Hey guys, Did a quick search and couldnt find a good thread on this but sorry if i missed it... Any good spots to get beers on tap or find bottles in the Napa Valley? I know about RR and Lagunitas but I am looking for places closer to Napa. How about bars that might be getting a keg of PTY? That I am willing to travel further for but not willing to spend 5 hours in line - i know it is a long shot but figure i might get lucky with timing/location and find a bar that has a keg and isnt too crazy? any suggestions of people to follow on twitter or anything to maybe get that info? thanks in advance!
Your best bet for bottles in Napa (as far as I'm aware) is Whole Foods. It's right off of 29 so if you're going up valley it's an easy stop. If you're going to RR I'd suggest Bottle Barn, also in Santa Rosa. Sometimes Dean and Deluca will get some interesting bottles, but it's pretty limited and I'd say more on the "miss" side of hit or miss. In Napa, Bilco's is one of the better draft spots. It's a bit of a dive, but they generally have a pretty excellent list. Can't help you with the PtY inquiry, though I'm sure others will be able to help you out there. Good luck and enjoy the valley.
Thank you very much - very helpful. Friday is going to be spent wine tasting so i am the DD and then Saturday is dedicated to beer so i just have one day and want to make sure i take advantage...thinking Lagunitas and Taps for lunch in Petaluma but we have dinner in Napa so I think we might stop by Whole Foods to pick up a bottle on our way back to the hotel and then stop by Bilco's for a pre-dinner beer as we will be walking everywhere once we get back from Petaluma... PtY is pretty much a pipe dream at this point but you never know...i could be driving by random bar and see a tweet that they are tapping PtY and there is no one there (in my dreams )
Not beer related but if you will be wine tasting make sure to stop by Dutch Henry Winery, its off of Silverado Trail in Calistoga they are by far my favorite winery in the valley. Also, if you take need a break from the wine calistoga inn and brewery has some pretty good beers on tap. Their Oatmeal Stout was my favorite but their other offerings are solid.
Napa resident here. Whole Foods for bottles, Billco's for draft. That's about it. Sunshine Foods in St Helena is the only place I've seen RR bottles in the valley but that was a few years ago and I don't remember any of their selection beyond that. Billco's hasn't had any RR on draft or offered in bottle since I've lived here so I doubt they'll be getting any Younger. About the same distance as Santa Rosa is Davis, where you can go to Davis Beer Shoppe, a killer bar/store. Billco's also has a really solid burger, locally baked bun, good meat, with fries for $6. Really hard to beat that. They're supposed to be upping their tap number to 90 but I don't know when that's happening. But really, Sonoma is very close to Napa and has a good beer scene, Hopmonk is a great bar that miiiiight get Younger, Old Sonoma Public House is most likely but I can't guarantee anything. The Whole Foods in Sonoma might have a better beer selection than the Napa store. What airport are you flying in to? If Sacramento, I'd suggest hitting Davis, it's 15-20 minutes from the airport on the way to Napa.
And while I haven't had any Calistoga Brewery stuff, I can heartily advise you to ignore Napa Smith and Carneros Brewery (technically Sonoma but a short drive from Napa). I did forget one spot, Downtown Joe's. Right downtown, a short walk from Billco's. It's an interesting place, the small homeless population likes to hang out around here. Their house brews are the best in the valley that I've had but won't outdo much on the wall at Billco's. If you really need more than one place to drink, go here. Feel free to BM me if you have any questions while you're here, happy to help! I'm a veteran of the wine industry and love offering guidance.
We will be flying into and out of SFO so unfortunately Davis probably wont happen unless we scrap Petaluma since they are in opposite directions...would you suggest Davis over Petaluma? We will definitely check out Sonoma Whole Foods and the Hopmonk and Public house since it is so close. Thanks for the info - super helpful!
Awesome, thanks again! Re: Wine - is Ram's Gate worth visiting? There is a sponsored trip there for the work thing I am going to SF for but not sure if my wife and I should just do our own thing or go with the group...
I haven't spent much time in Petaluma, and haven't gone to Lagunitas. I would say that if you do go to Petaluma, cut your time there a little short and drive 10 minutes north to Beer Craft in Rohnert Park. AWESOME bottle shop and tap room. Not quite as deep as Davis, but one of my favorite spots. They always have Cellarmaker on tap and it's the most exciting brewery in the state right now in my opinion. Really cool guys, great selection, but no food. There's an In-n-Out on the way back to 101, though.
I'm actually going to Ram's Gate for the first time myself this weekend, I'll let you know. I hear the view is killer but I don't know about the quality of the wines. If you take the GG bridge you should drive right past Ram's Gate on your way in, seeing it might help you decide whether to go or not. Your GPS might advise you to take the Bay Bridge towards Oakland but I'd say take the GG if it's daytime, adds a few minutes to your drive but you won't hit a toll bridge and you get much nicer scenery (and a fun drive through SF if you try to keep on 101).
Ah, you're right. I definitely remember seeing lots of bottles last time, didn't pay attention to draft.
The last few times I've been there I was able to have a tasty RR sour. I love that spot, as divey as it is!
I assume Napa locals will be reading this...Browns Valley Market still has some Dissident in the cooler.
Awesome, i was hoping for a spot just like that and In-n-Out is like Pliny for me...amazing and i only get it when i come to Cali
