Bayview is shaping up to be San Francisco’s hot new brewery and distillery destination, with places like Laughing Monk and Sequoia Sake leading the charge. Now, Seven Stills, a whiskey distillery, has joined the party, bringing its whiskey distilled from beer to a 4,400-square-feet space that, as of today, welcomes the public. The combination brewery, distillery, and tap room teamed up with CircleUp to raise $750,000 to open the space.
Owners Tim Obert and Clint Potter distill whiskeys made from craft beers they brew themselves and buy from others, giving distinct flavors to whiskey like the characteristic IPA hoppiness, warm, sweet stout flavors, and more. "We can play off of education that’s been established for craft beer, because there are so many beer geeks," Obert told Eater. "People already know IPA taste hoppy and a stout has more dark, chocolatey flavors."
In the tasting room, people can try the beer alongside the whiskey made from that beer. There are four whiskeys currently in the rotation, distilled from chocolate oatmeal stout, coffee porter, double IPA, and a sour beer. Nine are in development for the future, including a small-batch experimental series that will only available for sale at the distillery, as well as "beerception" (a play on the mind-bending movie Inception with Leonardo DiCaprio), which is beer barrel aged in the whiskey barrels that were made from that same beer. "We also do collaborations. The first is our bestselling whiskey whipnose made from Pacific Brewing Laboratories double IPA," Obert said. "It’s the only hopped whiskey we have out, but people freak out because it tastes like a concentrated IPA. It's wild."
The focus is definitely on the whiskeys and beers, though Seven Stills offers a cheese and charcuterie board for those who want to taste alongside some food. The space was designed by Obert himself, who brought in street artists to add a mural that plays off the bottle labels’ design which feature street artists work.
Seven Stills Brewery & Distillery is now open for walk-ins Thursday and Friday from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. until July 14. After that, it will be open Monday through Sunday, with the additional Monday through Wednesday hours being 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
