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 [...]
Authorities in Vermont charge a woman with illegal reselling of highly sought-after brew.
Equipment sharing deal with Petaluma Hills will allow a 26-fold expansion for HenHouse.
Beer business is booming, but the age of the lager is fading, Lagunitas founder tells first ever Sonoma County Beer, Cider, and Spirits conference.
Is Anheuser-Busch really on the hunt to acquire rival MillerCoors?
Lineup set for first ever conference on Sonoma County's booming artisan beverage industry.
Once in a while, reporters just have to admit what they don't know. In a story out this morning, we explore a peculiar little bill that zipped through the California legislature earlier this year and was signed into law by the governor. It makes a change to the state's liquor [...]
Gov. Jerry Brown (the guy with the pen and the Track 7 growler) has signed the new growler bill, sponsored byAssemblymember Wesley Chesbro, D – North Coast (the guy with the big smile - no word on whose beer that is). The bill ends confusion over the rules for filling [...]
As we told you back on the first day of the federal shutdown, the impasse on Capitol Hill has put the kibosh on federal alcohol licensing activities, including permits for new facilities and approval of new labels. That implies all kinds problems for brewers, winemakers, distillers and cideries, from stalling [...]
Gov. Brown has signed the liquor tasting bill that we wrote about last week, allowing most distillers to offer tastings at their production facilities. Distillers aren't exactly celebrating, however, since the bill does not allow direct sales of most kinds of spirits, the way wineries and breweries can do. Until [...]
Last I checked, the thing in the package was the point, not the packaging itself. But of course, certain beer manufacturers disagree. Observe MillerCoors, which has been out front in creating and marketing fancy packaging: ink that changes color to tell you when your beer is cold (saving you the [...]
Last we heard, Lagunitas was rethinking their decision to give in to Atlanta brewer Sweetwater, which demanded that the Petaluma brewery drop any use of the term "420" on their labels. But I talked to owner Tony Magee this morning and he says he will follow his first instinct and [...]
For all the talk about malts and hops and yeast in beer, the truth remains that it is mostly plain old water (someone once called it "flavored water." But what a flavor it is). So perhaps it isn't surprising that there has been a fair bit of talk in the [...]
My colleague Chris Coursey has some interesting reflections on Lagunitas founder/guru Tony Magee in his column this week, spurred by our article earlier this week about the stink over the pot-slang term 420 with a brewer in Georgia. Incidentally, I spoke with a another senior official at the brewery on [...]
As wide open as California's beer market may be, for brew fans in our Great Neighbor to the South, life is very different. The Wall Street Journal reports this week on the pervasive culture of pay-to-play in the Mexican beer market, with distributors and brewers cutting exclusive deals with restaurants [...]
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