Beer lovers here have it pretty sweet. With 19 San Francisco brewers and dozens of craft beer bars in a 49-square-mile city, you’re never far from a world class beer. Those who appreciate a challenge can find it though, by seeking out special brews and events that are available in limited quantities, or at special times of year, or only if you know someone with inside information. The following is a bucket list of brews that all true SF beer lovers should try, and a few events they should attend, to fully appreciate our local beer community.

1. Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale 

Every November since 1975, Anchor Brewing Company has released their sought-after Christmas Ale. Although the brew is distinctive, the recipe differs slightly each year. Locals can easily pick up a family-sized (1.5 liter) bottle or two and be comfortable knowing that the beer will be enjoyed at any holiday event they host or attend. There are decades of tradition built into this beer, and its aromas and flavors evoke the holiday spirit.

2. Russian River Brewing Company’s Pliny the Younger

Santa Rosa’s Russian River releases this legendary Triple IPA on the first Friday of every February. The beer takes a lot of time, effort and expense to brew because it is made using three times the hops of Russian River’s standard IPA and is then dry hopped four times. Finding it on tap in SF can be a hophead's quest for the holy grail, since this beer is available at only a few places outside of the brewpub and for only a couple of weeks. Look for it on draft around town during Beer Week.

3. Deschutes Brewery’s The Abyss

Deschutes flagship beer, Black Butte Porter is available in many San Francisco craft beers bars. The Bend, Oregon brewing team knows how to go big and go dark, which they demonstrate each November with The Abyss, their barrel aged Imperial Stout. The beer review web site BeerAdvocate rates it a perfect 100, and beer reviewer Steve Body has described The Abyss as “the best liquid of any kind I’ve ever poured into my mouth.” It’s a limited release beer and hard to find in the Bay Area. Last year Whole Foods had The Abyss in a few local stores, but they didn’t display it on the shelves. You had to ask a clerk to get one out of the back room, and they sold only one bottle per customer. This silky black sipper is also available on draft in a few bars around town. Use BeerMenus to find it in mid-November.

4.Firestone Walker’s Anniversary Ales

This Paso Robles brewery has been barrel aging ales since 1996 and in 2006 released the first of their Anniversary Series, a limited-edition, oak-aged strong ale. Each year the brewery’s neighboring winemakers from Firestone Vineyard divide into teams and combine several beers into a blend. Each blend is then voted on and the best is used as the template to create that season’s Anniversary Ale. This highly prized ale is released each November. Fans have been known to buy a case or more, much of it to age and enjoy in later years.

5. SF Brewcraft’s Lawnmower Ale 

Don’t look for this one in the beer cooler. The late Greg Miller, better known as “Griz,” owned SF Brewcraft, the local homebrew shop. The first recipe he recommended to new homebrewers was this easy drinking blonde ale. His coworkers still recommend the recipe to newbies, or to anyone who likes a crisp, old school ale you can slam down on a hot day. If you hang around in the Bay Area home brewing scene long enough, someone you know will offer you a bottle. But why wait? Try making it yourself—SF Brewcraft offers free classes on Monday evenings.

6. Almanac Beer Company's Farm to Barrel Series 

Almanac was the first modern area brewery to blend locally sourced fruit into ales to create seasonal artisan brews. Although Almanac now has a few year round brews, local beer drinkers are regularly presented with new combinations of ale, fruit, wild fermentation, and barrel aging. Many of the beers in the Farm to Barrel Series are brewed specifically to complement local seasonal cuisine, but all of them will continue to mature gracefully for several years.

7. Limited Release Collaboration Beers at Cervecería de MateVeza 

Woods Beer Co. (formerly MateVeza) opened their Mission brewpub, Cervecería de MateVeza, in 2012 and have been brewing innovative brews with their 20-gallon system ever since. Three recent collaborations are Island Mild, brewed with Madagascar cacao beans from Dandelion Chocolate, Siberian Stout, made with smoky black tea from Samovar, and Dubbel Barrel, a dark Belgian brew with coffee from Four Barrel. This last beer debuts on Wednesday, October 8th at Cerveceria.

8. Social Kitchen & Brewery’s Saison du Semillon

Social’s Brewmaster Kim Sturdavant and James Davids, winemaker at Oro En Paz winery, collaborate during wine harvest season to make this unique beer/wine hybrid. A Belgian style saison wort is mixed with must from semillon grapes, and the two are fermented together. Sturdavant barrel-ages and sours some of the batch, then puts this tart golden goodness on draft at the brewpub.

9.Beer Dinner at Monk’s Kettle or Abbot’s Cellar 

Superstar brewers team up with creative chefs for these beer and food pairing events, which regularly sell out. The brewers and chefs take the time before each course to explain why the selected combo works so well together. Be warned though, once you attend one of these events, you’ll be clearing your calendar to make room for the next one.

10. Attend the SF Beer Week Opening Night Gala 

Beer Week takes place each February and boasts hundreds of events. The best of the week, and actually the best beer event of the year is the Opening Night Gala. The party features 80 breweries from Northern California serving some of the most creative and compelling beers in the region.

11. Complete Strong Beer Month or The BRU/SFO Project 

Magnolia Brewery and 21st Amendment co-host these two month-long beer events each year: The BRU/SFO Project in November and Strong Beer Month during February. For The BRU/SFO Project, the breweries prep a total of 12 Belgian-style ales. Visit either pub, pick up a passport and have it punched for each new beer you order. Finishing all 12 beers will earn you a commemorative glass. For Strong Beer Month, the breweries tap a total of 12 strong beers (8.5 percent ABV is the minimum). Pick up a card at either brewpub and get it punched as you make your way through these heavyweights. You get a commemorative glass if you make it through all 12, along with a shiny, slightly swollen liver.

Note: Feel free to add your own bucket list entries in the comments.