Beer Currents

Beer Ideas and People

Beer Currents

Of beers and beer people


By the founders of Beer By BART

We love to tell beer stories

For nearly two decades, we’ve followed the emergence of beer culture for publications from our own Bay Area Beer Community Blog, Beer by BART, and publications including Beer Advocate magazine and Celebrator Beer News, both sadly out of publication now. Strangely, producing our own journalistic content is appropriate all over again!
We launched our first site as a guide to exciting beer destinations within walking distance from the SF Bay Area’s Rapid Transit system. Our Beer by BART destination list is still available for locals and travelers. And we’re still writing local articles there, of interest to enthusiasts and industry insiders alike.
However, our interests are much broader.

Update: In 2023, we contributed a chapter on beer tourism to an academic book project designed for students of planning and urban affairs, now in print.

Join us for a more comprehensive look at the craft beer world. We’ll detect the underground currents as well as the great upwellings in the story of beer. Just scroll down to follow this project by email.
Thanks for following Beer Currents into the future.
Gail Ann Williams & Steve Shapiro

Fonta Flora farmhouse brewery's old timber wall with leaf-shaped taps

Fonta Flora’s Beer Fest Trek: To Paso Robles with Ingredients and Inspiration

May 8, 2024

Fonta Flora, the distinctly Appalachian farmhouse brewery, is selecting kegs of beer for a cross country journey. Once in California, they will pour tastes of those unusual beers, telling the story of their brewery, deeply defined by its place in North Carolina. They will also reconnect with friends, maybe even create a beer on the … More Fonta Flora’s Beer Fest Trek: To Paso Robles with Ingredients and Inspiration

Craft Beer Secrets from Brazil: A Tree Called Amburana

July 11, 2019

U.S. breweries are making award-winning beers spiced with Amburana wood. See our story, American Brewers Fall for Brazil’s Spicy Amburana Wood, at Craftbeer.com, then come back here for additional anecdotes too good to leave on the cutting room floor! “The Umburana of Brazil is a soft yellow wood so delightfully scented with vanilla that one … More Craft Beer Secrets from Brazil: A Tree Called Amburana

Anchor Brewing Company Crew Votes to Go Union

March 21, 2019

Recently we have told several stories about the union organizing campaign at SF’s iconic Anchor Brewing Company. First was a look at the tenor of the conflict in Stormy Waters at Anchor Brewing. Then we reported the results as the news broke with Union Victory at Anchor Brewing. Next up will be further conversations with … More Anchor Brewing Company Crew Votes to Go Union

A video dive into the story of Brut IPA