Monk's Kettle Closing Briefly to Add Patio, More Drafts

Craft-beer nerds know The Monk's Kettle is one of the city's best when it comes to sourcing unique brews—provided you can score a seat in the petite, always-crowded space. They're now looking to alleviate that problem by closing up shop for two weeks, beginning Wednesday, September 3rd, in order to add a very desirable asset in this part of the Mission: a patio. It'll be a small sidewalk space, but with seating for 20-25 people, it'll be a serious boost to the restaurant's capacity, just in time for the warm months in SF. Upscale sister restaurant The Abbot's Cellar will remain open as usual.

Monk's is also taking advantage of the renovations to add a larger, more sophisticated draft system, with 28 lines (5 more than usual), a dual-temperature function, and a cask system. And for the gents who've spent too long crossing their legs waiting for the single men's bathroom, the restaurant plans to expand it, making room for two stalls and cutting down on lines to pee. Monk's should be back online by September 20th, in order to kick off Oktoberfest, and they'll have a new beer to celebrate: Almanac is creating a special brew just for their patio drinking, appropriately named Porchbier. It's a session saison made with wheat berries and dry-hopped with Sorachi Ace and Amarillo hops. They're also getting some rare gravity firkins of German lagers sent over by importer Shelton Brothers to fit with the Oktoberfest theme.

· All Monk's Kettle coverage [~ ESF ~]