Friday night, the 7th annual SF Beer Week kicked off. This year’s gala was held at Fort Mason, and although I had some trepidation about the site, it actually worked fairly well. The acoustics were as bad as ever, and I think the decision to forgo live music was a good one. That also allowed two additional breweries over last year. We would have preferred to allow everyone who wanted to pour that opportunity, but the new space was much more limited than the concourse had been so we were sadly unable to accommodate every brewery. The concourse is being torn down to be replaced by a mixed use space, so we couldn’t return there this year. It’s an unfortunate truth of San Francisco that their simply aren’t a lot of spaces available to suit the needs of the opening gala, at least not and keep the price of a ticket within the reach of the average beer lover. But Brian and the San Francisco Brewers Guild did a great job of making the space work. Below are a few photos I took at this year’s gala, and for a lot more check out Gamma Nine, who took the official photos for beer week.

The entrance at this year’s SF Beer Week opening Gala.

Outside it was still raining, as the time to let everyone in approached.

All of the glassware waiting for the arrival of everyone for the gala.

Then the doors opened, and people streamed in.

The hall filled up quickly, though it never really felt overcrowded.

Ted Viviatson, from Eel River, and Daniel Del Grande, from Bison Brewing.

J.J. from Petaluma Hills Brewing.

John Martin and Kelsey Williams, sporting a six-pack hat, both from Drake’s and Triple Rock.

San Francisco mayor Ed Lee also came to say a few words at the beginning of the gala. Before his remarks, we took him on a short tour of the hall, stopping by a couple of booths to sample a few beers. Here he’s sharing a laugh with SF Brewers Guild director Brian Stechschulte.

Brian, mayor Lee and me at the front of the Gala. (Photo by Mike Condie.)