Magnolia Pub & Brewery is located in the heart of the charismatic Haight & Asbury District, more commonly known as "The Upper Haight", and generaly associated with the hippie culture of the 1960s. To be exact, the brewpub is located at the corner of Haight and Masonic, in an old Victorian building, which predates, and survived, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The building has hosted a pharmacy, several Cafes, and Magnolia Thunderpussy’s Dessert shop. Magnolia Thunderpussy (1940-1996) was a popular local exotic dancer with a daytime job of selling "exotic" desserts. Her specialties included the “Montana Banana” (two scoops of ice cream and a banana, with chocolate shavings and whipped cream), and the "Pineapple Pussy" (a hollowed pineapple filled with strawberry ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and a cherry). The Grateful Dead song "Sugar Magnolia" was named after the charismatic lady. And so was the Magnolia Pub & Brewery, which opened ten years ago, in November of 1997.
I grabbed a table by the huge windows, which was almost like being seated on the sidewalk, except warmer (it was actually in the pleasant high sixties temperatures; quite sweet). The place has a nice large wooden bar, and funky murals that remind you that you're in the Haight. I ordered a salad which I loved. It tasted really fresh and healthy, with a home-made fresh from the farmers market feel-to-it, and just enough dressing. But the best part is: the beers were excellent!
They had two IPAs. One of them, called Proving Ground IPA, was more of a west-coast style IPAs, and was just excellent. It actually reminded me of Alesmith IPA for its body and hoppy aroma. Great stuff, I’m hooked on it and I just want to go back to San Francisco so I can drink more of it! Two of my other favorites were the Big Cypress Brown, smooth and nutty, and the very tasty winter warmer. The Spooky Tooth Stout was very low alcohol (3.6% ABV) but quite tasty. Finally, the Kölsch beer was not only very nice, crisp, and authentic in taste, but also was served the authentic way, as in Cologne, Germany: in a thin, cylindrical glass. Just for that reason, I had to get one!
Overall I really liked both the beers and the food. The place seemed like a very fun place to kill time with a healthy menu and top-quality beers, in a charismatic part of town. The visit to this brewpub, which was new to me, was the highlight of my trip. Great place, and it is even located walking distance (8 blocks) from another one of my top favorite places in the city: Toronado, San Francisco’s most awesome beer bar!
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