Sonoma County's Beer Brewing Beginnings
Hoppy History
Long before Sonoma County was known for its rolling vineyards and award-winning wines, the humble hop was the region’s most popular crop.
What’s a Hop?
A hop is a cone-shaped flower of the hop plant used primarily as a flavoring and stabilizing agent in beer. Hops impart bitterness to balance the sweetness of malt and add aroma and flavor to beer. Different varieties of hops can produce a wide range of flavors and aromas, including floral, citrus, and pine notes.
In the Beginning
Hops were a key agricultural crop in the area from the 19th to early 20th century. Although New York and Wisconsin were historically the centers of U.S. hop production, the crop was introduced to Sonoma County in 1858 and, within 15 years, the region was commercially producing more than a million pounds of hops a year.
Hop picking was a tough, thankless job, but the boom Sonoma County experienced drew a myriad of folks to yearly harvests. Over the years, hop harvests saw Indigenous, African American, and Chinese contractors; Japanese workers from Hawaii; Dust Bowl refugees; and even local housewives and high school students.
After a field worker strike brought harvest to a grinding halt, tinkerer and hop grower Florian Dauenhauer invented a mechanical hop picker out of his machine shop in Santa Rosa in 1940.
Prohibition and Other Bummers
Sonoma County was a national leader in hop production by the early 1900s, but by the 1920s, Prohibition lowered demand. Although there was a resurgence during WWII, the industry declined again in the 1950s due to changing tastes (folks wanted lighter beers with low bitterness). The local hop community was also devastated after a poor growing season and downy mildew outbreak in 1953.
A New Era
In 1976, New Albion Brewing Company started making beer in Sonoma using old dairy tanks, old Coca-Cola barrels, and cast-off equipment, essentially launching the first modern microbrewery in the United States. New Albion inspired a whole wave of local and national brewers and is often considered the godfather of modern brewing. You can see an original New Albion sign at the Russian River Brewing Company brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa.
Oldest Tap in Town
Started in 1992, Santa Rosa’s Moonlight Brewing Company is the oldest brewery in Sonoma County. “I just wanted to make beers that I wanted to drink.” This straightforward desire was the impetus for Brian Hunt to launch Moonlight Brewing Company. Stop by to see what’s being poured at the casual, family-friendly space.
Oh, Hoppy Day
Hop growing is returning to the area! Several brewers in the late ’90s started experimenting with small hopyards, but growing efforts increased in 2015 with the formation of the NorCal Hop Alliance. There are currently two dozen members in Sonoma County alone.
