With over 150 breweries, coastal cool San Diego may consider itself the “Capital of Craft,” but that title may soon be at stake if a Golden State rival in Sonoma County has any say. Santa Rosa already has a reputation for libations — it’s a major wine hub, set on the eastern side of the Russian River Valley AVA. The high concentration of knowledgeable wine experts and prestigious vintners, such as Kendall-Jackson, Iron Horse, and DeLoach, naturally makes it an incubating ground for the related practices of brewing and beer culture. In fact, some of its most tried-and-true ales have become cult favorites nationwide.
In the 2024 edition of the USA Today 10 Best readers’ choice awards, Santa Rosa beat out San Diego for a place in the top ten of Best Brew Cities in the U.S., claiming it’s “where wine country meets beer city.” Local award-winning breweries cover styles like the West Coast IPA (WEIPA), Belgian dobbels, tripels, and saisons, and barrel-aged brews. Ales are poured in industrial-chic taprooms boasting blackboards chalked full of punny beer names and sipped in sunny beer gardens, beaming with laidback NorCal swagger.
Plus, the city’s calendar includes beer-centric events from February to August, including FeBREWary, the Beer City Festival and Half Marathon, and Battle of the Brews. And none is more exclusive than the annual two-week release of Pliny the Younger when Russian River Brewing distributes its popular limited Triple IPA, drawing fans to Santa Rosa from even beyond the U.S borders.
Santa Rosa’s most beloved beers and where to drink them
Named for Sonoma County’s breathtaking river valley that boasts bold wines and serene river picnic spots, the Russian River Brewing Company has led the charge in Santa Rosa’s craft brew scene since 1997. Originally funded by Guerneville’s Korbel Champagne Cellars, master brewer Vinnie Cilurzo branched out on his own in 2003 and today owns two brewpubs in downtown Santa Rosa and Windsor. Upon introducing his super hoppy, Belgian-inspired Pliny the Elder Double IPA in 1999, he struck liquid gold, earning the title of Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver. To this day, the brewery’s ultra-rare Pliny the Younger release each February inspires fans to line up outside the pubs’ doors for blocks…