Pet-Friendly Breweries in Sonoma County
Sonoma County is known not only for its craft beer scene, but also being extremely dog-friendly. Put these two perks together, and you and your pup(s) have a doggone great time ahead of you. Visit the following Sonoma County breweries, and there’s no need to leave your best friends behind — because your leashed canine companion(s) are welcome to tag along!
Cooperage Brewing Company, Santa Rosa
Cooperage’s brewer, Tyler Smith, is as passionate about creating hoppy, Belgian-style ales with wild yeast fermentations as he is about his pup, Abbie — so rest assured, the garden patio here is dog-friendly. The vibe here is industrial warehouse meets pop-art gallery, and beers have tongue-in-cheek names like Keg Slayer (a double dry-hopped IPA). Soak up some pints, sunshine, and local food truck grub, and treat your four-legged friends to fresh water and Cooperage-branded dog collars and leashes.
Crooked Goat Brewing, Sebastopol
Set in The Barlow, an industrial mixed-use marketplace in Sebastopol, this kick-back spot has rollup doors on three sides of their building, making it feel like you’re outdoors even when you’re technically inside. Your dog is welcome to hang out/in with you, enjoying comfy couches and chairs and three fire pits while you quaff Crooked Goat’s liquid offerings, which include an IPA, a saison, and fruit beers, and order food from Barlow eateries to have them delivered table-side.
Cuver, Windsor
Located in Windsor, Cuver is a family-operated craft brewery and taproom with a patio that is both kid- and dog-friendly. Here, owner Dr. Jan Verspecht is proud to authentically represent Belgian beer culture, incorporating traditional methods, putting quality first, and brewing a diverse repertoire of unique beers that are based on the principles of Belgian beer, combined with local flavors and ingredients and the Californian spirit. Bring the pups and see what seasonal brews are on tap.
Fogbelt Brewing Company, Santa Rosa
Founded in 2013, this wildly popular Santa Rosa spot not only has a lab-pit-mix brewery dog named Scout, it also has a dog-friendly patio. Owners Paul Hawley and Remy Martin (both from area winemaking families) named Fogbelt after the Northern California coastal ecosystem where Coast Redwood trees grow, and Hawley farms the brewery’s hops on its own Healdsburg hopyard. Rotating pairings are the specialty here (four beers with four generous bites), but there are always sours, IPAs, and stouts — plus fresh water for dogs — on draft.
Lagunitas Brewing Co., Petaluma
These IPA pioneers have one of Sonoma County’s most popular beer gardens, to which you’re welcome to bring your pups. Dogs are actually an important part of Lagunitas culture: There’s a dog on the label, an entire page of their website is dedicated to their brewery pups, and their branded “schwag” includes a dog bowl, collar, and toys. Treats for humans include Touch of Earl, a Belgian white with Earl Grey tea, the Nitro Blisserin’ Hard Coffee, and non-alcoholic and cannabis-infused brews.
Russian River Brewing, Santa Rosa & Windsor
Originally established in 1997, Russian River Brewing Company has, since 2004, been run by brewer Vinnie Cilurzo and his wife, Natalie — and remains famous for its annual Pliny the Younger release. Dogs have long been welcome on the patio of their downtown Santa Rosa outpost, but there’s even more room for you and your pack at the 15-acre, 85,000-square-foot brewpub they opened in Windsor in 2018. Clean and sour barrel-aged beers are made here, and leashed furry guests are welcome in the great big outdoor beer garden, which features a dog bowl/water bottle filling station.
Shady Oak Barrel House, Santa Rosa
Steve Doty was a home brewer for 20 years before he opened his downtown Santa Rosa taproom, where well-behaved dogs on leashes are allowed indoors and in the beer garden. Brews include barrel-aged sour ales, gose, and both an IPA and a DIPA, mixed culture ales made with Sonoma County grapes. In addition to live music and stand-up comedy, Shady Oak has its own arcade, resident food truck Tacos Tijuana, and Cosmo the in-house brewery cat.
Stumptown Brewing, Guerneville
Open since 1996 in a rustic wood tavern near downtown Guerneville, this fun, laid-back West County mainstay has the county’s biggest beer garden overlooking the Russian River — and leashed dogs are welcome on it, as well as the beach below. Stumptown’s micro-brews have quirky names like Rat Bastard Pale Ale, Bush Whacker Wheat, and Squirrel Tickler Cream Ale, and there’s generally either a football game or footy match on TV. Food truck La Fogata usually serves up classic Mexican fare and behemoth burgers, and smokehouse BBQ is often available for lunch.
Woodfour Brewing Company, Sebastopol
At this brewery at The Barlow (just a few doors from Crooked Goat), brewer Seth Wood makes farmhouse style, small-batch saisons, lagers, and barrel-aged ales, and food runs the gamut from a quinoa macro-bowl to a whopping pound of wings. The front patio is often the most coveted spot, and where dogs are made welcome with water bowls and dog treats — and the comfort of being by your side.
See What’s Happening
Share your experience using #SonomaCounty or #LifeOpensUp