Sonoma County may be most well-known for its impressive output of wine varietals such as Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel; but Sonoma County micro-brewed India Pale Ales carry their own prestige as the some of the nations finest. In fact, one of our local brewmasters, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Company, is credited for the invention of the double IPA!
Here is an IPA tasting flight for your consideration- Create a leisurely pub crawl tour of Sonoma County, or pick them up one of each at a local market. Just be aware of the deceptively strong 2x IPAs!
Bear Republic Brewery, Healdsburg: Racer 5 IPA and Racer X double IPA
Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa: Russian River IPA, Blind Pig IPA, Pliny the Elder double IPA, Pliny the Younger triple IPA (seasonal)
*Bonus- RR offers a tasting flight option. This may be preferable to a ‘one of each’ approach!
Lagunitas Brewing Company, Petaluma: IPA, Maximus IPA (seasonal)
*Visit the brewery for a tour or visit one of the many restaurants and bars that serve Lagunitas on tap.
Moonlight Brewery, Fulton: Bombay by Boat IPA
* no brewery or brewpub for this brew, but several local and bay area pubs have it on tap
3rd Street AleWorks, Santa Rosa: Bodega Head IPA
For a full listing of microbreweries in Sonoma County click here.
Jenntern strikes again! Love the description of beers. Any thoughts on which has growlers to go?
Signed,
The Beergoggler