John Kimmich of The Alchemist Brewery with Russian River Brewing's Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo (photo from Twitter) The owner of The Alchemist Brewery, John Kimmich, paid Sonoma County a visit this week. The casual beer drinker may not be familiar with John or his brewery, but the biggest [...]
12th Annual Russian River Beer Revival and BBQ Cookoff (Peter Lopez) The Russian River Beer Revival and BBQ Cookoff unofficial tag line is “if you can’t have fun at this one…you can’t have fun.” Such a bold statement along with a lot of positive feedback from attendees of [...]
Bear Republic will be hosting its 6th Annual Cellar Party on Sunday, September 14 from 2pm to 5pm. The party will take place in the courtyard/barrel room located at 345 Healdsburg Ave. in the town of Healdsburg. This will be an opportunity to get to meet the brew team and sample the [...]
The popularity of craft beer seems to be at an all-time high. Not everyone is content to simply sit on the sidelines and taste the delicious beer that is being made by others. A growing number of people are choosing to roll up their sleeves and home brew their own [...]
The Ready, Set, Growl Beer Festival presented by Whole Foods Tap Room will take place in Juilliard Park in Santa Rosa on Sunday, August 24 between 11am and 3pm. The beer festival will be in conjunction with the Santa Rosa Marathon. Last year the marathon had 4,000 participants and another few thousand [...]
The 2014 Russian River Beer Revival tickets will officially go on sale today Friday, June 13 at 1pm. You may purchase tickets online at http://www.stumptown.com/revival/ or at Stumptown brewery. This will be the 12th annual festival being held at Stumptown Brewery which is located at 15045 River Rd. in Guerneville. The [...]
Lagunitas Beer Circus attendees (Photo by Peter Lopez) I must say that I have never been disappointed when attending a Lagunitas beer event. Once again they topped themselves with, in my opinion, the best Beer Circus yet. The beer was as good as expected. Besides special limited release [...]
This upcoming weekend will be quite eventful for beer lovers holding the two hottest tickets in the county. First, Beerfest will take place at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa on Saturday, June 7. Sonoma County food purveyors will join 60+ breweries coming together to raise money for Face [...]
The 23rd Annual Beerfest is coming up on June 7. The Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa will be the venue and the event hours are from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Sonoma County food purveyors will join 60+ breweries coming together to raise money for a great cause. [...]
The 18th Annual Boonville Beer Festival will take place at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds located at 14400 Highway 128 in Boonville, on Saturday May 3rd. The taps will be open from 1pm until 5pm. Gates open at 12:45 for those of you anxious to get in. Save fifteen dollars by [...]
101 North and Old Redwood represent Sonoma County in Battle of the Brews winners.
Fogbelt offers new DIPA release on Saturday, which also happens to be the day of the 17th annual Battle of the Brews at the fairgrounds.
It's never too early to mark your beer drinking calendar. So whatcha doing on June 7? How about BeerFest 2014 at Wells Fargo Center, offering food from gourmet producers and pours from about 60 area brewers from 1-5 p.m.? You in? Good, because tickets are on sale now for [...]
Beer Week madness continues in Sacramento, starting Feb. 27.
Beer Week fundraiser supports Petaluma Education Foundation.
A resident of Santa Rosa for most of his life, Peter Lopez Jr., 34, has taken over the duties of beer blogger for the Press Democrat. He has been a part of the beer and wine industry for almost his entire adult life and brings a wealth of knowledge. Currently Peter is a partner at the Healdsburg Emporium where he does the beer and wine purchasing. He is also the wine 
buyer at Fircrest Market in Sebastopol and the administrator of the NorCal Beer Geeks group on Facebook.
Beer is a big business in this part of the world, with some of the best and most sought-after brews made right in our own back yard. But too often that beer culture is hidden behind the iconic wine industry that defines the region. The Beer Country blog will bring you news and notes about our local brew scene, and maybe a little about cider while we’re at it. Have news, ideas, or questions that need answering? Drop a line in the comments section of the blog or email us at info@pressdemocrat.com