After looking for space to emulate a Bavarian beer garden for years, Aaron Hulme took advantage of the Proxy Project to give San Francisco its first outdoor Biergarten (424 Octavia).
“We wanted to make it look like a modern beer garden in Bavaria,” said Aaron, a 10-year partner at Suppenküche. “Large restaurants like ours usually have tents or large spaces for drinking, so we wanted a similar German beer hall for San Francisco.”
What led to our first Biergarten? Aaron met with the Architects who had plans for the space and convinced them to buy into his team's vision. He worked with “fantastic folks at City Hall” and established relationships with neighbors to make sure noise wouldn’t be a problem. Because Aaron wanted to "embrace the vacant lot,” the team designed the space utilizing a minimalist approach: shipping containers, benches, lights, and a few plants. They don’t have heat lamps, but provide blankets to anyone who hasn’t warmed up from their beer selection. “We started off with six beers, but the lines were so long we decided to reduce it down to three,” Aaron mentioned. Along with having three beers that are in rotation with other selections, they offer pretzels, brats, sauerkraut and other snacks... giving you an excuse to stay for hours. When asked about his favorite aspect of the Biergarten, he responded with another question. “Where else in San Francisco can you stand outside, talk loudly, drink, and shout with your friends that’s not someone’s backyard? The Biergarten is now Hayes Valley’s backyard.” Grab a brat and beer in your new backyard between 3-9pm from Wednesday to Sunday. As of now, they're closed when it rains, so plan your first (or second... or eleventh) trip there this weekend. Or if you consider yourself a Biergarten connoisseur, give us your expert tips. Beer recommendations? Ideal spots to sit? Hours to go when it's least busy?
What led to our first Biergarten? Aaron met with the Architects who had plans for the space and convinced them to buy into his team's vision. He worked with “fantastic folks at City Hall” and established relationships with neighbors to make sure noise wouldn’t be a problem. Because Aaron wanted to "embrace the vacant lot,” the team designed the space utilizing a minimalist approach: shipping containers, benches, lights, and a few plants. They don’t have heat lamps, but provide blankets to anyone who hasn’t warmed up from their beer selection. “We started off with six beers, but the lines were so long we decided to reduce it down to three,” Aaron mentioned. Along with having three beers that are in rotation with other selections, they offer pretzels, brats, sauerkraut and other snacks... giving you an excuse to stay for hours. When asked about his favorite aspect of the Biergarten, he responded with another question. “Where else in San Francisco can you stand outside, talk loudly, drink, and shout with your friends that’s not someone’s backyard? The Biergarten is now Hayes Valley’s backyard.” Grab a brat and beer in your new backyard between 3-9pm from Wednesday to Sunday. As of now, they're closed when it rains, so plan your first (or second... or eleventh) trip there this weekend. Or if you consider yourself a Biergarten connoisseur, give us your expert tips. Beer recommendations? Ideal spots to sit? Hours to go when it's least busy?
