Hey All, i am traveling to Napa Valley this week...Any suggestions for a local craft beer bar/brewery and bottle shop to check out? I may try to make it to Russian River or Lagunitas but those are about 35-45 min away from where i am staying, so if anything is closer it might be more realistic for me to make Cheers!
Since you've already made the long trip from MN, I wouldn't worry about the 40 min drive to RR. You won't be disappointed. Good beer and good food; both to go if you want!
yep.. drink wine and just get some local beer bottles at small shops if you can't make it to RR and seems Truckee is way too far for you too. I really enjoyed the Healdsburg area of Sonoma for wineries.
Billco's Billiards in downtown Napa is your best bet for draft beers. I would hit up the Whole Foods in Napa for bottles. The local breweries in Napa County are nothing to write home about.
Calistoga brewing company in Calistoga makes pretty decent beer Sogni di dolci in Saint Helena has a pretty tasty selection. I do work there, so take that for what it's worth. Panchas in yountville is a wonderful dive bar. Not so much for beer, but great anyway. The whole foods in napa has a pretty good bottle selection. You should try some napa smith, just because. It's not very good, though they are getting better. It's a strange place for beer.
My one Napa recommendation I always give is to check out Prager Port Works. And be aware that some giant prominent spots are pretty lame (cough cough Trentadue) which are strangely some of the most crowded places (cough cough V. Sattui).