While Sonoma County is renowned for its wines, few realize that it has become a hub for craft beer as well. Unsurprisingly, the two industries have a lot in common in terms of talent, geographical needs and consumers—so it is perhaps natural that the best beers in the Bay Area, and maybe even the world, are being made in the Santa Rosa region. The RateBeer World’s Best Beer Festival, which happens annually in January in Santa Rosa, attests to the region’s status as a beer destination.
I’ve unscientifically sorted the breweries in the Santa Rosa region by atmosphere — pick at will, or visit all of them! It’s just a quick drive up from the city or the East Bay and makes for a great beercation.
When You Want to Bring the Fam (Or the Dog)
Cooperage Brewing Company—981 Airway Court. Suite G., Santa Rosa
You don’t hear the phrase “family friendly bar” that often, which is part of what makes Cooperage so brilliant (in addition to the excellent variety of craft beer). The pub’s comfortable large interior space housed a diverse crop of people (and animals) on a weekday afternoon, including toddlers and large dogs walking on all fours on the concrete floor. With games of the board and/or arcade variety, plus food trucks roaming about outside, there are activities beyond drinking to please everyone in the family (including Rover).
As for the beer itself? Brewmaster Tyler Smith is an experimentalist with a focus on hoppy beers, IPAs, Belgains and stouts. “We don’t brew the same beer twice,” he said. “It’s more fun to change it up.” Smith is a talented brewer with a knack for complex and aromatic beers with nose-pleasing bouquets — usually 6–10 on tap. Live music, art shows and other community events are a frequent occurrence — check the calendar ahead of time for more info.
When You Want to Do a Beer Tasting without Getting Sloshed
Plow Brewing Company—3334 Industrial Drive, Santa Rosa
Walking distance from Cooperage sits Plow, an unassuming, relatively small tasting room serving as a façade to a large brewery in the back. Brewmaster Kevin Robinson’s résumé sounds like a who’s-who of Bay Area beer giants: Robinson started at Lagunitas Brewing Company, worked at Speakeasy Ales & Lagers and then Russian River Brewing Company, but wanted to start a project of his own. A full tasting menu is a good place to start, but highlights include Steel Share IPA, which is aromatic and non-bitter with a taste of extremely fresh hops, and their Pilsner, which is crisp, toasty and light on the tongue.
The bar itself has a minimalist vibe with rustic flair, including charming antique relics — antique woodworked chairs, Old West accoutrements and tools, and a ’50s-era fridge that looks like something out of Leave It to Beaver. The décor pays homage to Robinson’s family, who were California pioneers.
When You Want to Eat Your Beer
Belly Left Coast Kitchen & Tap Room—523 4th Street, Santa Rosa
Belly is technically a restaurant, albeit one with a massive tap selection — 66 beers once their expansion completes — making it a good place to try as many brews as possible. Chef Gray Rollin challenges himself to cook with his beer: it’s in the pizza dough, the mousse and so on. Infusing beer and wine from Sonoma County into the food pays homage to the regional food culture while keeping the cuisine sustainable.
Though it has all the trappings of a gastropub — bumper stickers, sports games on the TVs, pub prices — here’s one clue that Belly is different: no fryer. “I just don’t want or need one,” Rollin said laughingly. “They said I’d fail in a week without a fryer, and now we’re expanding next door.”
When You Want to Drink like a King
Russian River Brewery Company—725 4th Street, Santa Rosa
Chef Rollin of Belly also described Russian River Brewing Company as “probably one of the best craft breweries in the entire world.” He would know, having traveled the planet cooking and sampling world cuisine. If you’ve ever lived in New York City, you know that the water is what makes the pizza dough so good; to analogize here, the clean waters of the Russian River feed the taps at the brewery, a loft-like space with a beer shop in the middle of downtown Santa Rosa. Pliny the Elder, a West Coast–style Imperial IPA, is perhaps their most renowned brew — and if the bottled version is one of the most sought-after beers in the world, you can imagine how enchanting it is to try it fresh on tap.
When You’re Tired of Hops but Still Crave a Drink
Sonoma Cider—44 Mill Street, Healdsburg
No, it’s not beer per se, but Sonoma Cider has something for everyone. Besides having an incredible food menu and a large space with games and foosball, Sonoma Cider offers a rich and grand cider menu. Like ’em sweet? Dry? Fruity? With bananas? Sonoma Cider has that on tap. And if you really are a beer purist, they even have a cider infused with hops, which is pretty close to IPA.
The most interesting blend we tried was the Imperial Breakfast Cereal, as proprieter and cidermaker Robert Cordtz calls it. It’s a mix of one of their most offbeat ciders, The Jax (cinammony and sweet, like an adult version of Apple Jax), and the Imperial, a cider honey wine with eucalyptus honey that’s brewed in whiskey barrels. The combination of the two opposing flavors is one of the most delightful experiences your tongue could have.
When You Want the Pub Experience
Bear Republic Brewing Company—345 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg
Bear Republic is one of the heavyweights of the Bay Area beer scene. Indeed, their Racer 5 is iconic and defines the idea of an IPA. Even if you buy Bear Republic in bottles on the reg, you’ll want to check out their downtown-Healdsburg space to try the things that aren’t on the normal menu. We’ve written before about their Pinot Kolsch, brewed in Pinot barrels with a red-wine bouquet, but the selection of interesting microbrews is diverse and varied. Best of all, they fill growlers — meaning you can take that special microbrew home and lord over your beer-nerd friends the fact that they can’t buy this anywhere else.
When It’s Time to Rest Your Head
Flamingo Resort Hotel or Courtyard Marriot
If the pink, rotating neon sign didn’t clue you in, the Flamingo Resort Hotel is an historic piece of 1950s Americana with 21st-century amenities. The hotel itself is shaped like a five-pointed star, with radial rooms pointing outward and a heated pool at the center. Dancing, live music and other nightly events happen in the bar and dance floor, and the foyer features vintage photographs of California celebrities in Cadillacs luxuriating on the hotel’s grounds.
Closer toward downtown sits the Courtyard Marriot, a well-appointed and contemporary mini-skyscraper just a short walk to many of the above-mentioned restaurants (including Belly). A door divider between bedroom and foyer, and a sink outside of the bathroom make the suites feel spacious and well divided. A big breakfast selection with many healthy options and a friendly vibe at the evening bar make this a great option for couples who want to be near the action.
Courtyard Marriott
175 Railroad Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401
(707) 573–9000
Flamingo Resort
2777 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95405
(707) 545–8530
For more information on the ultimate Santa Rosa vacation, visit www.visitsantarosa.com.
