Two "Is It Worth Our Time" Questions

Discussion in 'Pacific' started by TambaTime, Apr 15, 2015.

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  1. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    My wife and I will be visiting SF/Sonoma/Napa in June. Planning to hit all the big spots, but had a couple of questions, one related to the day of the week and another to transportation concerns.

    1) We'll be driving up from SF into Sonoma on a Tuesday, ultimately spending the night in Santa Rosa after a trip to RR. Unfortunately, the Lagunitas taproom is closed Tuesdays. They still do tours, however. Worth the stop? For anyone who's done the tour, what's it like?

    2) Back in the Bay Area, we'll be based in SF. I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Rare Barrel, my wife loves sour beers, and I'm also a fan. It seems Uber would be the way to go, but how long should that drive take from SF, and what should I expect as far as bridge traffic on, say, a Sunday afternoon? Are Rare Barrel beers a common sight in SF bars? If so, is going directly to the source worth the effort to get there?

    Thanks.
     
    #1 TambaTime, Apr 15, 2015
  2. Gambit

    Gambit Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2015 California

    Rare Barrel is fantastic, and not common around bars in SF. You really should go to the source (can also likely then pick up a bottle). Bridge traffic is unfortunately extremely unpredictable, could take you 25 minutes, could take you 2 hours. (likely around 45 minutes). Try to avoid Giants game traffic.
     
    #2 Gambit, Apr 15, 2015
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  3. UnknownKoger

    UnknownKoger Pooh-Bah (1,895) Jul 9, 2010 California
    Pooh-Bah

    In regards to #2, I was just in SF this past weekend. The drive took about 30ish minutes. If the bridge is backed up or if there's an accident, it can take longer. I saw a couple RB beers at bars in the Bay Area. If you're in that area, you should also check out Faction
     
    #3 UnknownKoger, Apr 15, 2015
  4. Vivified

    Vivified Initiate (0) Jul 9, 2014 California

    I can't really answer question 1 but I can give my 2 cents on #2. It's a good 20-30 minute or so commute by car if you're in the city, your best bet would probably be the BART as Rare Barrel isn't that far from a station. With that said, check out http://beerbybart.com/

    Cellarmaker is closed Mondays so you may want to hit them Sunday while you're still in town.
     
    #4 Vivified, Apr 15, 2015
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  5. clayfu

    clayfu Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2010 California

    not sure where you are staying in SF, but take the BART to berkeley, and uber from there. Save you money and time
     
    #5 clayfu, Apr 15, 2015
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  6. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Thanks, guys. It sounds like we should make the trip to Rare Barrel, which was my gut feeling.

    To @Gambit regarding the Giants game. I've dealt with my share of Eagles/Phillies/Flyers/76ers traffic, so that's a great point. The Giants game starts at 1:05 p.m. on the Sunday in question. Typically, would the impact of the game on bridge traffic be over by 2 p.m. or so? And I assume post-game, most of the traffic would be headed back toward Oakland, not crushing our ride back into San Francisco?

    And regarding BART, @clayfu, BART could end up being the solution. Google Maps had been showing me all sorts of construction and delays recently on searches, but maybe that's inaccurate or complete? Now it shows the trip from the Embarcadero to Downtown Berkeley taking only 22 minutes, which wouldn't be bad at all.
     
    #6 TambaTime, Apr 15, 2015
  7. dcgunman

    dcgunman Pooh-Bah (2,682) Jul 1, 2009 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I recently was in the Sonoma (Santa Rosa) area on a 2 night stop. I can say the Lagunitas Brewery/tasting room is well worth a visit. we didn't do the brewery tour (time). But it was like a visit I never expected. One of my favorite tasting room visits. If you find the time on Weds I would highly recommend a stop in before heading out of the area. But of course we all go to Santa Rosa for RRBC. I would also highly recommend a stop at Bear Republic before hitting RRBC. I think the food at Bear Republic is better and cheaper than RRBC.
     
    #7 dcgunman, Apr 15, 2015
  8. clayfu

    clayfu Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2010 California

    yep 22 minutes or so. Get off at Ashby or Downtown Berkeley and call an Uber. I'd personally pick Ashby, it's a wider open space for pick ups, downtown berkeley is a shit show with a ton of pedestrians/busses going in and out, your driver will have a hell of a time picking you up.
     
    #8 clayfu, Apr 15, 2015
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  9. Gambit

    Gambit Initiate (0) Feb 12, 2015 California

    Agree with clayfu - Bart followed by Uber, then there is no need to worry about traffic
     
    #9 Gambit, Apr 15, 2015
  10. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    Good tip on the Ashby stop vs. Berkeley. Thanks.

    @dcgunman, Wednesday will be a full day of wine tasting en route to Yountville, so it's Tuesday or bust for Lagunitas. We should get to Bear Republic, though. Right now the plan is to cross the Golden Gate, grab breakfast in Sausalito, and catch some of the nature/views in that area on our way up to Santa Rosa/Healdsburg. In trying to prioritize time, just not sure if the Lagunitas tour, without getting into the tasting room, is worth it.
     
    #10 TambaTime, Apr 15, 2015
  11. Coldstorage

    Coldstorage Initiate (0) Oct 1, 2014 California

    If you are going to Rare Barrel, you really should visit Fieldwork as well. A little under two miles away but totally walkable or a cheap uber/lift ride. They are doing really great stuff. Don't pay any attention to the 89 rating on BA, their Chisel IPA was fantastic!
     
    #11 Coldstorage, Apr 15, 2015
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  12. chcfan

    chcfan Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2008 California

    Not beer related, but given that it's a Tuesday, you should easily be able to get a spot in one of the Muir Woods parking lots. Even if you just do the main little loop (> 1 mile), you'll be happy you went. Not really much on the beer front in Marin other than Iron Springs in Fairfax, which is about 12 minutes off the 101 and very good if you like hops.
     
    #12 chcfan, Apr 15, 2015
  13. bodell82

    bodell82 Initiate (0) Apr 24, 2006 California

    I did the Lagunitas brewery tour once about five years ago. The first stop on the tour was this man-cave type room overlooking the brewing floor, where they passed around trays with samples of all their core beers and current seasonals to the group (probably about 25 people). They asked if we wanted to continue the tour or drink more free beer... the group yelled BEEEEER. We never made it to another part of the brewery. Can't say the tour is like that every time, but it was definitely worth it.
     
    #13 bodell82, Apr 15, 2015
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  14. aquazr1

    aquazr1 Maven (1,325) Jul 27, 2013 California

    I got to try some Fieldwork beers this weekend. The Timberline IPA, Canopy PA and Morning Time coffee stout were all solid.
     
    #14 aquazr1, Apr 15, 2015
  15. theconductor

    theconductor Zealot (739) Nov 4, 2008 California

    I'll take care of question #1. Here's the shiny brew kettle, here's some stainless steel tanks, here's the beer.

    Now that that's out of the way, go somewhere else :slight_smile:
     
    #15 theconductor, Apr 15, 2015
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  16. chcfan

    chcfan Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2008 California

    Normally, I would agree with you, but I have heard that the Lagunitas tour is one of the few that's worth doing since there are always samples on the weekday ones and you might get Tony. In general, though, you've seen one brewery you've seen them all.
     
    #16 chcfan, Apr 15, 2015
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  17. TambaTime

    TambaTime Initiate (0) Jan 6, 2015 Pennsylvania

    The "you've seen one brewery you've seen them all" line rings true with me. Other than getting some free beer, it sounds like the Lagunitas tour could be scratched from the schedule if necessary. And I'll look into Fieldwork. Thanks.
     
    #17 TambaTime, Apr 16, 2015
  18. JayORear

    JayORear Grand Pooh-Bah (3,058) Feb 22, 2012 California
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    No, have to disagree with this. The Lagunitas tour is unlike any I've ever taken, and I've taken a lot. It's fun, irreverent, and the man-cave room mentioned by @bodell82 is amazing. Try to do it if you can.
     
    #18 JayORear, Apr 16, 2015
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  19. rmdownward

    rmdownward Zealot (648) Feb 10, 2007 California

    The Anchor tour is well worth going to due to the unique way they ferment their beer, plus the history of the place.
     
    #19 rmdownward, Apr 16, 2015
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  20. FrogOut69

    FrogOut69 Initiate (0) Sep 24, 2013 California
    Trader

    Don't scratch the Lagunitas tour - it's one of the best.
     
    #20 FrogOut69, Apr 18, 2015
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