There’s an old Prohibition song about alcohol that goes something like this:
Mother’s in the kitchen washing out the jugs,
Sister’s in the pantry bottling the suds,
Father’s in the cellar mixin’ up the hops,
Johnny’s on the front porch watchin’ for the cops.
We here in Sonoma know a little something about Prohibition, don’t we? And the fact that it doesn’t exist anymore is just another reason to lift a glass in a toast, every single day.
Wine is wonderful, but why not make it a beer? Sonoma craft-brews an amazing array of handsome hops, and many of them can be found at our own shrine to suds, HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol. The friendly pub offers 18 premier American craft and international draft beers, including two on cask, and focuses on handcrafted lots from small, independently owned brewers.
On Sunday, Feb. 7, the idea gets even more delicious. You can bend an elbow with two legends of lager, live-and-in-person. Dean Biersch, proprietor of HopMonk, has snagged a sitting with the godfather of craft beer, Fritz Maytag, and is inviting the public for a four course lunch paired with Maytag’s Anchor Brewing favorites.
Biersch, a Sonoma resident and a consummate beer crafter himself, promises an entertaining afternoon, with Maytag regaling guests about life in the brewing business and his many other unique ventures (in fact, Maytag won the 2008 James Beard Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement award for his work at Anchor Brewing, so you know there are at least a couple of good stories there).
The party gets underway at 1 p.m., and costs just $45. Reservations are recommended, at 707-829-7300.
As if you needed any more incentive to join the lunch, let’s just keep this in mind. The more support we show our independent brewers, the better beer there is for all of us. Hum along, won’t you, with this wise old Irish toast:
You guys came by to have some fun,
You’ll come and stay all night, I fear.
But I know how to make you run,
I’ll serve you all generic beer.
Details: HopMonk Tavern, 230 Petaluma Ave., Sebastopol, 707-829-7300, hopmonk.com.
***Extra Extra***
And while we’re on the HopMonk subject, make plans to visit the Tavern again during the first-ever Sonoma County Restaurant Week. That’s when, from Feb. 22-28, dozens of Sonoma’s top eateries band together in an extravaganza of all things edible, and incredibly affordable, with each restaurant offering a three-course prix-fixe menu at $19, $29, or $39.
HopMonk is serving up a delicious $29 meal with several choices. There’s potato leek soup or Tavern salad to start, then an entrée of BBQ’d half Rocky chicken over warm potato salad, or a couscous stuffed pepper over black bean succotash. For dessert, it’s sweet potato tartlets.
You can check out the details, plus menus of the more than four-dozen participating Restaurant Week eateries at SonomaCountyRestaurantWeek.org.