If you have a recipe you feel confident is amongst the best home brewed beers in the county consider signing up for the Second Annual Sonoma County Home Brewers Competition. The bragging rights of being named best home brewer in Sonoma County is an incentive, but the grand prize can [...]
The 8th Annual SF Beer Week presented by the San Francisco Brewers Guild begins today, January 22nd and concludes on Sunday, January 31st. The nine day celebration of craft beer in the bay area kicks off with a bang at the SF Beer Week Opening Gala from 6pm to 10pm [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
The first annual Sonoma County Home Brewers Competition took place on Saturday, May 23rd at the Petaluma Veterans Memorial Building. Dozens of home brewers entered over 60 home brews vying for bragging rights of the best home brewer in Sonoma County. The grand prize winner will be brewing their winning [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
A home brewer’s dream is to someday make a batch of beer that they can share with the masses. Taps Beer Co. & Kitchen, 101 North Brewing Company and Petaluma Downtown Association are coming together to host a home brewer’s competition to make that dream a reality for one lucky [...]
The 4th Annual Black & White Beer Ball will take place on Friday, February 13th. The ball is a fundraiser to raise money and awareness for autism. Ales for Autism is the non-profit organization that puts on this annual event. They decided to create a intimate atmosphere with a masquerade [...]
My apologies for the lack of beer blogs as of late. In addition to my beer blogging responsibilities I am one of the organizers for the upcoming NorCal Beer Geeks Beer Festival presented by Palooza Gastropub. Fellow organizer, Ed Hops and I have been hard at work organizing the festival [...]
The NorCal Beer Geeks group has grown to nearly 600 members. In the past the group would select a local brewery, taproom or restaurant and partake in a tasting. Past events have featured food and beer pairings, blind tastings and bottle shares. With nine events in the books, the NorCal [...]
Occidental home brewer Michael Kelly and local beer brewer Bear Republic won top honors this weekend at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo., the world’s largest commercial beer competition. Kelly and the Cloverdale-based brewer won a gold medal in the festival’s Pro-Am competition, which pairs amateur brewers with [...]
Lagunitas is going ‘couch tripping’ for the next few weeks. The couch tripping tour will consist of several parties throughout the country with the final destination being New Orleans. The tour will benefit O+, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing community well-being by connecting musicians, artists and health providers in [...]
Attendees flock to beer stands at Bear Republic Brewing Co.'s 6th Annual Cellar Party on Sunday next to its brewpub in Healdsburg. For those who can’t make the trek to Denver for the Great American Beer Festival next month, Bear Republic Brewing Co. offered up a preview Sunday [...]
The Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival will take place this upcoming Saturday, September 13 from 1pm to 5pm. Twenty local breweries will be pouring beer at the festival that takes place in downtown Petaluma, right by the river. Food bites and live music will be offered as well. The price of [...]
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