @beerpulse

Adam runs one the most popular beer news site in the world. As his IG name suggests, Adam has his finger on the pulse of the beer industry and share his beer experiences with us on Instagram.

8. @amber_J_L

Although her IG name might not reveal it, Amber is a hardcore beer geek and beer blogger. She takes great photos, mostly of beer!

9. @ashleyonti

Ashley is a sister from another mister. She takes awesome photos of beer and food (and every now and again of her kids). Ashley is also very active and engaging with the rest of the IG #craftbeer community.

10. @the_beer_truck

I’m quite certain that Dan is a professional photographer. And, if he isn’t, he should quit his day job to become one. His photos are some of the best I’ve seen!

10. @thecraftbeergirl

Amy keeps it cute and classy, making her more than deserving of the “craft beer girl” name. She is also very engaging, giving love in the form of likes and comments to her fellow craft beer lovers.

11. @bullseyebrewco

Another great photographer, Jeff’s IG feed consists mostly craft beer and food photos with the occasional glass of wine. He’s engaged to one of my bffs – @sharayray – who is also worthy of a follow!

12. @brewtographer

With a IG name like that, one would expect nothing less than awesome photos of beer – and Dale delivers. It appears as if all of his photos are taken and edited with his phone – so made props for keeping it real!

13. @roshambo74

Tyler is, by far, one of the best beer photographers on Instagram and his beer collages are some of the best. He posts more rare, hard to find beers, than anyone I follow on IG. He’s Canadian, but we still love him.

14. @missalicedonut

Alice is one of the most popular craft beer instagrammers, boasting hundreds of likes on each of her photos. She is also highly engaging, frequently liking and commenting on other pictures in the #craftbeer feed.

15. @instabeer

Creatively combining the word instagram with the word beer, tag team Herbert and Rafael run one of the most popular beer-themed instagram feeds. Beware: they also post pics of domestic yellow fizzy lagers – however, most of it is craft.

______________________________________________________

Did I miss your favorite #craftbeer Instagrammer? Recommend them in the comment section below! I’m always looking for new and interesting people to follow!

And, if you don’t already, give me a follow on Instagram:

@thebeerwench

Cheers!