Taps Flashback – 9 May 2015
This is an irregular column that rewinds the clock back some years to see what was on the taps at certain pubs. Too many of these will no doubt be from my local, The Great Northern Railway Tavern (GNRT), in North London that has been a tremendous pub over the years for its beer selection.
This time we are heading over to San Francisco and the mighty Toronado bar. I’d been to San Jose on a business trip with tech firm Netsuite (before it was bought by Oracle) for a few days and decided to add a couple of nights in San Francisco before heading back home.
The plan on day one had been to have a wander around and see some sights before having a beer at 4pm (not before 4pm was the rule I’d set for the day). On my morning stroll I passed the Toronado bar, which had been in my sights for a beer later but it was only around 1pm so I strolled on past. As I mulled over when I’d be returning I concluded that the three hour gap until 4pm seemed rather long. Maybe I could pop in for a quick one and then continue my walk.
Surprise, surprise, that didn’t quite happen. I spotted Grapefruit Sculpin from Ballast Point on the taps and I was all in. I’d enjoyed this beet in San Jose and had quickly acquired a taste for its zestiness. A few more beers from the extensive list and some enjoyable conversation with the locals led to one of them taking me on a bar crawl of the area after the Toronado that included the renowned outlet of Magnolia Brewing.
The very enjoyable day ended with dinner in San Francisco’s enormous Chinatown district. It had been a day of more units than steps.
Glynn Davis, editor, Beer Insider
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