There was a push by local credit unions to get a bunch of folks to switch over from big national and multi-national banks over to more Sonoma County-minded establishments *. Kudos to them. It apparently went quite well. I’ve never used a big bank, so I kinda missed the boat there. Rather than switching my deposits to a local bank, I’ve been sending my beer money to local brewers. A couple of notables:
- Bear Republic in Healdsburg makes one of my personal favorites, Racer 5. My local supermarket can barely keep this stuff stocked.
- Lagunitas, straight out of Petaluma. Their IPA is available at just about every store in Santa Rosa.
- Lost Coast Brewery is up in Eureka. That stretched “local” pretty badly, but their Downtown Brown is worth a shot.
- Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah makes Red Tail Ale. I make a habit of picking up a six-pack whenever they’re on sale.
- Moonlight Brewing Company in Santa Rosa makes a variety of somewhat severe brews. A mainstay at my work’s company events, but tread with caution.
- Russian River Brewing Company is renown for its limited-run Pliny the Younger, though Pliny the Elder will set you up just fine. Located in Santa Rosa.
- Sierra Nevada is way up in Chico, but is very much treated as a local beer down here in Santa Rosa. I was pleasantly surprised to find it available at restaurants in Washington, D.C. a couple years back. I abstain from their Celebration Ale for purely nostalgic reasons.
The specific brews mentioned above are just representative of what comes immediately to mind when thinking of these folks; there’s a lot of variety to be found from wheat beers to ales to stouts and reds and what-have-you. I’ve found the Lagunitas and Sierra Nevada beers to be a mixed bag, having partaken of them since my ne’er-do-well high school days. It’s good to know that your beer-buying money is heading right back into the local economy, where it’s brewed by the very people you honk at in traffic and silently judge while they take too long at the ATM.
Don’t confuse this with a call to political action. I’m just suggesting you put down your Guinness for a moment and give Death & Taxes a try.
My problem with buying local beers is that a 6-pack of Lagunitas (regular; not limited run) was over $10.25. I can get a whole case of some other beer, usually on sale for $11.99. I appreciate the local breweries and Russian River Brewing has my favorite beer of all time, but sometimes it just doesn’t make fiscal sense.
I generally get a six-pack of Lagunitas for $7-$9 at the Safeway down on Yulupa. It isn’t a bargain, but when I’m buying myself a treat I want it to be a treat.
Is Fairfield or Suisun City considered local? It’s closer than Eureka… theres’ that Budweiser plant 😀
Touché.
The Bank of America branch on Hahman is a couple blocks closer to my house than the Exchange Bank on Montgomery. Does that make B of A more local?