Every February, Bay Area drinkers raise their pint glasses during SF Beer Week in a 10-day-long boozy toast to everything that’s great about San Francisco’s craft beer scene – well, almost everything.

As the San Franciscans who spend their afternoons picking up grain at SF Brewcraft or long hours perfecting their IPA recipes in chilly garages will tell you, there’s been one big part of the city’s beer landscape that’s gone largely unrecognized during the city’s premiere showcase of suds: Homebrew.

This year, that’s changing with the introduction of Hops for Housing.

During the first-of-its-kind fundraiser during SF Beer Week, some of the city’s top homebrewers – we’re talking a few conical fermenters and a lease away from going pro – are spotlighting their finest small-batch beers to benefit the San Francisco Tennants Union, a renters’ rights group. Heather Dominey, a nine-year homebrew veteran and a board member of the Tenants Union, helped organize the Feb. 13 affair at the SoMa StrEat Food Park.

“The homebrewers I’m surrounded by are super excited about this opportunity,” she said. “This is a great event all around to give exposure to homebrewing.”

Until recently, events like Hops for Housing wouldn’t have even been possible. Fortunately, a Napa County vintner who got busted by the Alcoholic Beverage Control for selling homemade wine for charity happened to live next to a sensible state assemblyman, Dominey said. Fast forward a few months and voila! As of Jan. 1, homebrew and homemade wine can be donated and sold for the benefit of nonprofits.

The charity in this case, the San Francisco Tenants Union, is the city’s oldest and largest organization of its kind. The Union advocates for and provides counseling services to the city’s struggling renters. And, boy, do renters struggle in San Francisco.

The event itself promises tasty food truck fare for pairing and bluegrass music courtesy of Old Belle. But the main attraction – obviously – will be the more than 15 homebrewers handpicked by the Sirwisa Brewing Collective and the 30-plus small-batch beers stashed in their jockey boxes.

And for all you eye-rollers out there saying, “Yeah, but it’s homebrew,” just pipe down for a second, wouldja? These presenters are among the finest homebrewers in the city and several are on the verge of going pro, organizers say.

So think of the event as your crystal-ball view of San Francisco’s craft beer future. Many of the folks you meet pouring beers on Feb. 13 are going to be the brewers you’ll want to know a year or two from now. And even those who aren’t quitting their day jobs have been at the boil kettle for years.

Not to mention, as dedicated hobbyists working on 10-gallon systems, they have much more freedom to walk on the wild side of beer than their large-tanked professional brethren (and sisteren, if that’s a word).

“These brews are going to be on the same level, if not better in some cases, than most professional beers out there,” Dominey said. In other words? “There’s not going to be any shit beer.”

Hops for Housing takes place Feb. 13 from 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the SoMa StrEat Food Park. Tickets are $35 presale and $40 at the door. Attendees receive a commemorative tasting glass. Buy tickets or read more about the event here.