Let’s Take a Walk

One of the goals of this blog is to expose our small corner of the world to everyone out there. Living in Santa Rosa, I’m in the middle of, what I consider to be, one of the best beer producing regions in the world. Bear Republic, Lagunitas and Russian River are all based within a 15 minute drive of my home, and as you trek north into Mendocino County you only find more quality breweries. But that involves driving, and when drinking these quality beers it’s bet to not have the car keys in hand. This is why Downtown Santa Rosa might be considered one of the best places to spend an afternoon drinking beer. Put on some comfy shoes, we’re going for a walk.

Now, this is a blog about beer, not walking, so the length of this walk is only 0.18 miles (according to Mapquest). And if you like, you can always start at the end and try it in reverse order. Like Digital Underground said “Do what cha like.”

I feel the best time for this walk is on a Sunday. We’ll start off at Russian River Brewing Company, 725 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA. I’m sure you’ve heard enough about what Russian River is all about, so I won’t go into it again. What makes Sunday a great day for this walk, is Russian River has an all day Happy Hour, $2.75 pints, and $3 Belgians (14 oz). If you’re hungry, try some of the pizzas they have to offer. Unfortunately, they do not have a sampler’s tray, so remembering this is just the beginning of a long journey, try one off each side of the board, then let’s pack our bags for our first leg of the trip.

Heading west on 4th street, only a few doors down you’ll find The Sweet Spot Pub and Grill. While not a brewery, this little pub acts as a tap room for Lagunitas Brewing. You can also find a selection of traditional pub brews such as Guinness, Harp and Bass as well as a selection of bottled beers. Miss out on the pizza? You’ll find pub fare with a Belizean twist on the menu here. Make sure to have Lagunitas seasonal brew while in here, and remember to come by next time at night, when the Sweet Spot really shows off it’s strengths. Off to our next destination!

Now, dust yourself off, straighten your collar, basically, get yourself together. We’re heading across the street into Courthouse Square for our next stop, Flavor Bistro. While this may look like a pricey joint not typical of a pub crawl, this is the best place to try anything and everything from Moonlight Brewing. Featuring 6 Moonlight brews on tap, this place put Toronado and their 4 Moonlight taps to shame. Not only is it a great place to find a great beer, the food is fantastic. Very “Wine Country” in style, Flavor is a nice place for a special event, especially when you know that there is good beer to go along with a good meal. The Moonlight is available in pints or 10 oz pours, so take it easy on your liver, try a few 10 oz samples and try to compose yourself, we’re not done yet.

Now that you’ve stumbled back into Courthouse square, dodge the traffic on Third Street and if you make it to the opposite curb you’ll be staring right at Third Street Ale Works. Find a seat and order their sampler. You can always find their award winning Stone Fly Oatmeal Stout on tap, but it’s worth going through their full selection to see what appeals to you. Typically, you’ll find 13 ales on tap, and while I’m not a fan of all that they brew, you’ll be sure to find something that appeals to you. My personal favorite is the Old Redwood Porter, while the wife is partial to the Bada Bing Cherry Ale. And if you still haven’t eaten, order the Black and Blue Burger, or anything else on the menu, it’s all very good.

Hopefully you’ve survived this walk and have a ride home. If not, Courthouse Square has a few benches and lawns, just stay out of trouble.