Fogbelt Brewing
305 Cleveland Ave.
Santa Rosa CA
707-978-3400
Fogbelt is a place I’ve had on my shortlist to visit since they opened nearly two and a half years ago, but particularly with new breweries opening seemingly every month in Sonoma County, and so many other things in life, Fogbelt remained unvisited.
But on a beautiful Saturday afternoon the stars aligned as I pulled into the parking lot on Cleveland Ave, not far from College Ave. The crowded marque for the “Vintners Square” complex lists Fogbelt fourth after three wineries, but despite the sign, Fogbelt’s building is front and center and a lovely place to spend some time.
Brewers Paul Hawley and Remy Martin grew up in Sonoma County, sons of winemakers and dabbled in homebrewing while themselves working in the wine industry. A few years ago they decided to turn their hobby into a business and FogBelt Brewing Company was founded.
Inside the central bar dominates the space, but very well-spaced tables and booths ring the outside and provide plenty of seating areas even on a bustling weekend afternoon. After ordering at the bar, my friend Lisa and I decided to sit outside in one of the tree-shaded booths.
Following the theme of their Fogbelt moniker, which represents the foggy region along the coast mountain range that is home to the tallest trees in the world, Fogbelt names their beers after significant redwood trees. First up I tried the “Sentinel” single hop pale ale (5.4% ABV) while Lisa opted for the wonderfully named “Screaming Titan” double IPA (8.2% ABV).) – the “Screaming Titan” is a towering coast redwood in the Grove of Titans in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park in Del Norte County, while “Sentinel” is an enormous sequoia redwood in Sequoia National Park east of Visalia.
Personally, I’ve rarely found a well-balanced single hopped beer, and the Sentinel, though delicious, wasn’t an exception. But balance isn’t why I always gravitate to single-hopped offerings, but rather because they show off a particular hop. Sentinel is brewed to showcase a different, rotating hop varietal – currently the sole hop for Sentinel is Calypso. Despite being a pale ale, sharp notes of green apple with only undertones of citrus dominated, the citrus lingering on the finish.
By comparison, Lisa’s Screaming Titan was one of the best balanced double IPAs I’ve tasted. The blend of Chinook, Cascade, Mosaic, Citra, Centennial, Bravo, and El D hops evened out flavor profile with an easy citrus palate and gentle finish. Fogbelt’s menu describes the Screaming Titan as their “signature Double IPA,” and for good reason – it’s an extremely well-crafted beer.
Speaking of the menu, Fogbelt boasts a fairly full menu of food items from their kitchen. We opted to share the pretzel bites with a beer béchamel dipping sauce and meatloaf sliders (which we opted for the bacon add-on because, well, bacon). Both were delicious, with the tangy spicy ketchup of the meatloaf pairing nicely with the beers. The beer béchamel didn’t stand up to the beer nearly as well, but sea salt and parsley on the perfectly baked pretzels allowed that dish to shine as well.
For a second round, Lisa stayed with the Screaming Titan (who could blame her?) while I wanted to try the “Del Norte” IPA (7.0% ABV). The hearty blend of Centennial, Exp. 0727 and Chinook hops certainly places it in the West Coast IPA style, but it’s not aggressively hop-forward. The finish is short but leaves a note of caramel in its wake.
Overall, we had a great time and great beer. Even though Fogbelt Brewing Company has been open for two and a half years, they already feel like a well-established member of the Sonoma County brewing scene and well worth a visit.
Fogbelt Brewing Company is at 305 Cleveland Ave. in Santa Rosa (707-978-3400, fogbeltbrewing.com, @FogbeltBrewing on Twitter and Instagram, and Fogbeltbrewing on Facebook). The brewery and taproom are open Monday –Thursday from 12 – 10pm, Friday and Saturday 11am – 11pm, Sunday 12 – 8pm with the kitchen open until an hour before the taproom closes.
