Once a year Zymurgy magazine readers are asked to select their 20 favorite beers commercially available in the United States. For the seventh time in a row, Russian River Brewing Company's Pliny the Elder has topped the list. In addition to Pliny the Elder being voted #1, Russian River's Blind [...]
Lagunitas Brewing Company will be releasing a new beer and it will be “hitting store shelves soon-ish,” based on one of the latest Lagunitas Facebook posts. Citrusinensis Pale Ale is a part of the ‘One Hitter’ series and will be released on a very limited basis. The limited release beer [...]
'Beerfest- The Good One' will take place today, June 6th between 1pm and 5pm. The event will once again be held outdoors on the lawn at the Wells Fargo Center in Santa Rosa. 50+ breweries will be participating in this 24th annual event. The $50 price of admission gets you [...]
Most of us feel fortunate to live in an area of the world that is now considered one of the most prolific areas for both beer and wine. If that wasn’t enough, we might as well be considered 'Cider Country' as well. Sonoma County has long been recognized for being [...]
Beer festivals and outdoor events are in full swing. Some of you will be making the trip down to Paso Robles for the Firestone Invitational this weekend, while some may make the shorter drive to Napa for BottleRock. Those of you looking to stay closer to home this weekend need [...]
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 [...]
Taps Restaurant & Taproom opened their doors for business in the Fall of 2009. While pouring craft beer exclusively is now quite common amongst taprooms in Sonoma County, Eric Lafranchi was one of the first to leave the likes of the major corporate breweries off his tap list. One location [...]
This week the nation will collectively celebrate the craft beer industry and the people that make it so special. American Craft Beer Week begins today, May 11th and runs through May 17th. "This celebration, coordinated by the Brewers Association’s Craft Beer Program, is an exciting opportunity for craft brewers to [...]
A who’s who list of participating breweries made the trip to Boonville for the 19th Annual Legendary Boonville Beer Festival this last Saturday, May 2nd. The event took place from 1pm to 5pm at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. Over 80 breweries from across the state spent the weekend camping in Boonville. The brewers set up camp on Anderson Valley Brewing Company’s property a quarter mile from the festival, while the public was offered camp sites at the Mendocino Fairgrounds on a first come, first served basis. The price of admission included a tasting glass, unlimited beer tastings and live music. Dozens of food vendors and a few thousand attendees added to the festivities. Attached are a few pictures featuring attendees that dressed up for this year’s super hero theme. -Peter Lopez Jr. […]
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 [...]
Eight top Bay Area chefs and two mixologists will be traveling to Chico to participate in Sierra Nevada Brewing Company's Beer Camp. These ten professionals will spend two days brewing a custom beer, which they will eventually serve exclusively at the respected restaurants and bars they represent. While in Chico [...]
I will confess to being a NorCal Beer Geek. I do my best to spend my money on small production northern California beer so as to help the small breweries stimulate the local economy. There are some great local options to consider when celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Moylan's Brewing Company’s [...]
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