Tuesday 1st of November 2011 12:06:54 PM

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Stopped in recently on a coastal drive down highway 1.

Arrived to town a little before they opened at 11:30 for lunch, so we toured the town for a bit. Nice beach, a row of little shops by the boat docks, and an awesome little smokehouse right on the other side of the highway, Creekside Smokehouse (purveyor of assorted smoked fish, smoked spreads, and salmon jerky to die for).

Inside there was a carpeted dining room with an aquarium, view of the boats, and a senior lunch crowd. To the right was the bar, so we went to the bar. A little fireplace in the corner with a stained glass Greatful Dead art piece above it, and framed articles around the place. A beer distributor douche in a suit was high fiving every employee in the place, loudly rattling off corpo-speak catch phrases all the while. Ugh. "Yeah, I lost 7K on that brand last year..." No one cares!

Bartender offered samples but was preoccupied with other stuff, handing us some printed sheets about the beer in lieu of answering questions. Overall the beer felt like a second fiddle novelty here, seasonals weren't clearly identified, didn't see any brewing equipment, upscale restaurant vibe, etc.

Nachos were something like $16 here, and all the appetizers were in the double digit range, so we opted for lunch from Creekside Smokehouse on the beach.

Best beers here were the IPA and "Mad Bum Bitter" which was wet hopped with Citra. Other typical seasonals were Oktoberfest and a Pumpkin Ale that were just ok. Missed the Sour Brown Ale and Citra Lager, bummer. Better luck next time...

Friday 28th of October 2011 08:27:01 PM

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Half Moon Bay Brewing occupies a sprawling light gray wood-shingled building. The brewery itself is in a separate but similar building in the back. An expansive brick patio with plastic tables and chairs and many outdoor heaters is occupied mostly by tourists. A barrier made of clear glass panes helps cut down on wind from the ocean while still permitting a nice view of the bay and marina across the street. This outdoor space has a classic beach feel.

Inside, in the bar area, there are mostly locals. The bar itself is wood and copper and is in a long narrow U-shape in the middle of the room. Tall chairs are set up alongside it. The floors are worn stained concrete and the walls are unfinished wood. Various tall and short wooden tables are distributed around the bar. Full sliding glass doors line one side of the room and provide easy access to the patio outside.

The dining area is in another fairly large room that has an aquarium with tropical fish and windows that look out on the bay.

The beer selection is a fairly standard set of house-made brews, mostly pedestrian choices, but well made. On our visit there were Bootlegger’s Brown Ale, Harbor Lights Ale (a European light ale), Pillar Point Pale Ale, Amber Ale, Princeton-by-the-Sea IPA, Sandy Beach Blonde Hefeweizen (Bavarian-style), and Green Gold IPA. The later was a decent British-style summer IPA.

Much of the food is seafood related (fish tacos, shrimp louis salad, etc.), but burgers, sandwiches, and various other entrees are also available. The fish tacos and seafood fajitas we tried were good.

Plenty of parking is available in a lot on one side.

You can get a growler filled (Note: Currently in California, a growler container can only be filled by the brewery whose name and address is printed on it.)

Monday 27th of October 2008 03:36:24 PM

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This person needs 3 or more reviews on the site for their scores to start counting.

I loved the location of the Brewpub. Right on the water, bars inside and outside for quick pouring, and surprisingly quick service. I was dissapointed in the quality of the beers. Only 2 of the samplers we tried didn't have a moldy/cigarette aftertaste. I'm hoping it was just something in the beer that day. I grabbed a couple 22's for consumption later, so hopefully those are better. The food we had was incredibly good! I am planning on heading back ASAP to try some of their other stuff.

Tuesday 5th of August 2008 03:38:36 PM

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Update September 2018: After 10 years, still a great location with 10 house brews and a regional cider on tap. We enjoyed the crabby offerings on the brunch menu and the Calf-eine Coffee Milk-stout proved to be an excellent alternative to an extra cup-of-joe. Good service and great views.

A great beach town location with views of the harbor and a pleasant outside patio. There is a narrow U-shaped bar in a separate room with tables, a fireplace and direct access to the patio that has a fire pit and heaters for cold evenings. There is also a large, rambling dining room with great views across the bay. When we visited, there were 10 house brews on tap. Their signature ale is Mavericks Amber which is named for the annual giant wave surfing contest off the nearby bluffs. I enjoyed the Tunnel Vision IPA and the Bootlegger's Brown. The menu includes beef and seafood entrees as well as a variety of salads, sandwiches and appetizers. There is plenty of parking in the lot that surrounds the brewpub restaurant.

Thursday 31st of July 2008 01:57:39 AM

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The Brewery overlooks the bay, the view is amazing. It can be cold even (especially) in the summer, but the out door seating includes seats around fire pits. The food is good, upperscale California pub grub, menu includes suggested beer pairing. Their light beers are quite boring, but the amber and darker contain a lot more flavor. Seasonals are, in my testing, fantastic, I had a double IPA that was fantastic.