20Tank Brewery
There are hundreds of great microwbrews out there in the Bay Area. 20Tank is here to help microbrew enthusiests learn more about the brews and the breweries that make them in this unique and beautiful corner of the United States.
The appeal of a microbrewery lies within the history, genuine knowledge of what makes up a great beer and of course, the microbrew itself. The aisles of a grocery store can't replace the excietment of experiencing a new, seasonal flavor at a local brewery or the smell of hops as you take a complimentary tour. California has so many different diminutive and big microbreweries
A microbrewery, or craft brewery, is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer. The maximum amount of beer a brewery can produce and still be classed as a microbrewery is defined in the U.S. by the Brewers Association to be 15,000 US beer barrels (1,800,000 l; 460,000 US gal; 390,000 imp gal) a year. A regional brewery has annual production between 15,000 and 2,000,000 U.S. beer barrels per year. In order to be classified as a regional craft brewery, a brewery must possess "either an all-malt flagship or [have] at least 50% of its volume in either all-malt beers or in beers which use adjuncts to enhance rather than lighten flavor."
A brewpub is a pub or restaurant that brews beer on the premises. Some brewpubs, such as those in Germany, have been brewing traditionally on the premises for hundreds of years. Others, such as the Les 3 Brasseurs chain in France,[15] and the several chains in North America, are modern restaurants. Before the development of large commercial breweries, beer would have been brewed on the premises from which it was sold. Alewives would put out a sign such as an ale-wand to show when their beer was ready. Gradually men became involved in brewing and organized themselves into guilds such as the Brewers Guild in London of 1342 and the Edinburgh Society of Brewers in 1598; as brewing became more organized and reliable many inns and taverns ceased brewing for themselves and purchased beer from these early commercial breweries.
