February is a short month as you know, which means there’s only 12 days or so left to enjoy Strong Beer Month, an annual event in which we get a chance here locally to enjoy some delightfully strong handcrafted winter ales.

The Magnolia Pub & Alembic Bar & Grill on Haight St join with the 21st Amendment down south of market in brewing up and pouring some unique and feisty high octane barley based potions.

In addition to the aforementioned locations the Toronado in the Lower Haight hosts it’s annual & extremely popular Barleywine Festival all this coming week starting on Saturday with 50 barleywines from near and far. Watch out for Old Thunderpussy.

More local brew news & links below “the jump” including info on Sunday’s Beerapalooza in Berkeley…

For five years running now Strong Beer Month has provided an opportunity to enjoy the fulfilling sensation of strong beers that demand respect, more info online at http://www.strongbeermonth.com/

As I write this entry, members of San Francisco Brewers Guild and local brew afficionados are actually converging on the 21st Amendment restaurant & brewery in the South Park district for a monthly Meet The Brewers dinner tonight . If you’ve never been, the 21st Amendment is located at 563 2nd Street, between Brannan and Bryant.

Meanwhile, down at the newish Haight St spot Alembic, chef Eddie is whipping up food that goes well with strong brews, some from Magnolia and a couple of guest beers that fit the bill: Iron Springs Pub & Brewery’s Barstow Lundy Barleywine and San leandro made Drakes Brewing’s Hop Salad, an imperial IPA brewed with seven different hop varieties.

On Sunday, the beer-centric Celebrator magazine celebrates it’s 19th Anniversary Beerapalooza Party and has a Brewers Mardi Gras at the Trumer Brauerei over in Berkeley. Admission is $35, which includes beer and Cajun/Creolefood and a portion of proceeds will go to help small struggling brewers in New Orleans. Live Music, Mayhem and tons of small California brews on hand as well.

info at http://celebrator.com/features/beerapalooza/2007/

if you’d like to join up with other beer enthusiasts, check out the SF Brew Pub Club

mmmm beer…