Leave the Bros Behind – SF Gallery Series for Sippers, not Swillers

, Leave the Bros Behind – SF Gallery Series for Sippers, not Swillers

I have built towering beer-a-mids out of Natty Light empties. I have shotgunned Miller, somewhat successfully and on more than one occasion. I don’t suck at flip cup. And while these juvenile beer-drinking experiences are (largely) behind me, I admit I’m not without sin.

I have bro-ed.

, Leave the Bros Behind – SF Gallery Series for Sippers, not SwillersBut the last thing that craft beer connoisseurs, even reformed lady bros like myself, want to find at their local fest-du-jour is a high-fiving phalanx pounding brews and raising hell. Sadly, a bro-tastic vibe is seeping into many regularly scheduled beer events faster than the swill Mr. Amateur Hour just spilled down your back seeping into your sweater.

That’s part of what makes RateBeer’s new Gallery Series so special: It’s designed to be a Bay Area oasis for craft beer adventurers and knowledge seekers looking to rub elbows with some of their favorite local brewers. The sippers, not the swillers, if you will. (Sorry, Mr. Hour.)

“We thought, ‘How do we make this different? How do we show people that you can do a beer event like this super well?'” said Joe Tucker, founder of the widely popular online brew nerd community RateBeer.com. He’s hosting the third installment in the gallery series March 29 in San Francisco’s SOMA neighborhood. “We want to elevate the whole conversation.”

The signs that these aren’t your run-of-the-mill drunk fests appear the moment you walk into the event and pick up glassware that’s, well, glass.

The RateBeer Gallery Series takes place in three stories of actual gallery space. It’s a juried show, so participants vote on their favorite selections. There are cheeses. There are dried fruits. All cues that perhaps visitors should ditch the snarky slogan T-shirt and wear something with buttons.

Those clues too subtle? Then just look at the caliber of beers: Typically a mix of hard-to-score brews from local producers and offerings from breweries just outside the Bay Area’s reach. The previous gallery in November focused on barrel-aged beers and featured pours from Craftsman Brewing out of Pasadena, Ca. and Berkeley’s (then) brand-spanking new The Rare Barrel, for example.

RateBeer’s write-up described the March 29 theme as “verdant.” Though hoppy beers will take up some stage space, it won’t be an entirely IBU-devoted event, said Tucker.

“It’s really ‘spring seasonal,’ but in a different way,” he said. “We want to display offerings from breweries that people may not be able to taste otherwise.”

Attendees can expect tastes of everything from Almanac’s Farmer’s Reserve Pluot to Great Divide’s Hercules Double IPA to the theme-busting Vietnamese Speedway Stout from AleSmith this go-round.

, Leave the Bros Behind – SF Gallery Series for Sippers, not Swillers

But the thing that really distinguishes the RateBeer Gallery Series from some of its beer-bonging brethren is the quality of its educational programs. From start to finish, there is almost always an engaging question-and-answer session going with pros you really want to hear from. It might be a talk on an esoteric brewing technique like the solera method (looking at you, Sante Adairius!). It might be an in-depth discussion with a Master Cicerone on how to think about pairing food with beer.

At the March 29 event, Tucker has lined up a presentation by the brewer from San Diego’s Modern Times, recently recognized by RateBeer as one of 2013’s 10 best freshmen breweries (out of 2,600). And don’t worry–Modern Times is bringing along its category-topping hoppy amber Blazing World, too.

“Almost everybody pouring has a fascinating story about their start, their concept, the new and interesting things they’re bringing to the table, and what they see as the future,” Tucker said. “A lot of brewers have a lot to say.”

Like any good craft beer event, the RateBeer Gallery Series is growing. Tucker said they upped the ticket sales for this gallery, although they’re still limiting promotion largely to the RateBeer.com forums, mailing lists, and social media channels.

Nonetheless, chances are good you’ll wait in line a bit at the door. But there’s good news. Instead of taking turns punching each other and bragging about all the shots the night before, the folks standing next to you in line can probably tell you something you don’t already know about the Bay Area beer scene. It’s a nice change of pace.

High five for that!

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