101 North Brewing Company has two newsworthy debuts to kick off 2016. First, the 2015 Sonoma County Home Brewers Competition winning recipe will be released on Saturday, January 16th at TAPS Beer Company & Kitchen in Petaluma. The Mojo Chocolate Stout, originally home brewed by Joe Monostori and Jerimiah Konen, [...]
I’ll start by saying happy holidays knowing that not everyone that reads this blog celebrates Christmas. Those of you that do celebrate Christmas and have read about the miracles performed by Jesus may be familiar with the miracle that he performed at a wedding. The story has been passed down [...]
Jeffers Richardson, Firestone Walker Brewing Company’s Barrelworks Barrelmeister, will be speaking about what he calls “The Fifth Element” at Rincon Valley Tap Room & Bottle Shop this Saturday, December 12th between 12:30pm and 2pm. The fifth element is oak and Richards will discuss, in detail, the influence it has on [...]
Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on all the things we are grateful for. I want to praise and thank a few local breweries that go out of their way to give back to the community. As stated in The Lagunitas Brewing Company website, “Lagunitas Brewing Company takes pride in its support of the Community and is glad to donate [...]
The Second Annual NorCal Beer Geeks Festival will take place on Saturday, November 21st from 1:30pm to 5pm. The festival takes place ten days after Veterans Day, at the Santa Rosa Veterans Building and raises money for a local Veterans organization. Over 25 breweries and two local home brewers will [...]
Dia de los Muertos, translated in English to Day of the Dead, is a holiday celebrated on November 1st and 2nd. The holiday is celebrated throughout Latin America and has grown in popularity in parts of the United States. Those that celebrate Dia de los Muertos would tell you that [...]
I love the Back to the Future movies as much as the next guy. Watching the Cubs flirt with the possibility of a B2TF prophecy into the playoffs and a possible World Series victory added to the hype. October 21st, 2015 was the year that Marty McFly supposedly arrived into [...]
I recently had the opportunity to visit with Baeltane Brewing Company's Owner/Brewer Alan Atha and we discussed upcoming beer releases and events. Alan shared how Baeltane came to be and gave us an opportunity to get to know him personally a little better. Check out the video blog below for [...]
The Sonoma County Harvest Fair Wine Competition has brought financial success and notoriety for many local wineries, throughout the history of this annual event. Local home brewers are hopeful that a win at this year's Inaugural Home Brew Competition will eventually lead to similar success. A panel of judges tasted [...]
Governor Jerry Brown recently signed an Assembly Bill that will now permit craft breweries in California to communicate product availability information to their fans on social media, including where to purchase specialty beers at local stores and restaurants. Craft beer has become big business in California and has gained the [...]
The California Craft Brewers Association brought together brewers from all parts of the state for a memorable two day event that took place in Sacramento on September 11th and 12th. Homebrewers and beer geeks were invited to the California Craft Beer Summit and Showcase for an opportunity to meet their [...]
Many of you may not be familiar with this made up holiday that celebrates the release of a very special beer brewed by highly regarded Belgium brewery, Cantillon. This year's Zwanze brew is a spontaneously fermented stout that was aged more than 24 months in Lambic, Cotes du Rhone, and [...]
St. Florian's Brewing Company is driving a collection effort to help those devastated by the Lake County wildfire. 'Fill the boot' is a firefighter tradition of filling a fire boot with cash for donation to charity. In addition to filling a boot, St. Florian's will donate a large percentage of [...]
Sonoma Springs Brewing Company originally opened for business in 2008. This week they have been celebrating their grand re-opening at a new location. The new Sonoma Springs is now located at 19449 Riverside Dr. in Sonoma, California. The week long celebration continues today with a food and beer pairing. A [...]
This Saturday, September 12th Soroptomist International of Healdsburg presents the 29th Annual Beer in the Plaza, taking place in the Healdsburg Downtown Plaza. The family friendly event will take place between 2pm and 6pm. Craft beer drinkers over the age of twenty-one will be charged $50 for unlimited beer tastings, [...]
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