For my latest brewery-centric day trip, I ventured into Coffey Park, the Santa Rosa neighborhood devastated by the 2017 Tubbs Fire, considered at the time the worst wildfire in California history. Some 1,400 homes were destroyed in the fire, but the neighborhood has made a comeback — and it’s home to three breweries well worth a visit.
Moonlight Brewing
Moonlight Brewing, which Brian Hunt opened in 1992, is as old school as it gets. After graduating from Davis with a degree in fermentation sciences, Hunt took his first job at the original Schlitz brewery in the waning days of the beer that made Milwaukee famous.
Hunt moved back to California and while building what would become Napa’s Downtown Joe’s Brewery & Restaurant, he began — ahem — moonlighting by building a brewery on his property in rural Santa Rosa. Eventually, that brewery became his full-time job, a one-man operation at first, brewing, selling and delivering his beer as his reputation grew.
By 2010, needing more space, Moonlight moved to its present location in Coffey Park and opened a taproom in 2019. Food trucks park daily at the entrance, there’s live music on occasion and Wednesday night trivia. You’ll find at least a dozen different beers on at any given time, along with non-alcoholic choices and a few snacks.
Moonlight’s Death and Taxes, a San Francisco-style black lager, is their most popular beer. It’s a wonderfully easy-drinking, malty, dark beer loaded with flavor. But old favorites like the Reality Czeck pilsner, Bombay By Boat — a more English-style, balanced IPA — and Twist of Fate red ale, are equally tasty. And Moonlight’s Curious Bird, a more modern IPA, Fratelli Italian pilsner, and Paternal Instinct, a dry-hopped pilsner, show off newer styles.
Details: Opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 3 p.m. Friday and noon on weekends at 3350D Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa; moonlightbrewing.com.
Brian Hunt started Moonlight Brewing in 1992. (Courtesy Jay R. Brooks)
Cooperage Brewing
An avid homebrewer, Tyler Smith first opened a craft beer bar at Coddington Mall’s Whole Foods in 2010. By 2015, he had opened a brewery of his own, Cooperage Brewing.
Swing by and you’ll find a large, tented beer garden outside with different food trucks each day. Inside, the large space boasts imposingly beautiful murals and a long bar along the back with 16 or so beers available in a wide variety of styles. Smith’s best seller is Keg Slayer, a West Coast IPA brewed with Citra and Mosaic hops, and it’s easy to see why. It’s tasty and easy-drinking with great balance.
Cooperage just opened a new downtown taproom on Dec. 13 at 575 Ross St. by the Brickyard Shopping Center. A former print shop, the large space offers all of Cooperage’s beers, as well as pinball machines, darts, big-screen televisions and a food truck portal built into the side of the building.
Details: The original brewery and taproom opens at 2 p.m. Monday-Thursday and noon Friday-Sunday at 981 Airway Court. The downtown taproom typically opens at 3 p.m. Monday-Thursday, noon Friday-Saturday and at 10 a.m. on football Sundays at 575 Ross St.; cooperagebrewing.com.
Tyler Smith, founder and brewer at Cooperage Brewing in Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park neighborhood, first started as a home-brewer in his garage. (Courtesy Jay R. Brooks)
Iron Ox Brewing
Another nearby brewery is Iron Ox Brewing, originally founded in 2015 by Kevin Robinson as Plow Brewing. Between wildfires and the pandemic, the business was struggling, so in 2020, Robinson brought on outside sales manager Vince Ferracuti as a partner, and the brewery was renamed. Robinson, who brews the beer, has a long background in Bay Area brewing — he worked for Lagunitas, Speakeasy and Russian River before striking out on his own.
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You can enjoy your beer indoors or out, and regular events include cornhole tournament Tuesdays, karaoke Wednesdays, and open mics on Thursdays — plus occasional comedy nights and annual Hot Wheels Races, Rubber Duckie Races and a disc golf tournament.
Robinson keeps 10 beers on deck at any given time. Plow Pils is a California-style pilsner, made with Sonoma water and traditional Saaz and Magnum hops. IPA is king here, with several West Coast varieties on tap most days. Oximus Prime is nicely herbal with a touch of spiciness, whereas Edward Hoppyhands, brewed with Chinook and Mosaic hops, is a touch more dank, with some subtle garlic and onion notes.
Details: Opens at 3 p.m. weekdays and 1 p.m. weekends at 3334 Industrial Drive; ironoxbeer.com.
Know a local brewery or brewpub that’s knocking it out of the park but isn’t getting the recognition they deserve? Drop me a line at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com and tell me why you love them.
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