In only their second season in the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries are poised to make history.

The team leads the Atlanta Dream 3-2 in the 2026 WNBA Finals. With just one more win, they could hang a championship banner in the rafters of “Ballhalla”—the nickname given by the franchise to San Francisco’s Chase Center.

Through the madness of an inaugural championship run, one Santa Clara bar has been behind them every step of the way.

Barebottle Brewing Company, a brewery chain with several locations around the Bay, has dubbed itself “Brewhalla.”

Two of their locations are designated official watch party spots by the Valkyries; one is near the center of the action in San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood—the other, just a few miles away from Santa Clara University.

Bar-goers at the Santa Clara location were decked in special “Brewhalla” T-shirts for the Game 5 watch party on Monday, Oct. 26. Many sat with a few friends, sipping on Barebottle’s signature Valkyries drink—a sour beer with a Valkyries-purple hue dubbed the “Welcome to Brewhalla.”

Despite Game 5 falling on a Monday, a solid number of fans filled the bar. Bartender Matthew Lincione, who’s worked at Barebottle for three and a half years, says folks have shown up in numbers throughout the championship run, creating a special atmosphere.

“Usually it’s a pretty packed house,” said Lincione. “I think because of the timing of the game today, maybe people are still getting off work. I think by the second quarter, it’ll probably get a little more popping.”

Both regulars and newcomers stop by for the fun, bringing fresh faces to the local spot.

“Some people realize we’re the closest local spot for them to do a watch party,” said Lincione. “And because of that we’ve gotten some new regulars, at least for the playoff season, which is pretty awesome.”

Tables lined the main bar area facing several large TV screens, with the game audio blasting through speakers overhead. At a table at the very front, Valkyries super-fans and longtime Santa Clara residents Karen Elliot, Barbara Lannom and Lynne Miller sat watching the game together. All three were attending the watch party for the first time.

For Elliot and Lannom, the party offered a viewing experience that was different than usual—more often than not, they can be found at the games in person. The pair were in attendance at the very first Valkyries game at the Chase Center two years ago, and try to go in person as much as possible.

“We go to the Chase Center as often as we can,” said Elliot. “We even traveled to Seattle to watch them play Vegas.”

For Lannom, the Valkyries coming to the Bay Area was a gateway into women’s basketball, and watching Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase succeed feels particularly special.

“I have never been into women’s basketball,” said Lannom. “I think the excitement is that they’re in our hometown, San Francisco, and all the girls on the team are so down to earth.”

“It was just the women,” Lannom added. “It was her—it was Natalie, you know, the first Asian female coach.”

For Miller, who also traveled with Elliot and Lannom to Seattle to see the team, the passion comes from a lifetime of loving sports and wanting to see women succeed.

“I think this is really exciting that women can do this now,” said Miller. “It’s been a long time coming.”

Also at the table watching the matchup was Erica Simmons, a San Francisco resident who usually attends the Bernal Heights watch parties, but stopped into the Santa Clara location after work.

The watch parties and fan experiences aren’t just thrilling, but deeply important, explained Simmons.

“It’s a ton of fun, and it feels very special and very rare to be able to do this for women’s sports,” said Simmons.

“During one of the playoff games, I went to a sports bar where they had 11 screens: 10 were playing football, and one was playing the Valkyries,” she added. “And then with two minutes left on the clock in the fourth quarter, the bartender went and switched it to a Seahawks game, and there were four or five Valkyries fans that just started yelling at the bartender. So finding a bar that’s a guaranteed watch party, they’ll have the game on, have the sound on, and there’s gonna be a group of fans—it’s been a big deal.”

All four women at the table remarked on the bigger meaning behind seeing a professional women’s team come to the Bay Area.

“I just think it’s fantastic seeing them play, first of all,” said Elliot. “And secondly, they’re so contagious that they want it; it makes us want it. I mean, I feel like I’m a part of them.”

For the community at Barebottle, the watch parties are a means to share a historic experience with others.

“I was born and raised out here, so it’s always great to see the community come out,” said Linciones.

And for the dedicated fans coming out for each game, hoping to see the team succeed, the moment is much bigger than fanfare.

“I used to, as a kid, have to watch my brother play,” said Miller. “Now I get to watch other women play.”

The Valkyries and Dream tip off at 9:30 a.m. PST at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, tomorrow, Oct. 29 for Game 6 of the WNBA Finals, where the Valkyries hope to secure the victory and win the WNBA title. The Barebottle Santa Clara and Bernal Heights locations will both open early at 9 a.m. for the game.