What better way to end dry January than by joining the citizens and city of San Rafael in a month-long celebration of beer?
That’s right, San Rafael’s second annual FeBREWary is here, which means it is officially time to show support for local libation-slinging businesses with a lot of beer and good cheer.
“From one end of downtown San Rafael to another is only a 20-minute walk, and there are so many cool places to grab a pint and a bite, meet a friend, listen to some music, play bingo or trivia and so much more,” said the executive director of the San Rafael Business Improvement District and the creator of San Rafael’s FeBREWary festivities, Sarah Tipple.
San Rafael’s FeBREWary celebrations span across all of downtown, from Lincoln Avenue to the West End specifically, and the participating bars, breweries, taprooms and pubs are getting on board with some cool brew-centric celebrations.
“This idea for FeBREWary in downtown San Rafael happened when I started this job in the beginning of 2022 and I’d heard about the SMART train’s Tracks to Taps program,” said Tipple. “They sent out an email and it said something like, ‘All aboard the SMART train for February 2023.’
“I thought, ‘Hey, I’m going to create a page on our downtown San Rafael website showcasing all the cool things that people can do at the highlighted breweries, taprooms and bars,” Tipple continued. “By creating a landing page to unite all the beer places in downtown San Rafael, it really gives people a place to go if they’re wandering about in February and hones in on the city’s cool beer scene too!”
The FeBREWary festivities include Pond Farm Brewing Company’s Battle of the Brewer Guild on Feb. 10, bingo on Feb. 15, a private tasting with the owners on Feb. 16, a barrel-aged bonanza spanning from Feb. 16 to 18 and a beer pong tournament on Feb. 17.
“Myself and my wife, Stephanie, we’ll be having a tasting of a gin barrel-aged Belgian peach beer along with some other beers and a chat on Friday the 16th,” said co-owner and head brewer at Pond Farm Brewing Co., Trevor Martens. “So that’ll be fun. And then all weekend we’re doing a barrel-aged bonanza with five different barrel-aged beers…and a beer pong tournament on Saturday the 17th.”
Alongside the Pond Farm Brewing Co. lineup, San Rafael’s FeBREWary includes State Room Brewing’s new brunch menu launch to match a fresh batch of IPA.
Flatiron will host Trivia and Karaoke Night on Tuesdays, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, Feb. 20 and Feb. 27. The nearby California Gold is offering a craft beer den golden hour every day until 6pm.
Cascabel plans to offer a $5 draft beer during happy hour, while the Tap Commons Tap Room will have a trivia night on the 7th. Meanwhile, the Mayflower Pub’s trivia night is every Wednesday at 7:15pm. Pint Size Lounge joins San Rafael’s FeBREWary festivities with beer deals all month. And Ranch Water Lounge has a live band lineup for the month of February.
“Having FeBREWary as a time of the year when we’re showcasing downtown San Rafael breweries, taprooms, bars and pubs is great, and it’s also something we can do all year long,” said Tipple. “But by having February as a fun program with the Tracks to Taps SMART train partnership, it starts the year off right by showcasing what downtown San Rafael has to offer.”
“I think since last year was our first year, we figured out what works and what didn’t,” said Tipple. “Next year, it would be fun to do some sort of a passport program and make it more like a scavenger hunt for beer and maybe get some sort of deal or discount, but we’ll see.”
For more information about San Rafael’s FeBREWary events, call 415.849.1874, email [email protected] or visit the website at downtownsanrafael.org/fe-brew-ary. Drink responsibly, and be sure to arrange public transportation home after participating in FeBREWary festivities.
