Sept. 14 is an auspicious day for day for beer in Sonoma County. The Petaluma River Craft Beer Festival kicks off its first year, with a focus on new and under-the-radar breweries—and Lagunitas, of course. Attendees can drink beers by the downtown waterfront while sampling food from Cordoza’s Catering, Belly Left Coast Kitchen, Tres Hombres and others. Participating breweries include Henhouse, Petaluma Hills, Lagunitas, St. Florian’s, Headlands Brewing Co., 101 North, Sonoma Springs, Moylan’s, Woodfour, Marin Brewing Co., Dempsey’s, Bear Republic, Baeltane and Carneros. The Fossils, the Dixie Giants and more round out the entertainment on Saturday, Sept. 14, along Water Street near the Petaluma River, downtown Petaluma. 1–6pm. $30 advance; $40 door, includes souvenir glass and 10 tastings; designated driver, $15. 707.762.2785. www.petalumacraftbeerfest.org.
There may be long lines at Russian River Brewing Co. as Zwanze Day 2013 unleashes cult beer fans. Straight out of Cantillon brewery in Belgium, this year’s limited batch is based on recently excavated recipes brewed hundreds of years ago by monks at the Abbey of Cureghem, at least according to Cantillon’s website. But keeping in mind that “zwanze” means “joker” in Brussels dialect, anything is possible. Whether Blair Witch–style mythology or true, one thing’s for sure: this beer—with its long fermentation period, lambic blend and wild yeasts—is going to be a hell of a thing to experience. No wonder they’ve made a day out of it. Celebrate Zwanze Day on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the Russian River Brewing Co. 725 Fourth St., Santa Rosa. 707.545.2337.
