Toronado is on the Block
In September 2018, I received an email from the GM of Toronado, San Francisco's iconic beer bar, introducing himself to Revolution Brewing, unaware that the recipient was wearing a Toronado t-shirt while reading the message. My connection to Toronado went back to the late 2000s when I was dating my wife long distance between Chicago and San Francisco. Toronado, a legendary spot for discovering craft beer, had been a favorite for locals and visitors alike for 38 years, still earning accolades like "Top Beer Bar" from Craft Beer and Brewing Magazine in 2024. It was there that I discovered my two favorite breweries—The Lost Abbey and Russian River Brewing—both regulars on tap and often offering limited edition brews specifically for the bar.
The motivation for their outreach was to invite Revolution to participate in their iconic Barleywine Festival, as long as we could secure temporary distribution. Wanting to shoot my shot, I asked if they’d be interested in more beer than just for that one day. The offer turned out to be a welcome follow-up question, as they were open to enough barrel-aged beer to last an entire year. An internal pitch to Revolution’s sales leader and owner was the fastest request I’ve ever had approved—and a new achievement was unlocked. Deep Wood Series and other Rev beers began appearing on Toronado’s famous draft list.
Regular trips to Northern California to visit family and friends made it easy to build on this deeper connection with Toronado and see our beer on the board, live and in person. On one particular 2019 trip, I was able to bond with their GM Chad over a Lost Abbey Cable Car and a Russian River Intinction, learning that we were both members of the Lost Abbey’s rare bottle club. It was not really a coincidence that we appreciated the same exact breweries and favorite beers though. That was all because of our paths crossing via this magical place.
This past Friday, word got out that the Toronado was listed for sale, along with the commercial building at 543-547 Haight St., for $1,750,000. The description accurately included:
The seasoned patina in the interior is earned, with layers of Trappist ale signs, brewery stickers, vintage bottles, and more that has accumulated over the years—you can’t design this vibe; you can only nurture it over decades
The Toronado Instagram account confirmed with the following message:
Beer Week 2025 will be a special occasion for the Toronado family. After 38 years, our owner and founder Dave Keene is retiring and selling the business. This marks the end of an era for the generations of beer drinkers that have shared lives with us. In true Toronado fashion we plan to celebrate Dave's innumerable contributions to the world craft beer scene with 10 days of great events, great beer and great people. Please join us as we regal 38 years of hazy memories and prepare for many more. As Dave says "Its the people that make the Toronado" and you are our people.
My excitement around the discoveries made at the Toronado went deeper than “just beer” and wound up getting tied into traditions and milestones, like opening a bottle of their exclusive Cable Car each anniversary to celebrate our wedding day, which took place in nearby Golden Gate Park.
Then building (unofficial) baby announcements out of Russian River Temptation bottles, a beer I first got introduced to at the Toronado.
In 2023, we sent another drop of Revolution beer to the Bay Area in time for that November’s Barleywine Festival. Similar to past years, we didn’t win, but got great feedback from the celebrity beer judges that we were close. A shipment never wound up coming together for 2024, so boy was I surprised to receive a message from the Toronado congratulating us on taking home 1st place. It turns out that they had saved a keg of Straight Jacket from the 2023 assortment and entered it into the competition unbeknownst to us. While the optimist in me doesn’t believe this will be the last Barleywine Festival at Toronado, if it is, what a way to go out.
With brewery closures being more common these days, it’s easy to see this headline and consider the news another blow to the industry and sign of the times. That’s not what’s happening here at all, thankfully. Instead, a craft beer legend that has more than earned the opportunity to retire, is ready to hand the keys over to the next steward of his iconic beer bar. Here’s to a passionate new owner(s) stepping up to lead the next 38 years of discovery at Toronado SF. Are there any more yogurt fortunes out there? 🙏 🍻
This was a great article, Doug. As a young person, I am sick of the negativity dominating the conversation around the brewing industry. It's great to see a happy if not bittersweet ending.