Armstrong Brewing

They close relatively early even on weekends (10pm on Saturdays; the whole area is pretty dead by then anyway), but they were super nice and kept the bar open for our group.
They have some food available but are beer focused. They have some on tap and some by the bottle. The chocolate cherry stout and cracked pepper saison were the most interesting.
For me, South San Francisco is a bit far, but this place was definitely an unexpected hidden gem.

I’ve been here a couple of times before this 1^st check in and this microbrewery is pretty cool! Located just across from city hall of South City, Armstrong brewery is the place to be where you can relax, have fun, socialize with friends, or even have a little friendly competition on their trivia nights!
The brewery is just downstairs next to the Indian restaurant where the bar gives off a speakeasy, 1920s vibe to it. The Edison light bulbs, the jazz music in the background, all go well together and I personally like that kind of theme. The brewery has a great selection of beers to choose from (all drinks are $ 6) and they also host other microbreweries beer too so there is something for everyone.
They also sell food here! I’ve had the grilled cheese with bacon as well as their loaded tater tots. The grilled cheese was really good! and it also comes with mnm’s which strangely pairs well together. The loaded tots is definitely loaded which is worth the price ($ 6). If you don’t want grilled cheese or tater tots? Well, you can also order food from the Indian restaurant next door and they will serve you at the bar.
Every Wednesday they host a trivia night which is pretty fun and challenging. Every other Thursday, they have live music and from time to time they also do takeovers and theme events. There’s always something going on in this bar to which I would recommend for people to come and see what this place has to offer.

Great place. Great beer. Even better staff. The Coffee Stout was by far my favorite, so much that I had to buy a growler to bring some home! We also had the pesto pizza and it we delicious! Also the brewer, Nick, was bar tending so we were able to really get good info on the beers! This will be a regular spot now. Cheers!

I come to armstrongs all the time with my bro for guys night all the time. Jason is the best bar tender ive ever met and he happens to be part owner. Jason make this good bar great. If you are looking for a bar to come to when you are having a ruogh week a good week or great week this is the place to be. Jason recommend the best beers the cherry chocolate stout, coffee stout and rye whiskey porter. This my favorite bar in the bay most recommended.

Quiet, friendly space with tasty, if a bit forgettable, brews. I stopped by in my way to the airport on a business trip and it was a nice stop. I’m not sure I’d go out if my way to go back, but I wouldn’t avoid either.

Passed through the area with an hour to kill. The call of local brewing (and Unilocal review noting $ 10 flights) brought me to Armstrong Brewing. This place is a local gem. In the mood for light and refreshing the Moes Goes was my favorite of the evening. That the Moes Goes is one of the only beers allowed an exception under reinheitsgebot drew my attention and begs a story that will need to wait for my next visit. Pretzels and cider on draft were quite tasty, also.

Thank you Unilocal for helping me find this, so glad to find local places like this where I would want to keep coming back. The brewery has chill and relaxing vibe to it with jazz music playing in the background. The staff was helpful and attentive and we got a chance to meet Ben. He was nice to give us a quick back story of the brewery and also informed us about upcoming events. You can tell by the way he talks that he loves what he does and you can see it in the way they craft their beers.
We got a flight which was 6 beers for only $ 10, which was awesome. I didn’t get a chance to try more of what they had, but that’s okay because it just gives me more of a reason to come back lol. I hope they stay around for a long time!

Stopped by on a very rainy Saturday night and the brewery was fairly empty (as were all of the dining establishments I passed on the walk there). Great bar/​brewery atmosphere, it is in the basement of a larger multi-​use but that adds to the allure. Spent my time there speaking with one of the owners named Ben, he was very friendly and I really appreciated that he took the time to talk about their beers, other local brews, and San Francisco in general as I am not a local.
While there I had all 6 of their own brews as a flight and really enjoyed all of them. Two of them are styles that I normally don’t enjoy but theirs were delicious and I would absolutely get them again. The porter and cherry chocolate stout were amazing but the Brown ale was my favorite as it was a nice balanced beer with good/​not overwhelming taste. Would highly recommend a flight to try them all!
I would definitely recommend Armstrong for a low key night or after work brews. More importantly, support your local small business!

(another glowing 4 – 5 star review, what has gotten into me?)
Quiet. Quaint. Charming. Sexy. Delicious.
These are initial reactions upon coming into Armstrong.
While doing laundry (see: adulting), I passed by and gazed in awe at copper chimney and my eyes shifted to Armstrong.
«what is this monstrosity?! A new brewery in my hood that I didn’t know about!?» RIDIC.
I had to scope it out.
Walking in, it felt warm and welcoming. The walls were wood, there were TVs playing basketball and it was long and narrow (TWSS).
After plopping down on a chair with a barrel as my table, I scanned the menu to realize that it is in fact a real brewery and not just some pretentious bar that uses brewery in its name to draw in a crowd.
Score.
While time wasn’t on my side, I opted for the 415 Fog.
«Refreshing with a crisp clean hop backbone. Expect this beer to grab your taste buds, then immediately jump off for a refreshing flavor.»
Spot. Fucking. On.
I’m usually an IPA guy and while the ABV wasn’t up there like most IPA’s, the taste was hoppy and refreshing. After one, I was ready for another but had to end up checking myself before I wrecked myself (see: adulting, again.)
For bites, the soft pretzel with beer mustard paired perfectly with the beer. Soft (duh), right out of the oven and perfectly salted. The mustard was so good I almost did a line of it off of my barrel… And I’m not even much of a mustard fan. I’m excited to come back and explore the menu further as I was eye-​fking other people’s food and it all looked delicious.
Service was friendly and fast with the place being halfway busy due to a private party; waited 30 seconds for a beer and roughly 4 minutes for the pretzel from order to stomach.
All in all, a great spot perfect for dates or a chill night out (laundry anyone?).

We were picking up a friend from the airport so we decided to come here and grab a couple of beers while we waited.
The brewery is below ground level. The space is big, a bit on the dark side and the décor and music was definitely aiming for a Prohibition theme.
The best deal is to order the sampler which allows you to try 4-​ounce samplers of all 6 beers; it’s enough to share between 2 people
On their menu they mention that their beers are balanced and I think that is a great word to describe them. All the flavors were present without overwhelming the palate. Our two favorites were the Moe’s Gose (lightly sour with a touch of sea salt) and the Oatmeal Porter which was very smooth and easy to drink
They also have a few other beers on tap and a small food menu. We did get hungry and had some tater tots to go with our second round.
Service was great and friendly. Definitely this a place worth checking out if you’re in the area… better way of killing time if you have business at SFO

Great and welcomed spot to have in south city. The brews are awesomely priced and the place is pretty spacious. You can even order brew and take it next door to the copper chimney. Haven’t gotten around to trying their vittles but I’ll come back and check it out next time.

Tasty beers and welcoming atmosphere. Great bar set up, lots of space, and friendly service. Even had a special Super Bowl enchilada setup! Will definitely be going back.

The long wait is finally over — woohoo! At last, we have our own local brewery right in the middle of downtown South San Francisco. Come grab a bite (Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indian.) on Grand Ave. and then a 2-​minute stroll to Armstrong to satisfy that beer crave.
I was there on a Saturday night — The ambiance and beer varieties were excellent. I especially liked the German stout — It brought back fond memories of my trip to Germany. For $ 10, you can sample all 6 of their beers. It was a pleasant introduction to Armstrong.

This place is hidden in the lower level of a commercial building that you have to enter first to get to and their sign outside isn’t that noticeable. However, this place is great and is never empty or stale-​feeling. There’s often live music, which adds to the appeal. They have about 6 of their own brews, which are all pretty decent. I’d recommend getting a flight of their 6 beers (~$ 10 each), which is a great way to get familiar with their beers.
There isn’t a LOT of seating, but that’s what you get for a cozy bar. The «barrel» tables in the middle of the seating area aren’t as comfortable to sit at and I wish they were converted to some other kind of informal/​adaptable and yet comfortable seating, but it does make for an area for people to stand around and mingle. The lighting (halogen spot lights) around the bar area are too bright and washes out the atmosphere there.
As they have limited snacks (no kitchen), you are allowed to bring food in to eat. There’s an Indian restaurant right next door to Armstrong that people often order food from and they even bring it into the bar.

I had been following Armstrong Brewing on Facebook since the beginning and watched as they built their taproom. I’m not out in South City very often so I didn’t think I’d be able to visit any time soon. Finally made my way out there with a friend on one rainy Friday night.
Armstrong is located in a bigger shared building — lots of yummy smelling restaurants next door! Parking was a bit difficult in the rain and on a Friday night — but it was a’plenty after about 8PM.
Sat down at the bar and ordered a South City Brown and a grilled cheese w/​bacon (their only food item so far). The Brown was pretty good — I have yet to try any of their other beers but I hope to get a flight next time. I believe it’s $ 10 for… 4? Correct me if I’m wrong…
The grilled cheese was simple but delicious, especially for $ 5. Comes with M&Ms on the side (which went well with the Brown, thanks to a tip from staff).
The room is pretty big — it reaches deep into the building. Plenty of seating. It wasn’t too busy when we got there but people seemed to come in and out in big groups.
Friendly and helpful staff. Good beer, and hopefully some more good food in the future! Be back soon, I hope! :)

Dropped by on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and they had the NC State game on. The place can be a little difficult to find. The sign outside is large, but the building is divided into lots of different spaces on two levels. To save you time go downstairs and you’ll run right into it.
The brewery is the way I picture bars back in the day (dark and full of simple wooden tables). That being said, we scored seats at the bar and the person pouring was very friendly and helped by describing the different beers. I landed on one of theirs first 415 FOG (5.6%/ 41 IBU) and it was good, but not to the hop level I was looking for. So my next was one of their guest breweries the Hop Dogma A-​Frame IPA (6.7%/ 70 IBU) and it was much more in line with what I wanted.
Since we sat there for a bit we ordered two of their grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon. They hit the spot and were tasty.
I dug the spot and will definitely be back with i’m in the bay area.

I’m always happy to see new breweries pop in near/​around my hood and Armstrong Brewing is no exception. Ironically, the one time that I came here, I didn’t get a drink… so my review is purely on everything else haha.
If you’re not familiar with the area, Armstrong might initially be tricky to find as its entrance is below ground level. However, once you enter, you feel like you’re in some completely different place. The place gives off some serious speakeasy vibes, what with the dimly lit atmosphere and the smooth jazz playing in the background. There’s about 5 or 6 in-​house beers on the menu, as well as 4 – 5 locally brewed ‘guest’ beers on rotation. At $ 2 for a sampler, $ 10 for a flight, or $ 6 for a glass, the prices aren’t that bad. Currently they do offer food, however, it is very limited. $ 5 grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon (or $ 4 w/​o bacon. I believe) was their only offering when I was there, BUT, it seems that you can bring your own food. Or at least order from the nearby Ami’s Creperie or the Indian place next door and have it delivered to you at the brewery, which is awesome.
It was fairly busy when I came here on a weekday after work, so if you want a chill place to kick back and enjoy some after-​work beers, Armstrong Brewing is your place!

After following these guys on Facebook for over a year, last week I was able to get some free time to check out Armstrong Brewing. What a great place!
I went in early Sunday afternoon to catch the 9er game and there was not many people there.
It seems everyone working there is part owner and they all really care about the business.
I tried the flight and I FINALLY found a light (er) style beer I enjoyed. We were even lucky enough to chat a bit with one of the brewers.
They do have food with a really limited menu… by limited I mean, Grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches… If you are only going to do one thing, do it well… and they did… I had two sandwiches on my visit! My understanding is they will be expanding the menu in the future. Until then, you can bring in your own food or order from any of the restaurants just a few steps away… some even deliver right to the brewery!
I liked all their beers but could have done without the obligatory «pumpkin» beer everyone seems to do this time of year… But what I really liked is they had other local breweries on «guest tap». Hop Dogma (El Granada), South City Cider (Ironically in San Bruno) and even a cask from Freewheel (Redwood City). It is great to see small business coming together and helping each other out.
If you are a craft beer lover on the upper peninsula, this is your spot!
Great job guys, looking forward to many more visits!

It’s awesome to have a brewery in this part of the peninsula. South City has been in need of a revitalization in its downtown and this place fits the bill. The beer they brew is excellent. Each style tasted exceptional and on par with some of the greats in the area. The 415 Fog and coffee stout were standouts for me, even though both are not usually what I go for. Have to appreciate a good flight of beers, and they are cheap here for what you get. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, and open.
My only critiques are that the space feels a little too dark and speakeasy’ish. They have done a good job with the space so it possibly could be just lighting. I’m sure with time this place will iron out any kinks and be a great local spot. I’m happy it’s here and look forward to more drinks. Cheers!

I’ve been waiting patiently for this place to finally open, and thankfully this past weekend was their soft opening. They’re still working some of the kinks out, and I think when we went, we had missed the big party, as it was fairly quiet, but the place has some charm to it — very dark and it feels almost speakeasy-​esque.
It looked like several of the beers offered were sold out on day 2 of their soft opening, which was a bit of a bummer. Their B&W Coffee Stout was available, however, and was absolutely fantastic — one of the lightest and most flavorful stouts that I’ve ever had!
No food on-​site yet, but apparently a kitchen menu is in the works. Also, tip: if you’re at 415 Grand, you’re at the right address, just head down the creaky staircase and into the first door you see.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Armstrong Brewing!
(Head’s up, if you have AT&T, you won’t have reception down there. Plan accordingly!)