Bottoms Up

Hopmonk, the new Sebastopol (CA.) pub rocks!

Our daughter Meredith passed her oral thesis exam last week and is cleared to receive her master’s in education from California State University, Sonoma next month. We got to sit in on the examination by three of her profs, then we took her and her husband and kids out for a celebratory dinner.

Where? They live in Sebastopol and wanted us to go to Hopmonk, the new pub-beer garden opened last month by Dean Biersch, the co-founder, with Dan Gordon, of Gordon-Biersch, the posh brewpub chain and brewery.

For me, going to Hopmonk was a no-brainer. I visited just before they opened and loved the place, I was eager to see return.

Some quick background: Dean Biersch and Dan Gordon sold the brewpubs, and sold a majority interest in the big brewery in San Jose to a Las Vegas group. Dan Gordon remains the master brewer, Dean is completely out of the business and Hopmonk is the first pub he’s opened in eight years. You can find the report on my first visit here.

I made reservations, since there were six of us, a smart move. At 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday night, the place was packed. Quick summary: fast service, our waiter really knew her beer, had all the specials in her head and provided me with four, four-ounce samplers. They have a long list of on-tap beers: 16 on the printed menu and a few more. Their bottled beer selection is extensive and leans heavily toward Belgium.

Our daughter, master’s scholar that she is, went for Duchesse de Bourgogne, the 5 percent, bitter-sweet Flemish ale; her husband ordered Hopmonk Kellerbier, a 5.3 percent, tasty, Euro-style pils with a sharp hoppy edge, made especially for Hopmonk by Dan Gordon at Gordon Biersch. Both came in their proper glasses, the Duchess in a branded chalice, the Kellerbier in a tall pilsner glass.

My wife ordered and thankfully received Diet Coke. Readers of this blog may recall that she was pissed, miffed, upset because Stone Brewing’s excellent new restaurant in Escondido doesn’t have it. That brought a smile from Dean Biersch, who was table-hopping. You gotta stock it, he said. I agree: Keep your designated driver happy, I say. Now all Dean has to do is stock Diet Coke glasses like they do in Belgium.

My samplers: Alaksan Summer Ale, a Kolsch-style beer. I thought it was excellent, 5 percent, mildly spicy aroma, light, but mouth-filling malty taste, dry, mildly spicy finish from the Hallertau hops. My rating THREE STARS-PLUS.

Sampler 2 was Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, a 6.7 percenter, made with fresh, air-shipped hops from New Zealand. A brilliant copper with a thick creamy head and a nose of grapefruit, marmalade and spice. Taste is unusual, unfamiliar, with a pronounced bitterness at the end. This was the second time I tasted this beer and I liked it more this time. Getting used to those hops. Rating: THREE STARS.

Sampler 3. One of my all-time favorites, Moonlight Brewing (Santa Rosa, CA) Death & Taxes Black Lager. An inky dark brown with a black-malt nose and a creamy tan head. Taste: wow! Crisp, black malt, vaguely sweet with a roast malt and chocolate finish that lasts and lasts. My rating: THREE STARS PLUS.

Sampler 4: Eel River Organic Porter, Eel River Brewing, Fortuna, CA. I loved this beer. A 6.3 percent porter, so dark it could be a stout, exquisite, sweet malt nose. The taste is quite complex, sweet, then dry, then aromatic with dark malt lingering and a bit of hops lingering on the palate. Another beautiful beer from Eel River. Rating: FOUR STARS.

About the food: My wife and I split steak and tavern fries, $18.50, beautifully done. Meredith the Spicy Roasted Chicken, $15; her husband, the Vegan Thai Yellow Curry. The kids had toasted cheese sandwiches, which came with the children’s menu. They alos have Mac & Cheese on the adult menu by the way.

Total tab with tip, including the beer, $95. For six people, an excellent bargain.

So where is this pub. Sebastopol is in Sonoma County about 50 miles north of San Francisco. Check the map.