Beer City Festival in Santa Rosa

Tonic Immobility from Old Possum Brewing Matt Wilson from the Santa Rosa Beer City Festival is here, so is Sandro Tamburin from Old Possum Brewing, to join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. This year’s Beer City Festival is on Saturday February 25, in Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, from 11am to 4pm. Local brewers will be there, such as Russian River, Bear Republic, Hen House, Lagunitas, Old Possum and Third Street Aleworks. Brews News There is big news in the beer business this week, since Bear Republic has sold most of its assets and brands to Drake’s Brewery, which is based in San Leandro. Peter Lopez, founder of Norcal Beer Geeks, calls in to talk about the deal. Peter is also proprietor of Juncture Taproom in Santa Rosa. Racer 5 was the first IPA he ever tasted and he respects how Richard Norgrove led the charge to make northern California the hop capital of the world. “Now I know we have found a great partner,” says Richard Norgrove. “The merger with Drake’s can be a win-win, for sure,” says Peter. Beer City Festival The Beer City Festival has running events in the morning, before the beer events later on. There are three races, a half marathon, a 10K and a 5K. The beer event is from noon to 4pm, but the races start at 8 am. There is a VIP tasting from 11 to noon. Tickets are available online, $60 for Beer City admission and $20 for designated drivers who aren’t partaking. There are separate entry fees for the races, see the Run Beer City website, here. There are games, performers, food and music, and it is pet and kid friendly. Old Possum will be there with its flagship Garibaldi IPA. Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info. Tonic Immobility is the new Old Possum beer, being released on Friday. Tonic immobility is the scientific name of how the Possums pretend to be dead. It is 10.2% alcohol by volume, which is very high. Sandro is experimenting with a new hop called Pink, from Idaho. Stay tuned. Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Herlinda asks Matt about Ghost Town Brewing, which has won some big awards recently, and will be at the Beer City festival in Santa Rosa. There are circus performers in the crowd, and there will be bands playing music, to create atmosphere. The event is in a public area and it’s open to the public, and so are the food trucks. Only the tasting is ticketed. It’s also a good day to follow the beer trail.