Beer Events and Pliny the Younger Release

It’s clear that we love our boutique beer in Wine Country, from handcrafted IPAs to Lagers, and Stouts to Sessions. More and more artisan brewers are bellying up to the bar across Sonoma County, opening boutique operations with finely crafted beers based on local ingredients and production limited to small, coveted amounts.

Sonoma County now has more than two dozen operating breweries, with more opening on a regular basis. The internationally famous Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, for example, debuted a terrific new, 195-seat brewpub in Windsor in October 2018 (see more details below).

Our Pliny is Precious

Every year, the release of Pliny the Younger is a big deal, so much so that fans line up in front of Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa and Windsor, hoping to get a 10 oz. pour of the coveted and extremely limited production triple-hopped ale. The Younger is always released the first Friday each February for a limited two week run. 

The beer theme continues in Santa Rosa all month long with FeBREWary, a celebration of Santa Rosa’s beer heritage produced in conjunction with the California Craft Brew Week.

Events

California Craft Beer Week, which traditionally occurs in early February, extends beyond San Francisco to surrounding areas including Sonoma County. This year CA Beer Week will be bringing the festivities straight to beer lovers. See more information here.

Gear up for the IPA 10k & Beer Mile Invitational, held each spring in Sebastopol. The race begins and ends at the Barlow and includes beer, music, and food.

June brings the “Beerfest – The Good One” when the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts turns into a lavish beer garden, with more than 60 microbreweries and cideries.

In September the Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival offers pours from more than 20 local microbreweries, delicious bites from Petaluma restaurants, and festive promenade strolls.

Tours

Visit craft breweries on two wheels with the Santa Rosa or Windsor Bike ‘n’ Brew guided cycling tours from Ace It Bike Tours. Or, the Pint ‘n’ Pedals by Getaway Adventures & Rentals takes you to top breweries in Santa Rosa and Sebastopol. Or, relax, sit back, and let someone else do the driving on private or public guided bus tours with North Bay Brewery Tours. And On Tap Beer Tours offers custom tours across Sonoma County for one to 16 guests. 

Breweries

On the legendary front, a few of Sonoma County’s best-known brew houses include Bear Republic Brewing Co., which after more than two decades on the Healdsburg plaza now operates its brewpub in Rohnert Park with its production facility in Cloverdale; Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma; and Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa and Windsor.

The Windsor location opened in October 2018. The $50 million brewery and pub sits on 10 acres, with a centerpiece tasting room featuring a changing selection of beers from five-ounce sips to growlers-to-go. The space includes a patio, one-acre pet-friendly beer garden, and delicious bites like burgers with double fried Kennebec fries, fish and chips, salmon, and schnitzel. 

Rohnert Park is home to two of the newest additions to the Sonoma County craft beer scene. Parliament Brewing Company offers a variety of small batch beers with names like Whatchamacallit IPA and Friend From Vermont New England Pale Ale. Old Caz Beer also offers a rotating variety of small batch beers on tap, like Steady State German Pilsner, Chismosa Mexican Amber Lager, and Catastrophe Rye IPA.

Brewsters Beer Garden is a hot spot in downtown Petaluma on the edge of the river. The space spans more than 350 seats inside and out, offering barbecue and higher-end pub grub rounded out with live music, a full cocktail list, wine, and of course, plenty of beers. 

Head over to Santa Rosa for the Bohemian chic Henhouse Brewing Company. It’s set in an industrial warehouse and produces tiny batch gems like barrel aged kumquat saison, Inside Job tropical IPA, and Oyster Stout made with real local oysters. Snack at the Red Horse Pizza truck, too – it’s served out of a real, renovated horse trailer. The brewery also recently opened its HenHouse Petaluma Palace of Barrels in Petaluma.

Trail House in Santa Rosa is a creative enterprise, combining beers, coffee, and a hangout for the biking community. Enjoy suds while sharing stories of the best biking trails, get some help with your bike needs, and snack on breakfast and lunch/dinner fare like big burritos and sandwiches. 

Crooked Goat Brewing is at The Barlow in Sebastopol with 14 beers on tap – four IPAs, two double IPAs, three wheat brews, three stouts, and a lager (check out the yummy Grapefruit Ibex, an IPA infused with grapefruit and grapefruit zest). The tiny space is family- and dog-friendly, and offers snacks like fresh pretzels from Full Circle Baking Company and flavored popcorn from Comet Corn.

Also at the Barlow, Seismic Brewing Company’s Sebastopol taproom is a large, bright open sustainable brewery with a full menu of year-round and limited release beers. Among their year-round beers is the Alluvium Pilsner, Liquifaction Kolsch, Megathrust and Shatter Cone IPAs, and Magnetic Midnight Black Lager. On weekends, there’s often live music, and they also have a large lounge area with a pool table.

Don’t miss Woodfour Brewing Company, either, at The Barlow in Sebastopol with oft-changing originals like the Wet Hop Session Ale No. 1 made of hops grown at nearby Wildo Ranch, a Gold Ridge Lager, and a sour farmhouse ale.

Visit the Sonoma Springs Brewing Co. facility on the western side of the town of Sonoma, as well, where beers feature a SlowNoma Belgian-Style Ale and Uncle Jack’s Kolsch-Style Ale, among others. These are top rated suds, too, from Tim Goeppinger, who learned his craft over 17 years of brewing for Goose Island, Firestone Walker, and other respected breweries. 

At Fogbelt Brewing Company in Santa Rosa, brewers Paul Hawley and Remy Martin use exclusively California-grown hops (and check out the tasty Sunday brunches). 

There’s also Cooperage Brewery in Santa Rosa, which specializes in barrel-aged sour beers, plus a Pale Ale, an India Pale Ale, a Belgian Pale Ale and Belgian Golden Ale.

Taps Restaurant & Tasting Room in Petaluma, (next door to Sonoma County’s oldest beer hall – Dempsey’s Restaurant & Brewery), features some ever-changing three dozen rare beers from around the world on tap.

Craving still more? You can find all of Sonoma County’s craft breweries on the Sonoma County Craft Beverage Map, including the Old Possum Brewing taproom and kitchen in Santa Rosa.

Find more info about breweries, wineries, hotels, and things to do in Sonoma County.

Written by Sonoma Insider Carey Sweet