So many good beers! I've been a fan of Narrative Fermentation's sours for a while as I've had them at restaurant/tap houses in the area. I finally made it out to the brewery and was so impressed with everything I tried. Their beer board has great descriptors of each draft. They only had one sour when I went but had a few hazy's, an imperial porter and stout, a pale ale and a pilsner. I went with a tasting flight of the sour, half life hazy, and Presley imperial stout. Without a doubt this was the best stout I've ever had. It truly tasted like bananas and chocolate, I've never had a beer that was described so accurately. Went on a Tuesday night, it wasn't very crowded but still a few groups of people spread out. They had a food truck outside, which I believe rotates daily. This time it was Mexican food. Inside they had a cubby filled with a bunch different board games, didn't play any this time but for sure will if I go back with a bigger group in the future! Also our beer-tender was super nice! She was doing an awesome job running the show. read more

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this place is a gem! it's all & more of what you'd expect from a brewery. they have an array of beers, a space indoor & outdoor that allows dogs, host trivia nights, bless us with amazing food trucks (shout out to smack burgers bc they are delish!!), support local artists by having craft fairs, & the list goes on. it's a great place to spend time alone, with a buddy or a group of pals. the staff is friendly & always know how to put a smile on your face. one time i came here & was not drinking & they allowed me to bring in a boba drink which i thought was considerate (as long as there was no vodka in it lol). this place is awesome! read more

Good beers. I especially liked the sour smoothie. Initially upon entering it looks like the bar room is the only seating but if you walk past the bathroom it expands into a large room with picnic tables. Dog friendly and family friendly. Usually has a food truck on site. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

Brought my friends here to taste the beers. Bartenders were quite polite. Allowed tastes and poured us a flight. Big welcoming and clean space. Wish they had more than one bathroom. would recommend and return. read more

Came here with my softball teammates. Really wanted to try the Froooot slushie but they ran out on a Sat night! Hella popular! U gotta come early. So I actually went the next day to try it lol. It was all our first time there. I got a flight of 5 oz pours. Loved the Frooot one. It had a smoothie consistency! Loved that! Que Onda was pretty good too. Lots of seating inside & outside. The inside ceiling towards the back looks like the insulation was falling out but idk it is an old building. Love the lil logo too. Check out the slushie! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Froooot Slushie - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Great beers and great venue! The back of the brewery opens up into the backlot with picnic benches and tabletops. Board games and food vendors supplied and free play Golden tee! Always good beer and good times with the beer staff ready to help you select the tastiest grog to your liking! read more

Great service! Great ambiance. Very laid back and the server was friendly. No food here but the beers were nice and crisp. Definitely going to make this place one of our go tos for beer. read more

Great place to get some drinks and have a good time with friends. I love taking a look at local breweries and their selection of drinks. The bartender was very friendly and offered a lot of recommendations with the local drinks to choose from. My favorite was their west coast pilsner called Microdose. All the drinks on tap were reasonably priced and I liked the selection that I had tried. They have a rotating list of food trucks hosted there for dinner and the night we went also was a trivia night. Although we placed next to last, we still had a great time! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Microdose and Havoc - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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I have been coming here since they opened. I like the quieter vibe, seating in the front and in the back within the operations part of the brewery. I consider it a "3rd place" where people often know each other, you see families, diverse people that just want to hang out and connect over a beer. Food trucks with tasty food on some days of the week. The beers are always high quality, they innovate with their recipes and offer a rotating set of lagers, ales, sours, dark beers. They pay attention to oxygen control on highly hopped beers and you can taste the difference. Don't let the location fool you, its in a quiet strip mall but quite convenient and worth a visit. Dog friendly. read more

Nathan was so cool! I'm not a big fan of drinking but he recommended The Fruit and it was SO good! I'll definitely be back out again soon!

A brewery that allows furry friends and children to come and hang out! Me and my bf have been coming here ever since we were trying to find a new hangout place where the vibe is very relaxing. We were searching on Yelp and found this spot that was a bit far but had many amazing reviews. We can tell why! They always have new beers made, they allow children inside their establishments, they are very dog friendly, they have board games you can enjoy, AND they have food vendors on a daily basis! The food is always spot on, the drinks are never the same they brew different beers, they serve miches during the weekend (if they do not run out of the beers they mix it with), and they are a very relaxed and fun environment. We love coming to this place and we will continue to come and support their business here! Also they do have an IG where they post all about the taps they have and which food vendor will be coming during the week! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Scratch cookery - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

We are there every wed for trivia good drinks fun times give it a try very good experience

This is my first time visiting this place with my son. I love the atmosphere, people are very friendly and very diverse. They have a local DJ well known and some live music. The beer is very good I will recommend to check it out you can bring your kids too. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Cousins Main Lobster their the best - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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This for their barleywine "consonance". Hella good. Savory, sweet, not bitter. I tried their barrel aged stout quintessence. It's pretty good. First had it as a can stout. It's definatley on the upper end of can stouts. Has a maple syrup flavor to it, pastry like. read more

Awesome date spot to grab a cold beer and finger food. The service is quick and efficient. Our server is flawless. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Strawberry arugula small salad $8, Filet Mignon Tacos $14 - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Very nice place, with a very chic, wooden interior. They are dog friendly, have a self pour water station, and a good selection of beers. The stout is especially good! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

A blissful place after a long day. Bartenders are alway amazing. Atmosphere is for You to respect and understand. Love this place. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Worth every story - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

My friend and I met at Narrative Fermentations for some beers and a playdate for our pups. We both have never been to Narrative Fermentations, but I immediately recognized that I've been to the establishment before when the former brewery was there. We were at Narrative Fermentations around 7:30pm on a Friday night and stayed until closing time. The place was considerably busy, but I was able to snag a great table by the TV in the back area that had enough space for our pups to play out of people's ways. I started off with a flight of their west coast IPAs and sours, and then I capped my night with a pint of their hazy IPA. They were all enjoyable, but the sours really stood out for me. The "Frooot" was so good that I bought some crowlers. There happened to be only 2 packs left, and I was advised to swoop on it because they'll be gone before the night's end. There was another sour that tasted like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, which was wild! read more

It was our first time here, my gf and I came on a Sunday afternoon and they had some nice live music and food. Some people grooving. LOVE that they're dog friendly. We got a flight even though they offered to let us taste anything. I really enjoyed all 4-5 beers we tried. The ambiance & interior was sweet and just what I was looking for-- a little lively, but not rowdy and overstimulating. The AC felt really nice too. I saw a review warning POCs but as a outward presenting lesbian latinx it felt nice and welcoming to me but I will note it was predominantly white presenting crowd with 2-4 BIPOC groups present. It was a pleasant experience so far so we'll be returning sometime. read more

Went to Wednesday night trivia, it was fun but the rest of the night was blahhh. Food truck outside had okay food, expensive and really bland for the price! The beers me and my group tried were okay but expected more from a local brewery. The ambience needs some work. Lighting was harsh and florescent. The real kicker came at the end of the night. Let's just say there was a mixup and we were left with a sour taste in our mouths and wont be returning. I hope the person who attended to us wasn't the owner, if it was I don't see this place lasting very long. Learn the meaning of the customer is always right and avoid having your customers in awkward and humiliating circumstances. Train your staff to do their jobs correctly, which is to serve the customer if you need a reminder. PS: Thanks to Menace II Society for trying to save face for the Brewery, wasn't your fault. read more

One of our favorite breweries in the south bay! Great beer, great ambience, yummy food trucks, and dog friendly- what more can you ask for!? I'm a hazy IPA fan and they did not disappoint! Love their flight option so that you can try a variety of different beers. The presentation of the flight is awesome too. Check their Instagram for their weekly schedule of food trucks and events! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

Great beer, friendly people! We love coming here because they always have some top-notch beers on tap plus cans you can take home. When you enter, it looks like a nice little bar, and then you can go around back to a spacious warehouse area with more seating. They're also dog-friendly and often have a food truck outside and/or a vendor inside, plus some snacks for purchase. They have quite a wide variety of board games (but many of them are in disarray unfortunately by no fault of their own). TVs are available if you're trying to catch a game. And again, the people working here have always been really nice every time we've stopped by! One of our favorite breweries in SJ! read more

I've been interested in exploring more local breweries in the south bay and NF was next on my list. Located in a business plaza and easy to spot with a food truck out front on weekends. I visited this passed Saturday afternoon and people were gathered both in and outdoors. I'm not a big IPA fan so I enjoyed my flight selection of lagers and sours. A beer slushy was even on the menu! Staff was welcoming and friendly providing recommendations. There is even more space to sit if you circle back towards the right through the doors. Selection includes long and short benches, barrels in the garage, and canopied outdoor seating. Fun place to hang with friends or date alike read more

Narrative Fermentations - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

What can I say, a local Jem of a brewery. Amazing beers, friendly service and laid back atmosphere. All the times I've been here they've had live music, which they post on their website. Some of our favorites Flight of different beers they have on tap. Favorites include "sunshine on my mind" an amazing "cherry lemonade sour with vanilla", "Frooot" a mixed fruit (pineapple, Cara Cara orange,cherry)smoothie style, "busy doing nothing" a white ale with guava, a coconut stout, "chaos, and caffeine," another type of stout, "rogue, shark", and "two birds stoned at once" are both West Coast style IPAs If you haven't been I suggest getting a flight to try up to 8 different beers they have on tap. I will definitely be back. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Been here a few times. Few things that are good but a lot that bother me (people of color make sure to read): Pros: - beer is decent most of the time - it's quite cold inside, excellent on a hot day (there's also an area where there's no AC) Cons: - Staff never ever seem interested in what they're doing. I ask for a sampler and I get stared at as if I asked them to solve a differential equation. It's like the employees are always talking about some inside joke customers never get. Also pretty unhelpful with general questions I ask about the beer. - At least two employees visibly display bit of prejudice against people of color. The way they were interacting with me and my family was horrible compared to how they talk with white people. - It's pretty dark inside, leading to a bit gloomy vibe - Food truck options are extremely limited (sometimes none!) for vegetarian/vegan people. Is it that hard to request the food trucks carry a basic dish everyone can eat? Honestly would love to give a higher rating, it just seems that the staff either just sucks or they don't care. read more

We love this spot! They have live music on Tuesdays, great band. Air conditioned during the summer, different food vendors from pizza to beer. Sweet spot close to freeway, intimate, yummy beers! read more

Narrative Fermentations - Crosstown Trio here on Tuesdays - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

Stopped by here the first day patio dining/drinking re-opened, and oh how glorious that was! They partnered with a local burger pop-up to provide the food (delicious smash burgers) and offered outdoor seating in front of their brewery as well as out back. We ordered some burgers, a couple pours, and swooped a spot in the front seating area. It really did feel somewhat normal sitting outside, sipping cold beer, and eating burgers. Really good stuff. And they're doing a great job following all the safety protocols. Beers are solid too. They have a decent amount of offerings that showcase a variety of different styles--IPAs, sours, stouts, belgians, lagers, etc. We ended up trying three different beers, and each hit the spot. Support local, drink local, and check out Narrative Fermentations, one of the newest breweries in San Jose. Cheers! read more

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It's funny that as I am about to attempt to talk about this place I see things to consider, food, service, ambiance and I wonder if they have food here. I know smack burger is there on Saturday nights. But the other two I can speak about. The back seating area feels like i'm in a garage and I mean that in a good way. the service here was nice, the gentleman was friendly and not a beer snob. And of course the beer I had was great so high marks for them. read more

Love this place. Great craft beer and overall amazing selection of beer! Love the micheladas a must read more

Narrative Fermentations - Super smash burgers and beers perfect combo - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Cool place. Busier than we thought it would be. Food truck out back. We will stop by before the Cuda or seeing teams pound the SJ Giants.

Awesome space, great beer, and super friendly people. We went on a Saturday afternoon and it was packed. Our group had IPAs (West Coast and Hazy), a Pale Ale, a Dark Lager, a Stout, and a Sour. As usual they nailed every style of beer. The food truck out back was amazing too. We'll be back!!!! read more

Came here on a Saturday around 5pm and it was half busy. This place opened not too long ago and we have been wanting to try. They have both front and back outside seating. In the back, they have a small tent setup with some lights hanging with 3 walls enclosed. The front seating also has a small tent with some walls enclosed. But there's also seatings with nothing enclosed. They require you to order one food item from food truck per table, but we got lucky that the food truck sold out so we didn't need to order food. We found 2 beer that we liked: strawberry vision milkshake ipa, Gobsmacked pastry sour, and The World is Yours double hazy ipa. Staff were friendly and it's also dog friendly. Only one restroom here. There's hand sanitizer at the cashier and on some tables. Plus there's some heat lamps! There's plenty of private lot parking in front and back. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Back Outside patio seating - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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In A Nutshell: -Narrative Fermentations is the only "narrative" I'll pay attention to these days. -Now that the joke is out of the way, this location used to be Santa Clara Valley Brewing. -The beer here is phenomenal! -They are now one of my favorite local breweries in the South Bay. -When fully operational, they have seating both in front, inside and the back. -The back is nice & quiet & when it's a nice sunny day w/ Hazy IPA in hand, it's a wonderful thing like sitting in the backyard chillaxing. Overall, you should definitely come by to check out Narrative Fermentations! read more

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A great addition to the local San Jose brewing scene. They brew a variety of beers from sours to IPAs to stouts. Everything that I have had is good. Two of my favorite beers are: The World is Yours (DIPA) and Chaos & Caffiene (Nitro Imperial Milk Porter). You can definitely get 4 packs AND crowlers/growlers to go. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Choice DIPA crowler - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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Excellent beer and food, great live music and nice atmosphere. Dogs are welcome. Fast friendly Service. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Sunday Jam with Aki Kumar host. - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

While I have had some great hazy ipa beers here, they aren't consistent. They used to have about 3 options for hazy beers. The website is pretty bad and has no mention of current beers on tap. There is us usually a food truck which is nice. Hope they take the venue, beer, and website up a few notches because they have a ton of potential. read more

One of the best breweries in San Jose, all of their beer is Elite especially their newest drop: Space Cadet. Join them every Wednesday for Team Trivia. read more

Narrative Fermentations - Kellergeist Pilsner - Breweries Near Me - San Jose, California

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An amazing hidden gem, one of the few breweries where you can talk beer with the owners. Plenty to choose from, lots of HAZY IPAS and delicious beer!!! They are happy to answer any and all questions you might have if their beers. Definitely a must try!! They are open for pickup too during these crazy covid times!! read more

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You'd miss this place if you didn't know what you were looking for. It looks as though it is located in the middle of a strip mall, which it technically is, but in reality this place is actually huge! Dog & kid friendly as well. They have it decorated it very well, it is very clean & they follow covid protocol still which I found really cool. They have awesome beers (duh), they have a food truck as well! But be aware on the weekends it sells out quick & their might not be anything left for you (they are super popular & it is sooo yummy). This location has one ADA compliant, all-gender bathroom that was fully stocked every time I went to use it. The sitting area is very wide & inside. It side have a large 'garage door' that opens up to give a nice outside, open air, feel. There is a ton of seating for all types of gatherings; large parties of 10, or even a date night. It is a more chill place, which is why it is a good place to come with family - pets too! Bring them all :) They have zip-ups, t-shirts, & tanks for purchase that are great material (I totally snagged a zip up!) Their prices are a little higher than other breweries in the area, but the drinks are a little Vibes be forsure vibin'! read more

Decent space but poor beertenders. They were slow and offer poor customer service with a bad attitude. The beers were okay and nothing to write home about. read more