Northern California Beer Beat
By: Tim Clifford

            When it comes to beer, we Northern Californians are pretty lucky. By this I mean we have options, our access to great beer is enviable. With that said, Santa Rosa, in Sonoma County, may be able to boast the loudest. Several world class beer establishments dot this city of roughly 150,000 people. Some are legendary and growing both in capacity and distribution, others smaller, but no less ambitious. What unites them all is a commitment to quality and damn fine beer. Here is a look at two.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon
           
Just outside of Santa Rosa, heading west towards Sebastopol, the landscape changes from city to agriculture. It’s common to see livestock, and even more so lately, rows and rows of grapes. The last thing one might expect to come across is a brewery. But it is here amidst this beauty that Brian Hunt runs Moonlight Brewing Company.
Since 1992, Moonlight has been offering some of the most consistently balanced and flavorful lagers and ales in the region. A one-man operation, Moonlight beers are the definition of labor of love. Brewing takes place once, maybe twice a week, while the other days are devoted to kegging and distribution. Brian makes two trips a week to the greater Bay Area to deliver his beers. None of Moonlight’s beers are bottled.
The Moonlight brewery is modest but well-used, and was built by Brian himself. On a recent visit Brian was brewing his wonderfully hoppy and crisp Reality Czeck, a 5% pilsner. An enthusiastic proponent of quality beer, Brian is well-spoken, intelligent and engaging. Schooled in brewing at UC Davis, his first full-time brewing gig was for Schlitz. In 1981, while attending a Real Ale festival in Leeds, Brian had an epiphany. A new world of brewing opened up to him as the decidedly different and unusual ales challenged a palette used to the clean contours of lager beers. These two sides continue to shape Brian’s approach to brewing, and are reflected in the beers Moonlight offers.
Moonlight’s lagers are assertive. Its most popular and misunderstood, Death & Taxes, is a dark, opaque lager that is often mistaken for a porter or stout. Insiders report it to be the perfect accompaniment to tacos. Lunatic Lager, a clean tasting session beer, is just hoppy enough to inspire and challenge the unaccustomed. Brian does not filter his beers, making the brightness and clarity of each that much more impressive.
Twist of Fate, an amber-colored bitter ale, is a winner, particularly when it is available by hand pump. Moonlight offers an IPA, too, and Bombay By Boat is packed with enough Newport and Perle to satisfy any hophead. Homegrown, Brian’s seasonal wet hop beer, is dry hopped entirely with hops grown on premises and should be available in October.
Moonlight’s most interesting and intriguing beers, though, are relative newcomers and represent another sea change in Brian’s thinking about beer. 20 to Life, and its bigger brother, 60 to Life, were brewed to celebrate the Toronado’s twentieth anniversary. Influenced by the sour burgundies of Belgium, 20 and 60 are distinctive, complex, and innovative. Brian blended samples on the spot as we looked out over the hopyard. Sour, of course, these beers were also surprisingly thirst quenching and thought provoking.
One has to be impressed by Moonlight’s independence and integrity. These are great beers that deserve much praise. Accolades they’ll surely get, but the question remains: Brian, when will we be able to enjoy any of your fine lagers and ales in the comfort of our own homes?

Your Next Destination

            Santa Rosa’s most well known brewery and pub is surely Russian River Brewing Company, headed by owner and brew master, Vinnie Cilurzo. For years Vinnie and Russian River have been tantalizing unsuspecting palettes with their unique and influential beers. Two of their flagships, Pliny the Elder and Damnation, are virtual requirements of any legitimate beer bar or bottle shop. While many of us take for granted our access to these behemoths, the best place to enjoy any Russian River beer is directly from the source.
            Rather than adding to the legend of Russian River and Vinnie, this is merely a little encouragement for you to make the trek to the pub. When you go, you’ll likely be struck by the choices available to you, and frankly you can’t go wrong.
Russian River divides their offerings down somewhat regional lines. American-styled IPA’s tend to dominate the one side, while Belgian-influenced ales make up the other. Of course there is variation in this generalization. The difference between Blind Pig and Russian River IPA, for example, is immense; you’ll wonder how the former is able to retain its mesmerizing floral nose at a mere 6%, while the latter is able to hide its deceptive strength in layers of malt and hops.
One of the best parts about visiting the pub is the possibility of a limited supply brew. On a recent trip, Russian River was offering Bravo,  a well-hopped Belgian golden ale, made entirely with Bravo, a new variety hop.
Need more prodding? Go on a Sunday and you’ll surely be rewarded in kind. Russian River has one of the most generous “happy hour(s)” in the business. All day long, beers are only $2.75.  If you think about it you could tour the Belgian countryside, through beer, for under $20!

Tim Clifford lives in Oakland, Ca. where he can be found drinking great beer or running it off.