The Best Made Birthdays of Beers & Brunch

One of life's more difficult questions is what to get someone for their birthday. It's always the same deal. Your mom: she wants your love and quality time. Your dad: pajamas, sports, and/or (insert random hobby). Your friend: "she/he doesn't want anything, seriously!", so you buy them a beer.

As my sister and I have gotten older, we have started getting more creative. Our new favorite gift is the "event gift". An event gift is when you plan an activity in which you get to spend time with the other person, doing something you can enjoy together!

Here is why they are the best:

1. You get to spend time with the birthday boy/girl. If you don't want to spend time with them, then you really shouldn't be buying them a gift.

2. It's really a gift for you too! You get to go with the birthday boy/girl and you can choose something that you both enjoy. Was there a play you really wanted to see that they would like? Do you both like the same type of food? The possibilities are endless.

3. Simply said: quality time and thoughtful planning of activities > material gifts.

It was recently my sister's birthday, and for her birthday I planned an activity that included our two favorite things: brunch and beer.  I made reservations for the Anchor Brewery Public Tour ($15 per person) and took her to Plow for brunch in Potrero Hill.

Here was our day:

With our reservation for the Anchor Brewery tour at 2pm, we started off with brunch at Plow. We arrived at 11am, which as all brunch-goers in San Francisco know, is an amateur move for a popular place like Plow. I would go with the  expectation of waiting an hour and a half. Luckily, it was a beautiful day, and Plow is located in a cute neighborhood. We grabbed a coffee, sat on some benches, and people-watched. Just when I started getting hangry, and my sister was assuring me that I would not, in fact, die of hunger, we were seated. Thank God.

Let's start this review with a picture. After all, they are worth 1,000 words (Which this post will not be. You're welcome).

BAM! Yeah, it was THAT good. We both got "The Plow", which is basically a way of saying, "I would like everything, please". Included was: eggs, your choice of bacon, their homemade sausage (which I chose), or chicken apple sausage (my sister's choice), breakfast potatoes, and lemon ricotta panackes. The breakfast potatoes were outstanding, quite possibly the best I've ever had. They were crispy and flavorful, yet still potato-y. And the pancakes... holy smokes. They were fluffy but not too light, and they had a delicious light lemon flavor. The eggs and sausage were also not to be forgotten. I've done some major SF brunching in my day, and Plow is definitely at the top of my list. The prices are pretty standard for San Francisco (which is expensive) and the wait is also pretty standard (which is long).

Let's put it this way. When my sister and I first sat at our table, we both agreed that regardless of how good the food might be, we were likely not returning due to the wait. However, upon finishing our meal, we both agreed we would just come a little earlier next time.

Next, we headed a few blocks down the street to Anchor Brewing Company. A few blocks you say? Yes! A few blocks. I told you I planned this out.

The brewery tour itself was great. We arrived and the rest was taken care of. We gave our name and strolled on in. The tour wasn't crowded and we learned a lot, while getting to enjoy some tasty beers. We were first led upstairs to the tasting room which had old vintage decorations with beer trays, stands, and old bottles.

We tried a beer while our tour guide gave us some Anchor history lessons. We then went on a tour of the brewery and learned about how it all goes down. Did you know Anchor Brewery is America's first and oldest craft brewery? Did you know that Anchor Brewery is an all-copper brewhouse, which is apparently not common? Do you know what "dry-hopped" means? No? I didn't either! But, I don't want to give away too many details because I loved experincing it firsthand, and I would definitely recommend this tour. So go forth, learn, drink beer, enjoy!

Our tour guide was fun, quirky, and super knowledgeable, answering approximately one million random questions from the self proclaimed home brewers... You know exactly who I'm talking about. After the tour, we tasted a variety of Anchor beers on tap. I had already tried (and enjoyed) many of them, but there were a few standouts that I wasn't familiar with, such as the American Porter and the limited availability Luxardo Cherry Ale.

My sister and I left tipsy and happy. We had fully bellys and full hearts. We got to spend quality time together doing something we both love. A Happy Birthday indeed! Cheers!