The city of Napa is Wine Country's unofficial capital. It's also the home of one of the region's funkier brewpubs, Downtown Joe's (902 Main Street, Napa; 707-258-2337). Its slogan speaks volumes: "Our neighborhood tavern--serving all human species, indigenous and migratory to the Napa Valley." From the outside, the green and tan tilework gives Joe's a vaguely Southwestern look. But the interior is a different story; the barroom, with an ancient L-shaped wood-and-zinc bar and an old wood-burning stove, looks like it came out of an Old West mining town. Most patrons are locals who drop by to listen to some music, watch a Giants or 49ers game, and down a few pints with friends. The beers include Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale, Tail Waggin' Amber Ale, and nitrogen-conditioned Old Magnolia Oatmeal Stout. Joe's is a good place to start the day, too; the doors open at 8:30, and the breakfast menu features huevos rancheros and Sausalito-style eggs Benedict.
Three famed wine-growing regions converge near Santa Rosa, and, after a day's work, winery employees head for the Third Street Ale Works (610 Third Street, Santa Rosa; 707-523-3060). The brewpub calls itself a "community hub"; it's an energetic place filled with the laughter of people of all walks of life. Brewmaster Denise Jones (she prefers the old English term "brewster"), offers her customers a range of assertive, and often unusual, brews. Her "flagship beers" are Annadel Pale Ale, Stonefly Oatmeal Stout, and an aggressively-hopped Bodega Head IPA. But the pièce de resistance is her One-Ton Blackberry (a ton of berries do go into a batch), which was honored at last year's Great American Beer Festival. Other seasonals include an Irish red ale; honey cranberry altbier, and other riffs on German-style beers; and a barleywine. Third Street's chef also puts the house ales to work; you'll find them throughout the international-flavored menu. For those who prefer the grape to the grain, local wines, many hard to find outside California, are available.
Located on the vineyard-lined Silverado Trail, the Silverado Brewing Company (3020 Highway 29, St. Helena; 707-967-9876) occupies a stone winery complex built in 1895. Its exterior evokes Old Spain; inside, the atmosphere is mellow and contemporary. Conceived as an alternative to Napa Valley's trendy restaurants, the brewpub offers honest, reasonably-priced American dishes like porterhouse steak and St. Louis ribs. The basic beer lineup includes a blonde, an amber, and a pale ale, all of which are a change of pace from hoppy West Coast microbrews. For a while, it looked as though Silverado Brewing would never get off the ground. Its opening was held up by years of wrangling, including a lawsuit filed by Silverado Vineyards, which argued that beer was inferior to wine and associating "Silverado" with a brewpub would dilute its trademark. The editor of Celebrator Beer News, and a local brewer who also ran a winery, defended John Barleycorn's reputation in court. In the end, justice triumphed; the winery's suit was thrown out.
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