Beer in Wine Country

Can beer and wine lovers get along? In California's Wine Country, the answer is an emphatic "yes." The inhabitants of Napa and Sonoma Counties are sophisticated, love the good life, and are eager to taste new things. It's an ideal environment for making--and brewing--good beer.

The city of Napa is Wine Country's unofficial capital. It's also the home of one of the region's funkier brewpubs, Downtown Joe's (902 Main Street, Napa; 707-258-2337). Its slogan speaks volumes: "Our neighborhood tavern--serving all human species, indigenous and migratory to the Napa Valley." From the outside, the green and tan tilework gives Joe's a vaguely Southwestern look. But the interior is a different story; the barroom, with an ancient L-shaped wood-and-zinc bar and an old wood-burning stove, looks like it came out of an Old West mining town. Most patrons are locals who drop by to listen to some music, watch a Giants or 49ers game, and down a few pints with friends. The beers include Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale, Tail Waggin' Amber Ale, and nitrogen-conditioned Old Magnolia Oatmeal Stout. Joe's is a good place to start the day, too; the doors open at 8:30, and the breakfast menu features huevos rancheros and Sausalito-style eggs Benedict.

Three famed wine-growing regions converge near Santa Rosa, and, after a day's work, winery employees head for the Third Street Ale Works (610 Third Street, Santa Rosa; 707-523-3060). The brewpub calls itself a "community hub"; it's an energetic place filled with the laughter of people of all walks of life. Brewmaster Denise Jones (she prefers the old English term "brewster"), offers her customers a range of assertive, and often unusual, brews. Her "flagship beers" are Annadel Pale Ale, Stonefly Oatmeal Stout, and an aggressively-hopped Bodega Head IPA. But the pièce de resistance is her One-Ton Blackberry (a ton of berries do go into a batch), which was honored at last year's Great American Beer Festival. Other seasonals include an Irish red ale; honey cranberry altbier, and other riffs on German-style beers; and a barleywine. Third Street's chef also puts the house ales to work; you'll find them throughout the international-flavored menu. For those who prefer the grape to the grain, local wines, many hard to find outside California, are available.

Located on the vineyard-lined Silverado Trail, the Silverado Brewing Company (3020 Highway 29, St. Helena; 707-967-9876) occupies a stone winery complex built in 1895. Its exterior evokes Old Spain; inside, the atmosphere is mellow and contemporary. Conceived as an alternative to Napa Valley's trendy restaurants, the brewpub offers honest, reasonably-priced American dishes like porterhouse steak and St. Louis ribs. The basic beer lineup includes a blonde, an amber, and a pale ale, all of which are a change of pace from hoppy West Coast microbrews. For a while, it looked as though Silverado Brewing would never get off the ground. Its opening was held up by years of wrangling, including a lawsuit filed by Silverado Vineyards, which argued that beer was inferior to wine and associating "Silverado" with a brewpub would dilute its trademark. The editor of Celebrator Beer News, and a local brewer who also ran a winery, defended John Barleycorn's reputation in court. In the end, justice triumphed; the winery's suit was thrown out.

Just off Healdsburg's beautiful town square, the Bear Republic Brewing Company (345 Healdsburg Avenue, Healdsburg; 707-433-BEER) gets its name from California's state flag. It's a family operation, owned by brewmaster Richard Norgrove, a fourth-generation Sonoma County resident, and his parents. He's best known for Racer 5, which he calls "a new generation of India pale ale"; and his original beer, a Scottish red ale called Red Rocket. Both have earned numerous honors. Norgrove enjoys experimenting with beer styles, and doesn't stint on ingredients. His creativity really shows in his "Tenth Batch" series--for instance, an ale made with seven malts and four kinds of hops. Several styles are offered in both traditional and cask-conditioned versions, allowing for side-by-side comparison. The beer--along with a diverse food menu--is served in roomy surroundings filled with everything from bicycles to painted beer kegs and bags of barley. Bear Republic appeals to a broad clientele: families, couples (it's been voted a first-date favorite), and friends celebrating engagements and birthdays.

The historic Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery (1250 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga; 707-942-4101) opened in 1882, catering to guests who hoped the town's warm springs would cure what ailed them. As California's motion picture industry grew, the inn attracted Hollywood celebrities. The 1940 movie, They Knew What They Wanted, starring Charles Laughton and Carole Lombard as a grape grower and his mail-order bride, was filmed there. But mud baths and mineral water went out of fashion, and the inn fell into a gradual decline. Enter Micha Dunsford, joined by his mother, Rosie, who'd run a popular café in Lake Tahoe. As part of their renovation effort, the Dunsfords converted the inn's water tower into a brewery. Beer production is a modest 500 barrels per year, with most of the pilsner, red ale, porter, and award-winning wheat ale being consumed on the premises. You might want to finish a day of beer--or wine--tasting with a meal on the outdoor patio overlooking the Napa River; darts and an after-dinner pint in the rustic barroom; and a good night's sleep in one of the European-style rooms upstairs.