In Sacramento next week... guide me!

On your way from sac to Santa Rosa I would say berryessa brewing in winters or heretic in Fairfield. Heretic is right off the 80, on your way. Berryessa is a bit more out of the way but not much. Both have great offerings and both are serving triple ipa's right now

 

The suggestions of Heretic and Berryessa are excellent. You might also check out Track 7 in Sac. All of them also have pretty friendly growler policies.

For bottle shops, you should definitely hit the Davis Beer Shoppe. There's also a thread on the Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa you should check out.

I haven't been to Device Brewing in Sac, but I have heard good things.

 

Seriously, stay in Sac. We have more breweries and beer bars and restaurants in the area than you can cover in a few days. Great stuff!

 

Track 7, Device, Auburn Ale House, Out Of Bounds, American River, Mraz Brewing, Berryessa, Loomis Basin, Bike Dog for Breweries. That's just a start, there are many more. For taprooms, Capitol Beer, Samuel Hornes, Boneshaker Public House, Davis Beer Shoppe and well... Final Gravity

 

I always forget to mention mraz! Definitely worth a stop.

 

If you've already been to RR, you should should save the trip to Santa Rosa. As has been stated, stay here in Sac. Make a trip up to Auburn to Knee Deep instead of waiting in line for PTY. Them, Track 7, Auburn, Berryessa, Device, and Heretic all have 3xIPAs. All are awesome. If you want a trip, maybe go to Chico instead to SN. Or you could go to Berkeley to their Torpedo Room and then hit up The Rare Barrel and then Drakes or Faction.

 

I think people have done a good job mentioning the best spots, but I'll add a couple thoughts:

Regarding breweries, Berryessa and Track 7 are the best of the locals, IMO. You need to check hours before heading over to either one: I think Berryessa's only open Fri night and Sat/Sun afternoons, Track 7 only nights and weekends. Neither has food, but both often have foodtrucks. I would recommend also stopping in at Rubicon if you have time: they're sometimes under-rated, I think, because they've been around a long time and they don't have any beers that are mind-blowingly spectacular, just a solid portfolio. And decent food. And good guest taps. I really like Heretic but I'm not sure there's reason to visit them, as opposed to just picking up a couple bottles somewhere: their taproom is really minimal, and AFAIK (only been there once) they don't have much on tap that you can't get in bottles. It all depends on how much time you have, of course. And how much tolerance.

 

LowBrau hasn't been metioned yet. They usually have a really good selection and their patio is great. Tank House, Burgers and Brew, De Veres, Firestone Public House, Shady Lady, Magpie, Ten 22, Mangia, Dads Kitchen, Hot City Pizza all have good draft selections. Der Biergarten just opened up too next to Golden Bear.

Hops to Table is a good source of info I'd check out before you come. The Beer Map will be handy.

http://www.hopstotable.com/

 

Pangaea Two Brews Cafe on Franklin Blvd - because they always have Pliny the Elder on draft and you can drink it in the sunshine on their patio!

 

As others will attest, Pangaea's pricing borders on offensive. There are far better places to spend your money.

 

For $12 a pint...

 

Seems in line for what you pay for one bedroom shacks out there!

 

I agree on the skipping Santa Rosa when there are so many offerings here.
Mraz and Knee Deep have a caterer come by on the weekends, but you need to check first. Checking the hours too is important as I learned on my last visit to San Diego.

For good eats and taps, Samuel Hornes Tavern in Folsom always has a great selection. Usually twenty taps, and most of the time Pliny is there. They update their taps via facebook. The Johnny Cash Burger is a damn good burger, but you need extra napkins!
https://www.facebook.com/SamuelHorn...00604585211/10153746449955212/?type=1&theater

Have a great time!

 

A few thoughts:

Bike Dog and Track 7 are in good proximity from Midtown/downtown (the former brews solid hopped brews but has limited hours, the latter's flagship beer, Panic IPA, is nice).

LowBrau is probably your best bet on the grid; they'll have "Beer Nerd" menu selections and a couple good guest drafts.

Davis Beer Shoppe has great selection, and if you go out there you might as well hit up Berryessa, which is the region's standout brewery. (Separation Anxiety IPA is phenomenal, and you may even get to taste his Trendy the Triple IPA, which is very similar to PtY.)

I understand the desire to go to RR for PtY, but the four-hour waits ... yuck. It's Beer Week in San Francisco, so you might be better served hunting PtY down there, and also hitting up some of the festivities, plus Rare Barrel Brewing Co. and all the great East Bay/SF brew spots.

Good luck

 

100 beers you brought back??? Holy Shiite!! Post up some pics and reviews please! I like Track 7's Panic. Knee Deep Hoptologist and Simtra are to die for when fresh! Glad you had a great time.