Local Libations Trail
Bevy of Beverages
Please note: check with all businesses for updated guidelines and hours of operation as we continue under pandemic tier status.
Berkeley is a culinary wonderland, with top chefs and restaurants setting the table for local, sustainable farm-to-fork dining. The city's drinks scene pairs perfectly with this tasty edible heritage.
Berkeley Beer
California craft beer brewing has deep legacy in Berkeley. It all started in 1985 at Berkeley’s Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, America’s oldest brewpub. The downtown brewery, pub and restaurant enjoys a cult following for its artisan, house-brewed beer (you must have an IPAX) and alehouse fare.
Just down the street is Jupiter, serving its own handcrafted beers and ales along with award-winning wood fired pizzas, sandwiches, salads and more. Jupiter's open-air back patio is one of the best places in Berkeley on a sunny afternoon.
Trumer Brauerei Berkeley is the sister brewery to the 400-year-old Trumer Brauerei Salzburg. It turns out that Berkeley’s water is nearly identical to Salzburg’s – exceptionally soft with minimal sediments and impurities. Make a reservation to tour the brewery and taste award-winning Trumer Pils.
For a truly unforgettable craft-beer experience, look no further than The Rare Barrel in West Berkeley. This microbrewery plays the long game to create an array of all-sour beers. Sour beers take longer to make (they age for 6 months to 3 years), but their unique flavors are well worth the wait.
Gilman Brewing Company is another great venue for getting hoppy - located in West Berkeley as well, and pouring a selection of a dozen or more brews in rapid rotation.
Naturally Urban Wine (and Sake!)
The art of urban winemaking is vibrant in Berkeley. Wineries here are clustered within a compact area dubbed the Berkeley Wine Block. Here, Broc Cellars, Donkey & Goat, Vinca Minor, Blue Ox, and Windchaser are great examples of how Berkeley's dynamic food scene paired with the bounty of great fruit from California's top grape growing regions makes for a barreling good time.
Coffee and Tea
In 1966, Berkeley was a place of free speech, flower power and revolution. One of those revolutions was inspired by an immigrant from Holland who was about to invent craft coffee. Mr. Alfred Pet changed the way America consumed coffee when he opened the first Peet's Coffee & Tea in 1966, just ahead of the Free Speech Movement and Summer of Love. The original Peet's store is going strong in the North Shattuck district.
The revolution of craft coffee started here and really, has it slowed down at all? Wave after wave of coffee innovation continues to crest, including Caffeinated Coffee Co. in North Shattuck, Artis on Fourth Street and Telegraph Ave's 1951 Coffee Company.
