Bear Republic Brewing Co.

September 22, 2008
Fantastic beer here! A hop head’s delight with several IPAs and double IPAs on tap at all times. They even have a hopped up version of their Red Rocket. The burger I ordered was tasty and delicious, and the garlic fries were fantastic. Everyone at our table was raving over the food - maybe because we’d biked all over the vineyards that day. Busy and bustling on a Friday night, and because it was my birthday I got a free pint! Somewhat disapointed that they had no sampler platter - rather you build your own for $1.25/sample. They should take note of their competition down the road at Russian River where you can get every beer on tap for a reasonable price. To sample all 15 beers here would have been a big cost - instead my fellow diners ordered several beers and I filled in the gaps with the taste samplers. Love the bike gear hanging all over the place - they really need to make a t-shirt with their make beer not bombs tag line.

July 27, 2008
Great beer, average food, so-so ambience. But even if the pub doesn’t really stand out, the beers do and this is definitely worth the trip if you’re in the area.

June 26, 2008
To this brewery I go for the beer. The ambiance is a little rag-tag, with awards, old time gear, bikes and racing items. The food was decent with a nice selection of pub grub. I had the barbeque sandwich which was tasty. Our waitress was quite nice and speedy with a good knowledge of the beer. But, the main reason to go is the beer. It was awesome. I tried as many as my wife let me and they were all great. I’ll stop anytime I’m in the area, givin the chance.

April 13, 2008
April 2008 - Early afternoon, mostly a bar crowd, enjoying the awesome BRBC beers, just as we did. It goes without saying, but the beers here are world class. They alone are worth the visit. Unfortunately, we didn’t try any of their food. We had a good time talking with Ryan the bartender, too. Cool guy, cool joint, amidst the wine-tourist-oriented Healdsburg. (Brewery #457, 4/10/2008)

March 9, 2008
Visited on a Tuesday in January 2007. Got there pretty early, maybe ten minutes after they opened, were still cleaning some of the lines. All the standards on tap, plus Racer X and an all Simcoe IPA. Sort of a redneck meets norcal atmosphere, but it works.

January 1, 2008
12/31/07. Fun room with lots of bicycles, race car parts, and other contraptions and memorabilia all over the place. Good food (lobster bisque was very good) .About 12 beers on draft including several seasonal and specialty beers. Barrel Aged Blend was best beer I tried during my visit.

November 27, 2007
It’s a bit of a haul from the Bay Area, especially if you’re coming from the mid-Penninsula like I was. The 100 mile, two hour journey was worth it however. Healdsburg is a quaint town with a lot of wine tasting rooms and upscale shops. I’d like to go back for a longer weekend visit. The Bear Republic brewpub is one quite large room, with a bar section and a dining section. There is also an outdoor patio. They were doing some work on some of the bar seating while I was there, so the somewhat dusty, disorganized feel to the place may be temporary. The particle board floor looks unfinished, like it is due to get carpetted. What the place lacks in cleanliness, it more than makes up for in beer quality and selection. There were 12 different beers on tap. You can sample any number of them you want for $1 apiece. I knew beforehand that Richard Norgrove knows how to brew, but in more than doubling the previous number of BR beers I had rated during this sitting, my opinion was confirmed. The blue cheese burger I had was excellent as well, although the food is definitely on the spendy side.

October 9, 2007
This is a good place overall. The ambience is great, with a pleasant location on a pedestrian path just off the plaza in downtown Healdsburg, and a nice patio area overlooking the creek and fountain. Inside, it is fairly typical, but nice and interesting brewpub decor with semi-industrial element, bikes, etc. The beers in general are very good, some excellent, and there is a very nice range and variety, with some fairly unusual types. The food and service also are very good. This is one of my favourite places to go on a normal excusion up to Healdsburg.

June 28, 2007
I love Bear Republic and have been dying to visit this place since I started drinking their beers years ago. Finally, I made it out there from the east coast - great experience overall. In a nice section of downtown Healdsburg. I started out with Racer X and sampled all new stuff (well, new to me) and ended with classics like Racer 5 and Hop Rod Rye. My wife and I had the artichoke dip with sourdough bread and burgers. Our food and service was great - very courteous folk too. The place has neat Bear Republic shit all over the place with a clear view of the brewing equipment and fermentation tanks. The weather was perfect too - just an awesome day overall.

June 27, 2007
Visited on a Saturday afternoon with my wife. The place was a little hard to find because it isn’t located directly on Healdsburg Avenue; it’s hidden behind the buildings on that street. Once we got in, we were seated within a couple of minutes as we wanted to sit outside and enjoy the nice weather. The deck was nice, especially because it was amazing weather. The building itself was okay, as the interior was covered with flags, giant labels, and other racing-related decorations. It looked like many sports bars do. We ordered some 75-cent samplers, but they didn’t have any of the Racer 5 on nitrogen or blonde available as their menu stated. The beers of Bear Republic are great as always, and I think my favorite at the brewpub was the Red Rocket Ale. The food was good, as I had a burger and garlic fries and my wife had the Roasted Turkey BLT with fries. The garlic fries are a must when visiting here. The service was pretty slow, but our waitress was pleasant at least. The price was reasonable, and I even got a six-pack of the Red Rocket Ale to go (which I didn’t think they made available outside of bombers). If you are a big fan of Bear Republic like I am, this is a good place to visit. If you aren’t a huge fan, this is definitely still worth stopping at if you are driving in Sonoma County and want some beers and good food.