Two Powerhouse Bay Area Beer Companies Are Joining Forces

There are lots of beers being thrown back during San Francisco Beer Week, and now there’s a bit of major news for beer lovers to swallow: the Mercury News made the early announcement that Bear Republic Brewing and Drake’s Brewing will be merging. As part of the sale, Drake’s is set to receive Bear Republic’s “recipes, formulas and intellectual property” and will take on producing Bear Republic’s beers, according to the newspaper.

Rich Norgrove, co-owner of Bear Republic, will stay on with brewmaster Peter Kruger. He’ll continue to brew the beer at the brand’s Cloverdale home base but will begin moving over to San Leandro in the next few months. Norgrove and Drake’s Brewing co-owner John Martin are longtime friends who launched Triple Rock in Berkeley back in 1986; the duo told the paper the sale will make both brands stronger.

These businesses just got recommended for legacy status in San Francisco

A new round of San Francisco businesses has cleared one of the hurdles toward officially being added to the city’s SF Legacy Business Registry. The Historic Preservation Committee voted unanimously for beloved dive Mr. Bing’s to become a Legacy Business on Wednesday, the San Francisco Standard reports. Other food and drink spots under consideration for Legacy Business status include music venue Blue Light in Cow Hollow and Chinatown’s Hing Lung Company, known for its roast ducks, Hoodline also reports. This isn’t the final designation of legacy status, instead, there is still the need for approval by the SF Small Business Commission.

Central Coast restaurant favorite closes

Those who’ve ever traveled to Southern California via the coast may know Pismo Beach restaurant Coco’s. It’s part of a larger chain in the region, but the owner of this particular location endeared the restaurant to its customers by serenading them on guitar or ukulele ever since he took ownership in 1997. But the Pismo Beach restaurant is closed as of Valentine’s Day, and SFGATE lovingly captures the scene as longtime customers said goodbye.

Lower Haight welcomes a new dumpling shop

Relative dim sum newcomer Dumpling Union opened its Marina restaurant in April 2022, and now it looks like the restaurant is looking to expand. Hoodline reports Dumpling Union is set to open a new location at 598 Haight Street, in the former Maven location. A beer and liquor license application appeared in the window of the property this week, and there’s no word yet on when the new dumpling spot is set to open.