Moonlight Brewing Company
3350 Coffey Ln
Santa Rosa, CA
707-528-2537
Back in the day, going wine tasting meant standing in the barrel room or in the processing room among giant tanks, smelling the sweet smell of fermenting grapes as you tried the aged, ready-to-sell product. Usually you were freezing, as sleeping wine likes it cold (maybe you were even in a cave), and your surroundings left no doubt that the liquid coming from the bottle required a lot of work to get from the vines to your glass.
These days, most wineries have invested in dedicated tasting rooms with carefully selected art pieces and gently playing music alongside their wines. The experience, for the most part, is still lovely, only… different. I’d argue that there’s something lost when you can only see barrels through a window, or hear the machinery when a worker inadvertently opens a door and disturbs the carefully crafted ambiance of the tasting room.
Most breweries largely skipped the tasting among the equipment to varying degrees – at Lagunitas you can see the enormous tanks, but unless you go on one of the tours then the gift shop is as close to the production as you’ll get. 101 North and Henhouse, are “taprooms” but both have walls that largely shield visitors from the process.
Not Moonlight Brewing’s taproom.
If you’ve heard of Moonlight Brewing Company you a) have probably heard of it when you were in the North Bay, and b) probably know of it because of their flagship dark ale, “Death and Taxes”. Unless you’re not a fan of the style you likely came away from that encounter happy to have discovered a somewhat elusive beer, and that was that.
Founded in 1992, Moonlight has been until very recently the labor of love of Brian Hunt who filled every role in the company – brewer, distributor, marketer. So when I mention you probably were near the North Bay trying “Death and Taxes” it’s because their distribution has been about as far as Brian would drive the kegs in his van.
Things started changing a few years ago. Rumors swirled that Moonlight was going to open a tap room and that Brian would take on employees. The biggest shocker came last year, though, when Brian sold a 50% stake of Moonlight Brewing to Lagunitas, itself having been sold entirely to Heineken. Brian explained to the Press Democrat the transaction was about preserving Moonlight – already 60, his children indicated they weren’t interested in running Moonlight.
But Brian did hire some employees.
And the taproom did open.
And if you are a fan of Moonlight, then the taproom is everything you could ever want. But let me explain that a little bit. First, it’s not open a lot: Fridays 4-8, Saturday and Sundays 2-8. If that seems to coincide with non-working hours, it’s not a coincidence. While the taproom itself – that is, the small area where the beer is poured – is walled off from the brewery equipment, the “seats” in the taproom are pony kegs with hand-made cushions temporarily resting on top. Most people take their pint or 12 ounce pour, or flight and go through the door into the brewery proper where the equipment is blocked off with wooden pallets (easily removed when Monday’s workday comes around). It’s cold, too – bring a jacket. But they also have a stack of board games, and Fern and I wiled away the afternoon playing Sorry and Uno.
As for the beers, “Death and Taxes” is one of a lineup that does vary somewhat week to week, but features their lighter beers, “Reality Czeck” Pilsner and “Misspent Youth” pale ale. When we were there, they also had a seasonal wet-hopped beer, and at the top of the ABV scale for them, “Bony Fingers” at 6.5%. Did you catch that? The highest ABV on tap is just 6.5%, bucking the trend of hop bombs starting well-north of that figure, with most of Moonlight’s beers falling around 5% or lower. The lower alcohol levels put the focus on flavor and complexity, where Moonlight shines (pun intended). But it also means you can wile away the afternoon with several pints without needing to draw straws for a designated driver or pulling up your Uber or Lyft app.
Downsides? Sure: it’s cold. That doesn’t bother me, but Fern wished she’d brought a parka and gloves (they do have some blankets by the games, though – clearly this is not a new issue). It’s hit or miss these days whether a taproom will have food, with many opting to partner with food trucks. There’s no trucks near Moonlight, but the low alcohol makes the absence of food less a deal breaker. Aside from the hours, It can be a little hard to find. Turning right onto Coffey from Piner, look for the business park on your right side a couple of hundred yards in. When the driveway splits, take the left fork and Moonlight is the first suite on the right side.
So make a note of the hours. Mark it in your calendar, and just go. Did I mention they have regular size and double-walled 32 oz growlers (it is, after all, a taproom). Incredible beer that doesn’t hide the method of production. Go. Just go.
