Lagunitas Brewing Company

Entrance to the TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary

This past July Bonnie and I took our daughters (the baby and the pup) camping in Northern California.  The main reason for the trip was every two years her family holds a reunion of all the Olson side of her family.  They rotate between a campground near Bodega Bay 30 minutes from Santa Rosa and in Bonnie’s hometown of Coupeville Washington. The last time I we went we spent most of our time wine tasting in Sonoma, as I was nowhere near as into beers as I am today. This time however I made sure to plan a few excursions out to both Russian River and Lagunitas Brewing Company.

The Fermenting Tanks

Out of the two of them it’s safe to say we had the best time at Lagunitas.  The atmosphere in the beer garden was chill with plenty of shade to keep cool from the hot summer sun.  Best of all the place was very dog friendly.  DG had a place to hang out by our table, drink plenty of water and be constantly feed treats provided by the waitresses. This was in sharp contrast to the now very ridged Coppola Winery which we had just come from.  Not only are dogs no longer welcome they no longer sell Skywalker Ranch wine.

Lagunitas currently located in Petaluma, Ca has been around 1993 when it was founded by Tony Magee and gets its name from the town of its original location Lagunitas, Ca.   Lagunitas is best known for their IPA which is simply called IPA which is said to be the best selling IPA in California, I’m not really surprised as it’s delicious.

The Flights

Bonnie and I spent our time in the TapRoom and Beer Sanctuary, with Bonnie enjoying their regular tasting flight while I opted for a lager customized flight made up of eight beers.  My flight covered a wide range of styles, including 2 sprit aged beers (a Port Censor and Bourbon Cappuccino Stout) and several strong hoppy beers.  Out of all of them the standout was the Sonoma Farmhouse Ale.  It was everything I want in a farmhouse ale and very similar to both BeanyTink and Collette. I tried to buy a growler of it but was denied given the amount of time and effort that went into making it.  I craved more of it the entire time I was on vacation and was only satisfied once I got home by pouring myself a test pint of the BeanyTink.

If you ever find yourself in the Petaluma area I highly suggest you make a stop at Lagunitas Brewing Company

Cheers,

SNB