The 18th Annual Great Petaluma Chili Cookoff, Salsa & Beer Tasting will take place at Behrens Park, Herzog Hall, Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma on Saturday, May 9th from 1pm to 5pm. Those of you choosing to strictly taste the chili and salsa will pay $25 for admission. Kids under the [...]
After months of anticipation by local craft beer enthusiasts, Plow Brewing Company is finally open for business. Those of you that were expecting Divine Brewing Company to open at the 3334 Industrial Dr. location in Santa Rosa are technically correct. Plow beer will be offered by the pint at the [...]
I put together a list of beer festivals that you should consider marking on your calendar ahead of time. Rest assured that ‘Beer Country’ will follow up with specific information regarding individual festivals as we get closer to them. The 19th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival (May 2nd)- This one [...]
You may have heard by now that today is National Beer Day. You don’t really need to twist my arm to drink a good beer, but I decided to look into how this holiday came about. With a little research, I learned that April 7th, 1933 was the first day [...]
101 North Brewing Company, located in Petaluma, was the big winner at this year’s ‘Battle of the Brews’ that took place on Saturday, March 28th. For the second year in a row, the Heroine IPA was awarded the best American IPA in the competition. Their Naughty Aud Imperial Stout was [...]
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