On Sunday, 3/2, one-half of the @beersplaining crew made the jaunt up to Sonoma County. It’s a beautiful area in Northern California that includes some of the best breweries, and wonderful country. Previous stops up here included a trip for The Freshtival: A Beer Festival Celebrating the Art of Freshness!, the Santa Rosa half marathon, and just a visit to the area in general. The area has some famous breweries, including the new defunct Bear Republic (RIP), Russian River Brewing Company, Moonlight Brewing Company (a personal favorite) and more.
This time, I was there only for a short time so we could only make a few stops. The first stop was at Lagunitas Brewing Company. While some craft brew fans will complain that they “sold out”, Lagunitas was a cornerstone of the brewing scene in the Bay Area for decades, and their flagship IPA remains a solid offering. (Their facility in Chicago is also worth checking out). When you add the full menu, and some non-beer options to the super pet-friendly atmosphere, it is a great place to visit, grab a bite, and chill.
I had a quick classic flight and the smoked spicy brat. Unfortunately, the brat had more smoke than spice. However, we also had garlic fries, truffle fries, frickles and fried cheese curds. Every one of these was outstanding and I’ll order them again. The family liked the cider (rose) and seltzer (don’t get me started) and hung out for a bit while the dog and I make the long trek across the street to HenHouse Brewing Company Palace of Barrels.
The truth is, Henhouse occupies a spot at the top of my breweries list. Their offerings are eclectic (oyster stout to barrel aged sours) and their IPA’s are always crushable. I got their 6 IPAs in a flight, of course). The beertenders at Henhouse treat a beerflight like wineries treat a wine flight, describing color, aroma and taste to you. I sat at the bar, making friends (of course) while tasting their anniversary saison and chatting it up about dogs, kids and beer. Henhouse is always a great place to visit, hang, chat and imbibe. You will be hard pressed to find something better.
I didn’t have much time to hit any of the other spots but a trip to Henhouse is always a win. The beertender also let me know they expect to have Freshtival again this year and I can’t wait for them to announce the date. See you there!
#cheers