Your day at work… went great. That conference call with the boss’ boss; you shone an understated brilliance proving you are worthy of that new pay grade. The day was filled with opportunity and promise and your biggest decision right now is where to celebrate. You don’t feel like dipping your nose in a glass of Syrah at a wine bar discussing tannins and fruit forward flavor profiles. You were seriously thinking about checking out that cool prohibition themed bar, but didn’t feel like having a guy with a Salvatore Dali mustache give you a 20 minute lecture on Rye and the proper bitters. They both sound tempting and fun, but right now what you want comfortable place, a colorful neighborhood and a great, pure and unassuming beer. A perfect place for this: Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery.
Located in San Francisco’s historic Haight-Asbury neighborhood, a place alive with the spirit and colors of the psychedelic hippie movement and, depending on where you’re standing, the intermittent perfume of sweet Ms. Mary Jane. Upon entering I immediately felt awakened. The energy is great and it was surprisingly family-friendly. I automatically knew this was a place without restrictions, without costume, with a beautiful cast of people from every genre imaginable. The place is a pretty decent size with their bar, small tables, black leather booths and a large high set communal table. The lighting is dim, not dark, and brings intimacy to an environment of lively conversation. Everyone here is warm and welcoming making it easy to understand how Magnolia is a neighborhood favorite given the number of regulars I saw. This place is serious about its beer with calendars with new products and events and a blackboard with colorful chalk writing detailing current selection.
A star feature is their flight deal. For $10 you can chose any six beers, at 6 oz. pours, and it comes with a tasting card. I chose three and went with three of my kind waitress’ selection.
My flight: Pomegranate Hard Cider, Kalifornia Kölsch, Sunburst (Belgian), Chocolate George Stout, Velvet Merlin, Prescription Pale. A small, yet great selection of varying hue and color, alcohol level (4%- 7%), price ($3-$7), brewing technique, flavor range and origin.
Although all of the selections were good, my favorites were the Prescription Pale Ale ($6) and the Velvet Merlin ($7). Velvet Merlin is bourbon barrel aged and that oak flavor was subtle yet present along with a rich black coffee taste, very nice. I felt like I matured a little bit as a person after that. The Prescription Pale Ale was my favorite as I’m partial to that variety. The color was a mature cooper, possibly from the dim lighting a slight redness, and has the bold solid flavor you would expect, but tapers off with a slight sweetness. Quite perfect and went well with dinner. I had just missed the lunch menu which had a Cubano, my favorite sandwich, so I opted for the Louisiana Andouille sausage with aged cheddar grits and crispy shallots. Though a bit dry (a jus would have helped), the sausage boasted good flavor and strong spice. Given that my family is from Virginia, I am quite particular about my grits. The grits were ok, pretty good, but not smooth and a bit too chunky. Critique aside, I greatly enjoyed my dinner. The food with the excellent beer and great environment made for a wonderful experience.
I would say that this is a great place to treat yourself, to begin really experiencing beer, have good food, great conversation and to celebrate that great news you got earlier that week. Though, after 15 minutes of feeling the energy in this place, hearing the conversations, seeing the beautiful faces, eating the food, drinking some great beer, the happiness felt from that would prove to be reason alone for celebration.
Cheers!
Jamal Frederick
Twitter: @jamalfrederick
Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery
1398 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA 94117