I TOOK A TWO-PART TOUR OF SOME BAY AREA CRAFT BREWERIES and taprooms ranging from San Leandro to El Cerrito over the last two weeks. In Sacramento and the Bay Area, the world of craft beers is expanding like the head of a good craft beer. Both my son, Adam, and my son-in-law, Chad, are craft beer hobbyists, so as the old man I’m along for the ride.

This journey started a few weeks ago when Chad called from Sacramento to tell me he was bringing the family down to Benicia for the weekend. Pull out the cots and fold down the futons.

In part the visit was to celebrate my 60th birthday, and in part it was to visit Sierra Nevada’s new Torpedo Room opening in Berkeley on 4th Street near Brennan’s and Spenger’s. His friend Josh, the bartender from the Rellik, joined us in a dd-caravan of wives and children.

The Torpedo Room is a long sturdy bar lined with attentive bartenders, a carousel of taps, a glass-sealed growler refill robot, and comfortable limited seating. We counted over a dozen experimental brews on tap. Tastes are $2 for 4 ounces. Flights are departing constantly. Bottles and growlers are available to go. When we got there, we were almost alone. When we left, the place was packed.

Chad got a list from the bartender of other craft taprooms to try. I bought a growler to take home and share later with Adam, who could not be with us. He had family responsibilities that did not include bouncing between taprooms.

As we walked up the street toward Brennan’s to have a meal with the family, Chad said, “Drake’s! We have to go to Drake’s. That’s the place. That’s what the bartender said.”

“Where is Drake’s?” I asked.

“San Leandro,” he said.

“Yeah, right, sure, we’re going to drive the whole family to San freakin’ Leandro to taste beer. Pick something closer. Please. Give me a break.”

Chad’s desire to find the best beer is his driving force. Distance is not a factor. He already drove from Sacramento to Berkeley.

“OK, whatever, dude. I’m just telling you what the man said. There is another place right up the street called the Albany Taproom. Let’s go there next.”

We relocated to the Albany Taproom on San Pablo, directly across from the Club Mallard. This is a new, busy craft brew house with great food to order and lots of seats. The chalkboard tap list showed 16 beers. The prices were kind. The tables were full. We had burgers and fries. It has real comeback-ability.

One last stop was Elevation 66 in El Cerrito, a brewery with a bar in front of it, serving its own specialties, and a list of Guest Brews. It’s always nice to drink among the steel tanks that fermented your beer. We chose the Elevation ales and were pleased as pie.

Back home, after the weekend, I was left with a vivid map of a future brew hop, if the opportunity ever arose. Perhaps weeks or months later, I could return to those fine establishments with friends. To goad me I have the added excuse of needing to refill my growler.

Turns out, I didn’t have to wait long. It was Adam, the following week, who urged a return. He felt left out. He wanted to take the brew hop with me. This week he was free.

Adam and his friend Scott Crabtree make beer in their garages. Craft beer tasting is a big deal with him. What can I say when he invites me to go craft beer tasting? “Sure, son. Let’s go. Mom’s driving.”

However, we didn’t go directly to the Torpedo. I stayed on I-80 and drove past Berkeley and Oakland down I-880 to San Leandro and Drake’s Barrel House. Chad had talked about it so much, I figured as long as we’re on the highway, let’s keep going. It’s only two stops past Hegenberger, right off the freeway, beside a Walmart.

Once you find the place, you will know why it’s popular. The beer is good. They serve only their own brews and every one of them is outstanding. What more can you ask for? Seating? They’ve got that too, but you’ve got to come early. The place fills up.

I sent Chad a photo text on my phone of Adam and me standing in front of a Drake’s sign. His response wasn’t so much happy for us as upset that I’d talked him out of going to Drake’s just the week before. He had me there. Now he wants a return visit.

Adam, the master of the Oakland craft beer scene, took me from Drake’s to Beer Revolution and the Trappist. It was the middle of Beer Week, however. We didn’t know that. The taprooms were so crowded we couldn’t get in. Adam said, “They are tap takeovers. Very popular. That’s all right.

“We can always come back again later.”

Steve Gibbs teaches at Benicia High School and has written a column for The Herald for 25 years.