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Road Trip: A Beer Tour of wine country part 2

Top down again and we were finally approaching the main artery of the trip, Highway 128. This road takes a diagonal SE-NW route from Calistoga, through Sonoma, then Mendocino and Pacific Ocean. Mostly a two lane highway, the initial part of 128 winds its way from Calistoga through scenic farm & vineyards lands of Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. My Bimmer did great, zigging this way and that, sure footed all the way. Highway 128 briefly merges with Highway 101, near the Mendocino County line.  Next up was Hopland, and the famous Mendocino Brewing Company. The quirky town of Hopland and this tasting room in particular, is an anachronism. Stuck inside a hundred year old building, it’s barely more than a hole in the wall, with a bar, dartboard and little else. Still, it’s a fun place to enjoy killer brews, like the popular Blue Heron Pale Ale, fresh Red Tail and my absolute favorite, Eye of the Hawk Select Ale. This tasty, full bodied, highly alcoholic dry ale is so damn good. This is an amazing stop serving awesome beers.

 

Instead of heading back down 101 to connect with 128 west, I took a shortcut - Mountain House Road – a serpentine, mountainous path passing stunning green meadows offereing up sweet strong scents of honeysuckle and pine; vineyards and the occasional cows passed by on the sides. Now Colleen had her musical pick – Five for Fighting, its power ballads cranking out of the car’s 12 speakers. My arbiter of a fine sound system is one that allows ample, clear tones with rich bass, all with the top down, driving at least sixty miles an hour. This sound system passed my test with honors. About forty minutes later we came down from the hills into the town of Boonville – a well traveled crossroad on the way to the coast. This is Anderson Valley wine country, home to many fine wineries, and also the resident home of the Anderson Valley Brewing Company, makers of Boont Amber and other fine beers and ales.

 

The cavernous tasting room is sort of weird actually, like an airplane hanger - but the beers themselves are the draw. Boont Amber is a classic ale, and even better at the source. I also enjoyed Hop Ottin’ IPA. This beer had tons of hoppiness, but still remained smooth. I finished by tasting Brother David's Triple Abbey Style Ale 10% ABV – a finely crafted, creamy Belgian balanced with elegant hoppiness. Incidentally, this is also serious Frisbee golf country, and they sell specially labeled Frisbee golf disks at the brewery.

 

Boonville, the largest town for miles - has its own underground language called Boontling, which goes back some hundred and twenty five years. Various Boontling signs, names and words are occasionally noticed.   “Tons of people still speak it,” said Scott Fraser of nearby Handley Cellars. A few locals nodded their heads silently. This was wine country meets Deliverance, but their beers are outstanding. You will probably hear some bowgleys (lies) spoken readily in Boonville.

 

Finally in the BMW for the drive west to the coast. Feeling enervated I hit the gas, as soon one, then a few, then a torrent of giant redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) closed around us. We stopped occasionally to gape at these Tolkein-esque behemoths, some taller than three hundred feet and over two thousand years old! As we drove west the air precipitously cooled, but it was still sunny and too beautiful to put the top up – hey, that’s why people drive ragtops in California! This is a stunning drive, few cars and a joy to zip along, especially in a hot number like the Z4. I attacked each curve without the tiniest morsel of a slide. The car and I were one, both very much alive at that moment. We were now listening to “Vegas Baby” a collection of 60’s era big band tunes with singers like Sammy, Dean, Louis Prima and Bobby Darin. I hope the trees enjoyed the music.

 

Got to Mendocino coast and the topography radically changed. Some giant redwoods remained, but now there were far more Monterey cypress, oaks and coastal pines mixed with beach grasses. The road wound around the Navarro River and took a jog north – toward the “village” of Mendocino. The majestic Pacific stretched infinitely west.

 

Stayed the night in The Packard House, a lovely, newly refurbished yet modern styled B& B on the old Bankers Row in Mendocino. Owners Damien Wood and Andrew Hindman have done a marvelous job making this quaint Victorian (built in 1868) into a chic, anti-frou-frou establishment. Headed out for dinner and ended up (not surprisingly) at Patterson’s Pub – I was on a beer tour after all.  Patterson’s is the place to go in Mendocino for beer, conversation, decent pub grub, sports on TV and a great overall vibe. It’s very much like a good Irish pub and also serves the excellent Smithwicks, Ireland’s oldest Ale (since 1710) on draft. We walked back to the Packard House to await the next day’s adventure.

 

 

Story concludes tomorrow

Photos by Bob Ecker