Continuing my beer travelogue of my late summer trip to San Francisco…

After spending most of the day playing tourist in Chinatown and at Fisherman’s Wharf, we got off the beaten path and headed to The Mission, where I was looking for an authentic Mission burrito and local craft beer.

First stop: beer at Southern Pacific Brewing. This brewpub is in a 10,000 square foot warehouse located in what was once the Mission’s industrial area. The former machine shop has been renovated into a huge bar, restaurant and brewery. There is an outdoor patio, and an upper mezzanine with a second bar. It’s a really cool space. The pictures I took do it no justice, so I won’t even bother posting them – just check out the gallery on the SPB website to get a real feel for this unique space. It’s like no other brewpub I’ve ever been to.

We sat at a table upstairs, but you had to order at the bar. There were six house beers on tap, along with a few guest taps. I ordered a sampler tray of the house-brewed beers so I could try the full range of their offerings.

• Robust Porter, a rich and bold Porter (5.5%)
• India Pale Ale, a traditional West Coast IPA (5.8%, 55 IBU)
• Extra India Pale Ale, a strong IPA brewed with Columbus, Centennial, and Cascade hops (6.8% ABV, 65 IBU)
• Pale Ale, a sessionable American Pale Ale (4.4%)
• Belgian Wit, a traditional unfiltered spiced white beer (4.2%)
• California Blonde, a clean drinkable Golden Ale (5.6%)

All of the beers were well-built, and I would have loved to stay for a pint or two of the Extra IPA, but Mission burritos were calling. I loved the space and atmosphere at Southern Pacific Brewing and would definitely go back if I got the chance.

We left the brewpub reluctantly but a few blocks later we were soon entranced by the sights and smells of Pancho Villa Taqueria. We ordered an insane amount of food — huge burritos filled with carne asada, with sides of chips, rice, and beans, and churros for dessert.

Beer and burritos: a great combination anywhere, but especially so in The Mission.

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