I'll be visiting the in-laws in Danville, CA this August. Any bottle shops or breweries that are recommended by the esteemed forum members here? I plan on making a trip to Lagunitas and Russian River, can't wait! Thanks for the direction and any recommendations!
Ledger Liquor in Berkeley. Beercraft when near Lagunitas & Bottle Barn when near Russian River. City Beer Store & go to Cellarmaker if going into SF. They are one block away from each other. The Hopyard in San Ramon has a good tap list and most always has Pliny on tap & Pete's Brass Rail in Danville has a nice tap list as well. Sadly, not to many highly recommended bottle shops other than Whole Foods up the 680 freeway.
Head North. Walnut Creek (5 min) has Øl -- part of the Trappist family. Another 10 minutes into Concord will bring you to Monument Wines and Spirits. Also don't dismiss BevMo in Danville, nothing rare but a large selection of stuff that is probably new to you. To the South there's Caps & Taps in Dublin.
Agree with all these recommendations. The Growler in Danville has been building up a decent bottle selection and their taplist is pretty much filled with local beers. For breweries consider Fieldwork in Berkeley which isn't too far, they have a cool tap room where you can often find the brewer(s) accessible to the patrons.
I guess if I included Monument I should mention Hop Grenade in Concord too -- good tap list, bottles to go, home of the Brewing Network.
The Growler is good, but have been known to have some things that are expired. I'd rather just eat/drink at Petes Brass Rail in Danville. The Hopyard is cool too. Caps and Taps in Dublin is a great little bar that sells bottles as well. Hop Grenade in Concord is a must. Rare Barrel in Berkeley.
