Our first full day in wine country started in Santa Rosa with a stop at Russian River Brewing Company and Third Street Ale Works (see last post). After exploring the beauty of Santa Rosa we headed north for Healdsburg. The drive took under 20 minutes so it wasn't long before we started our wine tasting part of the trip. As much as I would enjoy spending the day searching out great beer spots we were in the middle of wine country. Now when it comes to wine Kelleigh is the queen of the grape. I on the other hand know what I like and not much more. The wine tasting experience for both of us was fantastic. Just having the opportunity to learn more about the wines being sampled, who made them and the details of each vineyard was fascinating. My greatest fear was that we would end up at places that were so pretentious and expensive that I would have to walk out to avoid making some smart ass comment. Fortunately the places we went were relaxed, affordable and inviting. The wineries were right in town (Toad Hallow, Thumb Print, Kendal Jackson and La Crema) and the proprietors were quick to answer questions and did everything to make a wine novice comfortable. I wish we would of had more time to venture along the Russian river to visit the larger vineyards, but a late start and consumption slowed us a bit. However we did find time to stop by Bear Republic Brewing Company which is located in the heart of Healdsburg. The great thing about the brewery, unlike the wineries, was it stayed open past 5pm. Hooray for beer!
The over all feel of Bear Republic was laid back. After all it's California. The brewery takes the outdoors inside. A mural of the Russian river with a sky full of balloons covers the back wall, bikes hanging from the ceiling and a snowboard hovers over the tap list at the bar. As cool as the decor was the important thing wasn't what was on the walls but rather what they put in the glass. I had hoped to get a taste of Racer X but it was not to be. Instead I enjoyed the excellent Racer 5 and Batch 1092. The Batch 1092 is a bourbon aged barleywine. Since I have a real fondness for barrel aged beer and this one hasn't made it to PA I was especially happy to get it. The beer poured a golden amber with a thin white head that faded quick. One sniff and you knew the bourbon was completely up front and a taste confirmed it. The bourbon really shined through with hints of cherry, raisin and oak. Though the taste was fairly sweet at first it slid to the tart side during the finish. I only wish I could of had more than one but we still had dinner, a bottle of Chardonnay and the drive to Napa ahead of us. Bear Republic was the perfect place to enjoy award winning beer and take a break from all the wine tasting. It makes the trip to wine country more bearable (bad pun) for any beer geek.
Next stop Napa.
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