12 beers on tap! Small place, small bar and very busy. Beer quality is above average, prices are fair and waitstaff was helpful. Met the brewer sitting at the bar chatting up the drinkers - always a good sign.

April 2008 - Smack dab in the middle of the best people watching territory in the country, Magnolia holds a formidable corner in Haight-Ashbury area. With a sunny, open-air feel, the pub is cozy and welcoming. We visited with our friends from thebeergeek.com as well as some beer-novice friends and everyone was happy. The menu is good, if a bit in the to-be-expected hippie vein. We all cleaned our plates and emptied our glasses, doing some damage to their great 6-beer cask lineup. Definitely a great start to our day in SF. (Brewery #461, 4/11/2008)

None of their really cool beers were on. The Haight area’s hippie shtick is so thick it descends into self-parody and Magnolia drips with it. Small space. Beers not really good. Casks were in poor to mediocre shape - flat and lifeless. Didn’t eat. Service a touch slow but not too horrible overall. Still, felt more like a brunch spot than a brewpub and the beers didn’t dissuade me from that feeling.

This Hippie district, very popular restaurant distinguishes itself by its cask offerings. With 4 casks including very hoppy beers, they stand apart from every other brewpub in the city. It weas hard for us to get a table on a tuesday (1hr waiting list), so we had to come back on Thursday when we had a bit more luck earlier. The beers I tried were solid, satisfying ales and I remember liking their Saison at GABF. It is also very close to Toronado which pretty much makes it a must-hit, especially with the spectacular architecture in between the two pubs. On the other hand, the service was quite disappointing, taking forever to bring the beers and never really just fainting a smile. The same goes for the food, the menu seemed promising, but the food was simply quite plain, lacking seasoning as much as creativity and ingredients, especially that it’s not on the cheap side.

Very friendly open layout, especially if you are sitting at the long table with strangers. The house Kölsch was very good, as was one of the two cask Bitters. The few guest taps were well chosen and the food menu was appetizing (although we didn’t eat here). For the beer geek, I guess it is difficult to choose this place over Toronado a few blocks away, but I would come back nonetheless, perhaps to try their food.

above-averge brewpub. The local area is an historic hippie area, and still piled with street people and tatoo parlours, but they have kept this place refurbished and clean. The staff is genuinely friendly. The beers are good, noteably the famous Cole Porter. It is relaxed and melow place to have a beer. And that is a lot to say. Parking is possible.Some really good guest taps, and the staff working well with each other, and good real bathrooms are noted.

This is a very cool brewpub. High bar tables along the left hand side of the room with a long bar at the back of the room. A few small tables scattered throughout the room. The beers here really are top notch. A lovely kolsch and a pretty solid selection of other stuff, including a top-notch mild on cask. The bartender could have been a bit more attentive though, but the quality of the beer speaks for itself.

Cool little brewpub in the Haight. Usually pretty crowded, but I’ve never had much of a problem finding a space at the bar. The food is supposed to be great but I’ve never eaten here. The beers are generally mediocre, but they have some pretty cheap samplers, which is nice. The service is good/attentive, and that’s always appreciated.

Had a great time there. It was a nice trip on the mass transit. Took the cable car to the underground train and then out to Height Ashbury. Back to the 60’s or the late 80’s was what it felt like. An old brew pub if ever there a must stop and a great place to visit. The beers where great and the food was also good, Be ready for some hippie food that is served by a great wait staff. Talked with the manager and she was great found out a lot about the brewery and they where about to show off some great beers. We had a real nice time and will go back when in town. Stop by and have a Saison De lily and just think of the 60’s while there. To Jerry we raised a pint.

Why is this a great, stupendous, over the top, magnificent, ... "place"? The food is great, and there are fantastic real ales. Which, unfortunately, I continually fail to take notes upon. Go and enjoy. Take notes and rate. Mea culpa.