Page 330 – Sonoma Magazine

Hopland’s Golden Pig Turns a Rancher Into a Restaurateur

August 2017

By biteclub

Burger and fries at The Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather Irwin/PD

Julie Golden’s dance card was full long before she opened The Golden Pig restaurant in Hopland earlier this summer.

There was the massive fire that wiped out acres of grazing land for the animals Mendocino Meats’ Adam Gaske raises on her 2000-acre ranch near Ukiah. Then there are she and her husband Joe’s winery and vineyards; four school-age children and a menagerie of animals. And her wine shop.

But it was her ongoing frustration about how restaurants source their food that made her a newly-minted restaurateur as well.

After years of selling her grass-fed beef, pork, and chicken to high-end chefs, then watching them cancel orders when she claims her prices were undercut by larger food suppliers, she figured she’d put her money where her meat was.

In late June, she opened The Golden Pig as an outlet for her beef, pork, chicken, eggs and produce—with that of nearby farmers—and as a sort of experiment in bringing true farm-to-table food to more people.

“I didn’t do this to just to be a restaurateur,” she said. “I did it because I love farmers and I want people to be able to thank me for bringing them great food.”

Mixing drinks at the Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather irwin/PD

The Philosophy
Calling her restaurant farm-driven, rather than farm-to-table, the mission behind The Golden Pig is to grow honest food in healthy soil with clean water, lots of sunshine and minimal intervention, “to keep you healthy”, according to Golden. “We’re investing in the land and the farmer, creating a culture that strengthens goodwill among local businesses and delivers fine food to each of our customers. It feels good to cook with honest ingredients. And it feels even better knowing we’re nurturing the land for future generations,” says the menu.

Golden hasn’t hired a chef, but trains her cooks to execute simple dishes she’s helped to create, frequently based on what’s available rather than what can be delivered by a food service company.

“Farmers need somewhere for their food to go,” she said, adding that the claim of farm-to-table sometimes far exceeds the reality of what restaurants are actually serving.

As a producer, she said that frequently top San Francisco chefs would feature her locally-produced products for a while until food service suppliers were able to offer substantially lower prices than those being offered by her farm and other small producers.

Since restaurants frequently have slim margins on food costs, Golden said it’s understandable, but frustrating to lose those accounts.

Golden Dog at The Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather Irwin/PD

“This wasn’t something I was just doing in my spare time,” she said. “I’m making good food, using the entire animal, and being sustainable. I thought it would be easy to make people understand. But until I opened a restaurant I didn’t understand,” she said.

“Now I understand why restaurants can’t easily work with small farmers. It’s complicated and there are market forces that incentivize restaurants not to. Yes, there are chef-driven restaurants like Thomas Keller’s that are truly farm-to-table but that’s just not affordable to the average person,” she said. By using her own products, and those of her friends, she hopes to both keep costs low and showcase the food of the region.

Location, Location
Hopland has long suffered from drive-by syndrome. Fifteen miles north of Cloverdale, the thousand-resident hamlet is bisected by Hwy 101 — only two slow-moving lanes here — with cars and trucks mostly passing through. But the Piazza de Campovida inn and tavern, along with the Emerald Pharms cannabis dispensary at the Solar Living Center, and other new wineries and other restaurants like Golden’s are suddenly catching the attention of travelers.

Beautifully remodeled with recycled materials and clean lines, The Golden Pig is actually housed in one of the oldest buildings in Hopland — a 19th-century saloon called the Cottonwood. The centerpiece of the dining room is the original bar from the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville, PA, the nation’s oldest brewery. Her mother, says Golden, bought the piece at an auction, and used it for years in her Ukiah dress shop, Esther’s, with it later sitting in Golden’s barn, and now restored to its original glory. The full bar serves signature cocktails made with fresh local berries, muddled herbs and infused liquors, along with local beers on tap, a curated wine list with mostly nearby wineries (including their own Golden Winery), house made shrubs using seasonal produce from Heart Arrow Ranch.

More than just libations, they’re tasty symbols of Golden’s crusade toward of delicious sustainability.

“Opening this restaurant is giving me insight into the system, and I can affect change more easily. I want to have this conversation about food, I want farmers to continue farming. Otherwise, what’s my legacy?”

Best Bets:

Baby Kale salad at Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather Irwin/PD

– Kale Caesar, $10: Baby kale mixed with shaved Parmesan, anchovy and garlic croutons. A massive portion, gently dressed with tender kale that’s sweeter and less tooth-gnashingly hard than more mature leaves.

– The Golden Pig, $16: Pork-on-pork action with Mendocino Meats pork hot dog and sweet pulled pork snuggled into a pretzel bun. Whole grain mustard and kraut give a sharp contrast to all the oink. If you’re wiener fan, this is your dish. Served with fries.

– Pork Schnitzel Sandwich, $16: Golden’s favorite, based on her time as a consultant in Germany, it’s a sweet piece of breaded Dijon pork loin, Swiss, and onions on a soft Franco-American roll.

– Grass fed Burger, $12: Currently, Golden is using nearby Macgruder beef, served with all the fixings and garlic aioli. Grass fed beef that isn’t grain-finished can be a bit drier than corn-fed, so ask for your burger a little rarer than you might otherwise.

Egg custard at The Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather Irwin/PD

– Egg Custard, $3: Served in a jar, this homemade custard is creamy and rich without veering into the cloying sweetness of creme brulee. Addictive. Grab a few from the refrigerator to take home.

– Orange Rosemary Shrub, $4: Fruit vinegar is mixed with soda water for a refreshing, thirst-quenching drink. The combination of savory herbs and sweet orange is a winner.

Cocktails at The Golden Pig in Hopland. Heather Irwin/PD

– Elderflower Sparkler, $8: Vodka, Prosecco, muddled basil, grapefruit and elderflower liqueur. Pink, pretty and dangerously good–consume with caution.

If you go:
– Larger dinner portions are served after 6 p.m., including grass fed steak ($26), Heart Arrow Ranch chicken ($22) and smoked pork chops ($22), all served with mashed potatoes, carrots, and mixed greens.

– The building is broken up into three sections, with a small refrigerated section and walk-up counter for ordering, a tiny outdoor patio and larger dining room and bar. Take-out items are available at the counter.

– All dishes are available gluten-friendly, tapping nearby Pamela’s Bakery for their wheat-free bread. Vegan and vegetarian dishes including white bean chili and a garden burger are available. The restaurant is also family-friendly, with a creative children’s menu.

Needs Improvement: The restaurant is just getting started, so some inconsistencies, like dry vegan chili and slightly overcooked cornbread, will hopefully be sorted quickly. Ingredients do change up, and sometimes certain dishes aren’t available (we couldn’t get the delicious-sounding ceviche on our visit), so be a little flexible–this is farm-centric dining. The menu will expand in the fall with even more options, and we’ll look forward to that.

The Take Away: Supporting small local farmers always leaves a great taste in our mouth, and The Golden Pig is no exception.

The Golden Pig, 13380 S. Hwy 101, Hopland. Sun-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri-Sat 11am-11pm, 707-670-6055, thegoldenpig.com

An Insider’s Guide to Taste of Sonoma

August 2017

By Shana Bull

Taste of Sonoma is coming up this Saturday, September 2 at a new location – the Green Music Center in Rohnert Park. Whether you’re a seasoned “Taste” veteran or planning your first trip, expect this year’s Sonoma County food and wine festival to offer something a little different. Here are some tips to ensure the best Taste of Sonoma experience (for more tips and information, check out the gallery above):

Plan by nailing down the details. Tickets sell out the week before the event so get your ticket ASAP if you want to attend.

Pack the night before, so that you don’t forget to bring sunscreen and sunglasses, and pick out your favorite “wine country casual” outfit.

Plan your wine tasting. Wineries are featured in alphabetical order this year.

More tips and information in the gallery above.

TASTE OF SONOMA, Saturday, September 2, 2017
12-4pm (Club Reserve entrance 11am)
The Green Music Center
1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928
General Admission: $150, Club Reserve Tickets: $255
sonomawinecountryweekend.com

11 Sonoma Wine & Food Events You Don’t Want to Miss this Fall

August 2017

By Sarah Stierch

Fall means festival season in Wine Country. As the harvest begins, locals and visitors gather to celebrate all things delicious throughout Sonoma and Napa. Click through the gallery above to discover the best food and wine events to experience this fall.

A Pastry Chef Iron Man? Only in Sonoma County

August 2017

By biteclub

Even Robert Nieto’s Facebook feed is exhausting. The pastry chef and endurance athlete’s frequent check-ins are punctuated by gyms and parks where he works out, airports documenting cross-country flights as a contender for the United States Pastry Team and, of course, drool-worthy desserts and chocolate sculptures he prepares at Kendall-Jackson winery each day as their in-house pastry chef.

Consider him the chocolate-covered Iron Man.

It’s not as ironic as it seems for Nieto, a competitive and driven 35-year-old who has risen through the ranks to become one of the country’s top pastry chefs. He sees both marathons and pastry competitions as fairly similar in the amount of time they take in preparation, training, mental focus and single-minded dedication.

“The first step is to think how to train for either one. Look at how much time you have and give yourself at least six months. I always start preparing early. It’s always a bad idea to jump in right away without giving it any thought,” he says. That and working out a highly detailed plan.

Patting his stomach, he says that he’s not quite in triathlon form right now, but just three months ago Nieto was finishing an Iron Man 70.3 race in Santa Rosa (half the distance of a full Iron Man race), after months of intense workouts and dietary restrictions.

His training regimen of the moment: 16-hour days preparing for the world’s most significant pastry competition, the 2020 Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie. Held every three years, the international sweets contest is a sort of intense triathlon of cakes, chocolate, ice sculptures and sugar creations that takes every bit as much endurance and mental strength as any race, he says. Nieto, who co-workers at Kendall-Jackson lovingly call “Buttercup”, was an alternate on the 2017 team.

So how does he balance a life of sweets and sugar with the rigors of endurance athletics?

Like most chefs, he also loves food, at one pointing tipping the scales at 285 pounds. At his lightest, when training for his first Iron Man in 2010, he dropped to 183 pounds, more than 100 pounds off his 6-foot frame. “That’s what I weighed in junior high –– it was weird,” he said.

He credits his love of competition for driving him. “I know what I have to do and I like challenging myself to see what I can actually do.”

Ready for Race Day

Just three days before tryouts for the Coupe, Nieto looks tired. He got to work at 7 a.m. to start weighing out ingredients he’ll take to the pastry training facility in Michigan.

He’s also made a cake, now sitting in the freezer, and is looking over his chocolate showpiece, a soaring collection of gears, flowers and orbs — all made of chocolate — representing the theme of “time.” Practice sculptures from past weeks look almost clumsy next to this version.

He’s flying out early, just to calm the butterflies, he says. Reciting a checklist, he goes over how he’ll pack the cakes and ingredients, what’s left to do, what he needs to do before Tuesday, when he competes for the single spot.

Like any athlete, its a ritual of visualization and mental organization that helps keep nerves at bay.

“It’s so exhausting, we all feel the pressure,” he said. Each showpiece has to be weighed exactly, at a perfect temperature, with balance in flavor as well as visual appeal.

“But looking over each delicate feature of his sculpture he feels ready for the tryout.

He wasn’t quite as prepared when, in 2009, he tried his first mini-triathlon, which didn’t exactly turn out well. Unable to swim freestyle, he did backstroke for the swimming portion.

“I’m not a good swimmer,” he said. “It was horrible the first time, but I thought, ‘I want to do that again!’ ” he said.

Got serious

After that, he got serious about training, entering a Vineman race after training hard with a coach and taking swim lessons at Santa Rosa Junior College.

“And that’s how it started,” he said.

Soon after, he began training for a full Iron Man — a consecutive 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike race and 26.2-mile run — in Tahoe. Completing it remains one of his proudest moments.

He attributes his success to both coaching and pushing himself.

“I was up at 5:40 a.m. training six days a week,” he said.

“I’d bike 100 miles and then do a 6-mile run,” he said. “My coach walked me through the process so I didn’t feel like an amateur.

He says about 15 percent of triathletes drop out before they complete the first portion of the race — swimming.

“It’s a big commitment, but it’s good to test your body,” he said. As a lasting memento, he has a tattoo of the Iron Man logo and towering ponderosa pines native to Tahoe.

“It was my first.” He also has a tattoo of the molecular structure of sugar on his arm.

After a last 14-hour day of training for the pastry competition in Santa Rosa, Nieto is trying to just let all the practice gel, and focus on his upcoming performance.

“At a certain point, you just have to let it go.”

Buttercup’s training tips

When thinking about doing an ironman/pastry competition, the first step is think how to train for either one. Look at how much time you have, and give yourself at least six months.

Don’t procrastinate on training. I always start preparing early. It’s always a bad idea to jump in right away without giving it any thought. When I started doing Ironman competitions, I hired a coach to walk me through the training and race-day process. This helped my confidence level on race day and I didn’t feel like the lost amateur.

The best way is to set a goal and work out a detailed plan that best works for you. It’s very important to have a schedule for each day of your workouts/practice sessions. By doing this you’ll have a better chance and great results. Be goal oriented, stick to your plan!

Also it’s important to get proper sleep. By having enough rest you’ll feel sharper and stronger and ready to do it again all over. Don’t sacrifice sleep for training; it doesn’t work out.

Stay positive! No matter what happens in the end, be proud of what you accomplished and what you went through to get where you are … the finish line! It’s mind over matter, and a positive outlook will carry you farther than a negative one.

Don’t burn yourself out! Mix some fun into your training. Keep it fun and light.

Cloverdale Farmhouse Brings Vision of Eco-Friendly Homestead to Life

August 2017

By Abigail Peterson

Hanging up their suits for overalls was the perfect choice for Manny and Carol Diaz.

While many approaching retirement look to simplify, even (dare we say) downsize, Manny and Carol Diaz did just the opposite. In 2010, after raising their children in Windsor, the couple bought an 18-acre farm in rural Cloverdale adjacent to the Russian River. “When we drove down the driveway, we stopped about halfway,” recalls Manny. “And we didn’t say anything for about a minute — that’s an eternity — and I knew this was it.”

Overseeing 10 acres of vineyards and growing most of their own food turned out not to be a very big leap for Manny, who worked in the airline industry, and Carol, a former accountant. Their passion for cooking (both are heavily involved in the north county slow food movement) and love of the outdoors have shaped a new life — one that focuses on the seasons, long walks by the river and plenty of time in the garden.

Summer is prime time at the Diaz home, where the couple love to work in the garden late into the evening and enjoy leisurely meals at the 16-foot outdoor table that overlooks 5 acres planted to Sauvignon Blanc. “We have basil in the containers, and we go get our tomatoes, and we’ll have our caprese every day. That’s my favorite salad,” says Manny.

“We have to buy the cheese,” laughs Carol. “I don’t think it’s that hard, but we just haven’t done [cheese] yet.”

Their two grandchildren visit often and jump at the chance to make happy-hearted mischief on the farm, like tossing ropes to climb the fig tree and throwing rocks in the culvert to make the biggest splash possible. “When they first got old enough to be out by themselves, they kept looking back at us all the time like they were expecting us to say ‘Don’t do that!’ But then they realized they can do all those kid things here,” says Carol.

To bring their vision of a grandkid-friendly, ecologically minded homestead to life, the couple worked with architect Michael Cobb of Studio Ecesis and landscape architect Michael Lucas of Lucas + Lucas Landscape Architecture, both based in Healdsburg. Cobb oversaw renovations to the house and barn and the addition of a guesthouse in 2010. Lucas designed a serene, eco-friendly landscape with minimal details, incorporating massed specimen grasses as a replacement for a front lawn. He recycled chunks of concrete from the former front path to make a bench as well as surrounds for raised veggie beds that contain salad greens, herbs, garlic and onions, potatoes, peppers, eggplant and, of course, plenty of tomatoes.

Lucas was inspired by the remote setting and proximity to the river. “The landscape here has different moods every direction you look,” he explains. “East, it’s more intimate, with the mountains in close proximity. To the west is more expansive, more vast, with the river and the mountains farther away. And in the middle, that quiet spot, with the shade of mature trees. It’s a nice juxtaposition.”

While Carol loves to travel far afield, Manny often prefers to be at home with his many projects in the barn and garden. “I enjoy traveling too, but I enjoy this place,” says Manny. “The best part of traveling and leaving Sonoma County is coming back. I like it here; I connect.”

Around the World in 50 Sonoma County Restaurants

August 2017

By biteclub

JAPAN, Ramen Gaijin in Sebastopol: Izakaya (grilled meats) and rice. Heather Irwin/PD

Sonoma County has come a long way when it comes to global cuisine. Though Italian, Mexican and Chinese food have long been favorites—following national trends for these familiar cuisines—our tastes are broadening as new immigrants bring the flavors of Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia to Wine Country.

Here are some of our favorite ethnic dishes–literally going around the world in 50 restaurants–and where to find them. Obviously, we haven’t included every restaurant, instead picking those with especially delish pictures.

Got a favorite to add? Let us know in the comments.

Delhi Belly: Best Sonoma Indian Cuisine

August 2017

By biteclub

Tikka Masala at Delhi Belly Indian Restaurant in Sonoma. (Heather Irwin/Sonoma Magazine)

The masala chai tea steaming fragrantly between my palms tastes nothing like the chai tea that Oprah and about a million other Americans have come to know as a milky, sweet, spiced black tea more like a pumpkin latte than what southeast Asians know as “masala” chai, or spiced tea.

That’s the problem with so many ethnic foods we think we love (or hate). The true flavors and inspirations often get lost in translation.

On this uncharacteristically rainy day at Delhi Belly Indian Bistro in Sonoma, the hot, milky masala smells of cardamom, cinnamon and clove and wakes up the taste buds with a one-two punch of black pepper and ginger. It’s barely sweet and as comforting as a mother’s embrace.

Just off the Sonoma Square, Delhi Belly is one of only a handful of Indian restaurants in Sonoma County, and easily one of the best. Focused heavily on Northern Indian cuisine, the menu has a familiar lineup of dishes that range from palak paneer to daal and naan, along with tandoori and tikka masala for traditionalists.

But the real buzz is about the less-familiar dishes: Roti and paratha (wheat breads), Hariyali Mali Kofta (a cheese dumpling with spinach and veggies in tomato sauce), kale pokoda (chickpea fritters also known as pakora), and the elusive butter chicken. Often confused with tikka masala, butter chicken is an actual Indian dish (usually from Delhi) with a little more spice, a little less cream and a lot more butter. I like to think of it as tikka masala’s classier cousin.

The menu makes it immediately clear that Delhi Belly isn’t your usual hodgepodge of Nepalese, Northern and Southern Indian curries and overcooked momo. Instead it is a chef-driven menu that’s heavy on authentic spices the use of a hand-tiled tandoori clay oven that cooks at 800-plus degrees.

Chef Bhupender Singh looks far younger than a man with his experience at some of India’s top-rated restaurants and well-received eateries throughout California (Avatar, Ambrosia, Saffron). But it was his childhood friendship with co-owner Raj Singh in New Delhi that brought him to Sonoma County.

Missing the endless family feasts, street foods and flavors of home, the two decided that Delhi Belly would be about authentic dishes with modern twists that often nod to a sense of place in Northern California. That means dishes using local ingredients like kale, avocado, salmon and goat cheese in traditional dishes like kale pakora ($5), avocado chaat with layers of pomegranate, yogurt and tamarind chutney ($7) or lamb kebabs stuffed with goat cheese ($9). Cumin scallops with cilantro, lime and roasted peppers ($10) have just a hint of the musky spice, brightened with citrus and perfectly cooked.

Singh’s food isn’t about heat, but about flavor. One of the most impressive dishes is a slow-cooked lamb shank in hand-pounded spices ($18) that falls off the bone into an angry-looking red sauce, surprisingly delicate and deeply complex.

Tikka masala ($14) is a house specialty that’s hard to resist, but it gets the respect it deserves. The tender tandoori chicken and tomato sauce is miles beyond the usual tomato-soup style sauce we’ve had in other Indian restaurants.

More Don’t Miss Dishes

Vegetable Samosa ($6): Crispy pastry triangles hold a mix of potatoes, spices and peas atop a bed of tamarind and mint sauce.

Tandoori Mixed Grill ($27): We rarely recommend tandoori because too often the meat is drier than Death Valley. Delhi Belly gets it right with tender chicken, rosemary lamb, salmon with mint and basil seekh kabab (minced meat). Heaven on a plate.

Butter Cilantro Naan ($3): Natch. What else are you going to soak up all that goodness with?

Delhi Belly is far better than its name, which the owners meant to evoke the goodness of Delhi’s food but might evoke something else in world travelers. That’s too bad, because our bellies are now very much in love with the luxurious cuisine of this northern Indian metropolis.

Delhi Belly Indian Bistro is a well-deserved departure from ho-hum Indian food and a dive into the rich, fragrant, exotic flavors of a distant land. Without anything lost in translation.

520 Broadway, Sonoma, 343-1003, or online.

Get Pickled at the Fermentation Festival in Petaluma

August 2017

By biteclub

Jennifer Harris, courtesy of spoiled to perfection

Jennifer Harris has the kind of enthusiasm about beet kvass and kimchi usually reserved for lottery winners and game show contestants. So it makes sense that she’s also the organizer of Sonoma’s largest celebration of fermentation — The Sonoma County Fermentation Festival, Sept. 2 at the Petaluma Fairgrounds.

Check out this short film on fermentation, featuring Jennifer Harris:

Now in its seventh year, the event has grown from a small gathering of enthusiasts in Occidental to a true festival with 75 vendors, including beer, cider and wine tasting, cheesemakers, picklers, chocolatiers and kombuchists.

Riding a wave of probiotics and food preservation fascination, Harris’ ongoing event is an ode to the importance of microbiomes and healthy approaches to making fermented food at home. That, and a darn good spot to taste some of the most unique libations being made in Wine Country, from sake, mead and water kefir to shrubs and unfiltered ciders.

Classes and speakers at the Fermentation Festival include Jonas Ketterle of Firefly Chocolate, Wildbrine’s Rick Goldberg and Chris Glab, Karen Diggs of Krautsource, Veggie Queen Jill Nussinow and many others. The event is from

The Sonoma County Fermentation Festival is from 11a.m. to 5p.m., and pre-sale tickets are $20 for general admission and $40 for VIP admission includes access to the coveted Libation Lounge (21+ only). The event is family-friendly, and kids under 16 are free. Details online at fermentfestival.com.

Can’t make it? Jennifer hosts monthly classes at the Sebastopol Grange Hall.

Photo of Jennifer Harris, courtesy of spoiled to perfection

6 Signs Autumn Has Already Arrived in Sonoma County

August 2017

By Shana Bull

The official start of autumn may be Friday, September 22nd, but fall seems to get here earlier and earlier each year. The internet’s love for #AutumnVibes can be polarizing, with many cheering on the start of Pumpkin Spice Latte season, while others want to enjoy every last ounce of sunshine before summer ends. Click through the gallery above for six signs that autumn has already arrived in Sonoma County.

Let’s hear from you. Are you ready for autumn to start? Or do you want summer to last forever?

9 Sonoma Brewers Who Swapped Wine for Beer

August 2017

By Jess Poshepny Vallery

Harvest time in Wine Country has traditionally meant grape picking and winemaking but with the growing popularity of craft beers, hops are becoming our region’s “other” hot crop. As hop varieties and flavor profiles proliferate in beers, brewers have begun to follow the lead of grape vintners and wine bottlers before them by planting their own hop farms to gain more control of their ingredients and finished products. And it’s no surprise that some of the brewers who are taking hop harvesting the most seriously are those who started with grapes. Here are nine Sonoma brewers who swapped wine for beer.

Barrel Brothers Brewing Company, Windsor: Wesley Deal and Daniel Weber
Brothers-in-law Wesley Deal and Daniel Weber both previously worked in wine. Deal worked as assistant winemaker for two years at a winery in Healdsburg before becoming inspired by his father-in-law’s love for home-brewing. He then decided to study brewing science at U.C Davis. Weber worked in sales and marketing in the wine industry and took an equal liking to the beer world when likewise inspired by the same father-in-law, Tom Sather.

Deal’s and Weber’s love for the brewing craft led them to take their hobby to the next level when they opened Barrel Brothers Brewing Company in Windsor. Recently they have begun working with fellow brewer Steve Doty of Shady Oak Barrel House to bring the characteristics of the Sonoma terroir to beer. On their two acre hop farm north of Windsor, the partners plan to create a spontaneously fermented lambic series to share with local beer lovers and travelers alike.

Barrel Brother’s Brewing, 399 Business Park Ct, #506, Windsor 95492, 707-696-9487, barrelbrothersbrewing.com, @BarrelBrothersBrewing

Carneros Brewing Company, Sonoma: Armando, Jesus and Pedro Ceja
Brothers Armando, Pedro and Jesus Ceja grew up in Napa Valley working for their father in the vineyards and learning the wine trade. After paying homage to their father by building a successful winery, the brothers are now tapping into beer at their Sonoma Valley microbrewery Carneros Brewing Company, located near the Ceja Family Vineyards. Head-brewmaster Jesus Ceja graduated from the brewery science program at U.C Davis, and previously worked at Coors in Golden, Colorado, AB-inBev, and Red Star Yeast Company.

The brothers have planted their own hops on the brewery property so that they can obtain nothing but the best ingredients for their beers. Guests of the brewery can enjoy views of Carneros Valley, picnic in the beer garden by the pond and sip on handcrafted ice cold beers.

Carneros Brewing, 22985 Burndale Road, Sonoma, CA 95476, 707-938-1880, carnerosbrewing.com @CarnerosBrewing

Fogbelt Brewing Company, Santa Rosa: Paul Hawley and Remy Martin
Co-owners and co-brewers Remy Martin and Paul Hawley grew up working in the wine business – Martin worked grape harvests in California and abroad; Hawley worked at his family’s winery, Hawley Wines in Dry Creek Valley. The two began brewing together during a trip to New Zealand’s wine country, where they were working the harvest. Martin then studied brewing at U.C Davis while Hawley continued to work at his family’s winery.

Four years ago, just before opening Fogbelt Brewing, Hawley planted a quarter acre of hops on his family vineyard in Healdsburg. With farming in his blood, he knew this was the best way to both understand and control the quality and variety of hops for the brewery. Fogbelt Brewing now hosts the “Wet Hop Fest,” an event that features beers brewed with locally harvested hops.

Hawley continues to help out at the family winery. He is constantly reminded that the two industries, wine and beer, have different challenges, “With wine, the main production period is once a year during harvest. With beer, we are always in production-mode, allowing for more experimentation and perfecting of the process and beers, but a lot more scrubbing tanks. After a while, brewing twice a day, you wish you could just have a couple months of heavy production and make enough to last a year. Beer has a shelf life though and wine just gets better with age. I love making barrel-aged sour beers because it feels more like wine-making than brewing…”

Fogbelt Brewing, 1305 Cleveland Ave, Santa Rosa 95401, (707) 978-3400, fogbeltbrewing.com, @FogbeltBrewing

Russian River Brewing Company, Santa Rosa: Vinnie Cilurzo
Russian River Brewing Company co-owner, brewmaster and Pliny creator Vinnie Cilurzo grew up in Temecula, CA, working in the barrel room at his family’s winery, Cilurzo Family Cellars. After realizing he had more passion for hops than grapes, Cilurzo made the leap to beer and, after acquiring investors, opened Blind Pig Brewing in Temecula, in 1994. It was at this time that he perfected the original recipe for what was to become the famous Blind Pig IPA.

Cilurzo then moved to Northern California where he became head brewer at Korbel Cellars’s Russian River Brewing Company. When Korbel bowed out of the brewing business, Cilurzo accepted rights to the Russian River Brewing Company (RRBC) name and all of the recipes in lieu of a severance package. In 2004, Vinnie and his wife Natalie opened the RRBC brewpub on 4th Street in downtown Santa Rosa. Natalie, who left a job in the wine industry after the pub’s opening, now oversees the business side of the brewery and brewpub while Vinnie oversees brewing and distribution. A new brewery in Windsor is slated to open in the fall of 2018.

Russian River Brewing Co., 725 4th St, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, (707) 545-2337, russianriverbrewing.com, @RussianRiverOfficial

Seismic Brewing Company, Santa Rosa: Christopher Jackson
Christopher Jackson, son of philanthropist Barbara Banke and the late Jess Jackson (founder of Kendall Jackson), has adopted his parents’s love for a grape-to-glass approach in wine and applied the concept to his grain-to-glass philosophy at Seismic Brewing.

In partnership with friends Patrick Delves and Andy Hooper, Jackson’s dream to build a sustainable brewery, operating on a clean and green scale to produce the highest quality beers, has come to fruition. Jackson’s custom-brew house is built with energy efficiency and a “clean to can” approach. The brewery emphasizes the three “P’s” of sustainability: “people” (by paying and treating employees fairly while providing a healthy work environment), “planet” (by maximizing energy and water efficiency), and “prosperity” (by adopting a policy to partner with the community and local businesses). While the brewery does not currently have a taproom, Seismic beers can be found on draft at Confluence Taproom in Santa Rosa, Brewsters Beer Garden in Petaluma, and other establishments throughout the Bay Area.

Seismic Brewing, 2870 Duke Court, Santa Rosa, California, CA 95407, 707-230-5014, seismicbrewingco.com, @SeismicBrewingCo