Bottoms Up
Beer Tasting in Wine Country

Sometimes it's good to be outnumbered.

Like happening into girls' night out or accidentally bringing a bunch of vegans to a pig roast.

So we think a solitary brewhaus smack in the heart of wine country is a winner.

Here keeping it real is Sonoma Springs Brewing Company, a boutique brewery near Sonoma's plaza specializing in an array of new Bavarian beers, open tomorrow.

This yeasty brewery will be your German-inspired oasis in a vine-filled valley. And now, after tilting back a few chards and cabs at the surrounding wineries, you'll be able to mix things up with lagers and ales.

Head to the wooden bar in the tasting room (Sonoma-talk for "pub")—which is very much a working brewery with cooperage and tanks in plain sight—and let brewmaster Tim walk you through six or so of his concoctions.

If you're new to Old World-inspired, all-wheat beers (there's one pale ale in the bunch), start with a flight—four brandy snifters' worth—of beer. Try the flagship Roggenbier (a revival of their Red Rye with a sweetness that'll pair particularly well with pork), and since you're in wine country, opt for the Hefeweizen that's fermented for a week in chardonnay barrels.

Bring your own growler, and they'll fill it with specialties like the Doppelbock made with smoked malt that, at 8%, is best enjoyed at home.

If you can make it that far.