Father’s Day is coming up, the sun is shining, and schools are letting out for the summer — all of which means it might be a good time to load up the crew and head for a family-friendly brewery.
A debate over whether or not kids belong in breweries made headlines last month after a widely circulated post on X (formerly Twitter) asked people to stop bringing their children to breweries. There was push-back, since some feel that taprooms — being spacious, casual and open during the day — are naturally kid-friendly. Plus, now, many breweries are actively trying to draw more families in with features like playgrounds and arcade games. The result is a Bay Area brewing scene increasingly offering gathering spaces for people of all ages — even the underage.
That’s a sentiment that a number of leaders within the Bay Area brewing space shared in recent conversations. Perhaps Kevin Scoles, executive vice president at Alameda’s Almanac Beer Co., put it best: “We believe that creating a space that is family focused helps ensure that everyone feels welcome.”
Here are five Bay Area breweries — with taprooms spanning the region— that go above and beyond to welcome the whole family, offering everything from arcade games and sandboxes to kids’ menus and plenty of space to spread out and enjoy a summer afternoon together.
Almanac Beer Co., Alameda
Being family-friendly has long been a priority for this brewery, according to Scoles. When the now 13-year-old brewery moved from San Francisco to Alameda in 2018, it set out to create a community hub there. The mission to build that hub in an outdoor space became a priority during the COVID-19 pandemic, he says.
“We felt like there was a need in Alameda to provide a family-friendly space that was outdoors,” he says. “That’s what started us on this journey.”
So they built a sandbox, then added arcade games. Now they’ve also got a beach-style outdoor space complete with a second sandbox, artificial turf and Adirondack chairs. They also offer juices and fruit snacks, and many of the food trucks they partner with also have kids menus, he says. They also cater to pet parents: probably once a quarter, cats or dogs are featured on one of their beer labels, he says.
Today, when you visit, Scoles says, you’ll see a snapshot of the Alameda and East Bay communities. In fact, the brewery has become a popular destination for baby showers, a place where parents-to-be are excited to come gather with their friends and family, he says.
They’re offering a Father’s Day special where dads get $5 pints of Love and Hugs, two beers brewed year-round (they also offered a similar Mother’s Day deal) and have an upcoming Pride event June 22 featuring kid-friendly attractions like bubbles and a bounce house.
Beers: Love Hazy IPA, Hugs Hefeweizen, Sunset Sherbet Sour IPA and more, plus wine and cider.
Details: Open weekdays at noon and weekends at 11 a.m. at 651 W. Tower Ave. in Alameda; almanacbeer.com. Their upcoming West Oakland taproom is expected to open in late August.
Fieldwork Brewing Company
San Ramon’s Fieldwork Brewing boasts a pizza menu, as well as 20 beer options. (Courtesy Fieldwork Brewing)
While Fieldwork Brewing Co. has a number of locations around the Bay Area, including San Ramon, San Leandro, San Mateo, Berkeley, and Corte Madera, the San Ramon location gets a shout-out for the playground around the corner from the taproom, situated at the City Center Bishop Ranch Shopping Center. They’ve also got pizza offerings for kids on the menu. Plus: It has a TopGolf swing suite location available by reservation for even more playtime.
Bringing a fur baby? They’ve also got you covered: the taproom sells squeaky toys shaped like beer cans just for dogs.
Meanwhile, the brewery’s San Mateo location offers a large outdoor space and bocce facilities, while its San Ramon taproom offers a whopping 7,800 square feet of space, including a 5,000-square-foot beer garden.
Beers: Boots & Buckles pilsner, Maiden & Priest black lager, Salted Seabreeze gose and more.
Details: Opens Monday-Thursday at noon and Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon; fieldworkbrewing.com/san-ramon.
Calicraft Brewing Co., Walnut Creek
Calicraft’s popular taproom in Walnut Creek’s Shadelands district is known for its beer garden. (Courtesy Jay R. Brooks)
Calicraft’s Walnut Creek taproom can sometimes feel like a family reunion destination, according to brewmaster Thomas Vo. “I’ve been here with a group that had five generations of people,” he says.
Vo and CEO Blaine Landberg draw inspiration for the taproom from the historical function of the British pub as a public house and community gathering space. “We want to be that third space outside of your work and your home. You need someplace else to go and celebrate and mourn and throw parties and graduations,” Vo says. “We’re trying to foster that real sense of community, regardless of who you are and what you drink.”
To that end, the brewery has recently doubled down on offering health-conscious non-alcoholic beverages that are attractive to not just kids but adults too, drawing on experiences Landberg picked up in previous roles working at Honest Tea. For instance, it offers a non-alcoholic slushy made with fruit like strawberries and Meyer lemon juice.
“It’s something that I’m proud to drink if I’m not imbibing, and it’s something I’m also proud to serve my nieces and nephews, or any kid that comes in,” Vo adds.
Beers: Cool Kidz Juicy IPA, Tiki Time Tropical Wheat, Coast Kolsch-style ale and more.
Details: Open Monday-Thursday at 3 p.m. and Friday-Sunday at noon at 2700 Mitchell Drive in Walnut Creek; calicraft.com.
Hapa’s Brewing Co.
Games like Uno, Jenga and Connect Four are on offer at Hapa’s Brewing Co. in San Carlos. (Kate Bradshaw/Bay Area News Group)
All three of Hapa’s Brewing Co. locations — San Jose, San Carlos and Los Gatos — are family-friendly and offer games like Jenga and Connect Four, card games and spaces where dogs can be, according to co-owner Derek Tam.
Both he and cofounder Brian Edwards have kids, he says, and they wanted to create a place where their own families could “have a safe place to enjoy a drink while bringing in the family to hang out and relax,” he says. They’ve also got a kids’ menu.
Beers: Butterfly Wings (New England IPA), Uncut Gem (amber lager), St. Claire (cream ale) and more.
Details: Open Tuesday-Thursday at 3 p.m., Friday at noon and weekends (closed Mondays) at 11 a.m. at 722 Laurel St. in San Carlos and 114 S Santa Cruz Ave. in Los Gatos. Open Tuesday-Thursday at 4 p.m., Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m. and Sunday at noon (closed Mondays) at 460 Lincoln Ave. #90 in San Jose; hapasbrewing.com.
Headlands Brewing Co., Lafayette
The dog-friendly beer garden at Lafayette’s Headlands Brewing offers cold brews, comfortable seating and fire pits for chilly evenings. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Headlands Brewing Co. taproom in Lafayette was designed while paying attention to details that would appeal to families — and dogs, according to Austin Sharp, CEO.
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The beer garden features food, kids’ drinks, dog treats, wine, cider and guest beers, alongside fire pits, umbrellas and communal tables. It also features what the brewery calls “roller coaster” and “dugout” areas, which “almost require you to kick your shoes off and relax with new and old friends and family,” Sharp says.
Beers: Pt. Bonita Pilsner, Hawk Hill Hefeweizen, Diablo Double IPA and more.
Details: Open 3 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and noon Friday-Sunday, closed Monday, at 3420 Mount Diablo Blvd. Suite A in Lafayette; headlandsbrewing.com. They are in the process of opening new taprooms in Berkeley and Walnut Creek.