The nearly 100-year-old Twin Oaks Tavern in Penngrove has been purchased by HopMonk Tavern owner Dean Biersch. The co-founder of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company and restaurants and HopMonk Taverns.
Biersch takes over the roadhouse property from music booking agent Sheila Groves-Tracey and her business partners, who purchased Twin Oaks in 2013.
“In my mind the Twin Oaks is a ‘heritage’ hospitality site – one of the last roadhouse, tavern, honky-honks on the Old Redwood Highway,” said Biersch, reached by phone.
He plans to keep the name and ambiance that Twin Oaks Tavern (5745 Old Redwood Hwy, Penngrove) is known for while renovating and upgrading the space to include a new dance floor, expanded outdoor patio, and new kitchen. A licensing change will allow for families and children to enter the tavern to eat. Another major draw includes a lineup of 16 draft beers.
“It’s been running for 91-years continually, and that’s pretty cool. I’ve never considered (making it) another HopMonk,” he said. “Our biggest focus is to be a part of this great property, close to other craft breweries in Petaluma with a great beer, music and bar atmosphere,” Biersch added. He is co-owner of three HopMonk Taverns in Sebastopol, Sonoma and Novato.
Groves-Tracey will stay on to book the musical acts which include R&B, soul, classic rock, blues and bluegrass musicians. She previously booked musical talent for Petaluma’s Mystic Theater and in 2013 for Napa’s Bottlerock.
“She’s a booking legend north of the Golden Gate,” said Biersch. When Groves-Tracey and her partners purchased the tavern, they did some minor upgrades, but most notably added a music lineup that’s reinvigorated the historic property once a favorite with local ranchers. “We brought back the cowboy vibe,” she said.
Though Groves-Tracey declined to disclose the terms of the sale, she said that Biersch had approached her with interest in buying the bar. “The timing was right, the person was right, and Dean is a perfect fit to take Twin Oaks to the next level,” she said. “We brought it back to life, but now he can take it further. I’m really excited to see what he does,” she added.
The roadhouse is slated to close temporarily in late January 2016 for the initial remodel, re-opening in the spring, according to Biersch. Other upgrades will happen incrementally, he said.
“We may paint, but we’ll never change the neon or anything else about the classic exterior,” said Biersch, “We just want to make sure we’re stewarding this great property.”