Biketoberfest, Creektoberfest, Iron Springs and HenHouse: Lots going on in October, a great time for Craft Beer and Wine enthusiasts, and a huge change for beer in the Ross Valley area.
With fall comes a shift from lighter summer beers (Pilsners, Kolsch, Wheat) to a bit heavier “winter is coming” styles…. a little darker, maltier and seasonal flavors. Octoberfest beers are lower ABV and a bit darker/malt/caramel but easy drinking…and more drinking with a slightly lower ABV… so you can throw back more.
BIKETOBERFEST is a fantastic event in Fairfax every year, happening this Saturday, October 16. (Tickets on sale: https://www.marinbike.org/biketoberfest/). This event has been scuttled the past two years to the heartbreak of the promoters, producers, the Town of Fairfax and the tens of thousands of fans, in 2019 cancelled due to the regional fires and in 2020 due to pandemic. Nothing is holding it back this year. Click Here for tickets and info. Live music and great local breweries, including a selection from our friends at Adobe Creek, Pond Farm, and State Room… with brewmaster Larry Berlin on hand (Larry goes back with us to New George’s days in the 90’s)… You can only usually get State Room beers at State Room….so nice to see them out and about. I’m guessing they’ll have more than 12 breweries on hand, plus The Pulsators are playing, so it’s gonna be a Great Day. Ride Safe, Have Fun. MORE INFO
CREEKTOBERFEST is pretty much every day for us at Creekside. We have over 25 breweries on tap with over 30 craft beers, plus cider, kombucha et al. We typically have more unique craft breweries on tap daily than most annual beer festivals, and beer flights are always available for indoor enjoyment. This Saturday, October 16… we anticipate a great spill-over from the Biketoberfest as we always get (thank you very much)… and we’re serving pints of Sierra Nevada’s 2021 Oktoberfest for $5.00 each all day long… except during Happy Hour (4pm) when ALL craft beers are only $4.00 each. Great live music both Friday and Saturday nights downtown San Anselmo. Footnote… we went to Fieldwork yesterday… and their October Fest Beer is awesome. Recommending you grab some of that before it’s gone. Fieldwork’s brewery is only 25 minutes from Creekside; well worth the return bridge toll! ID and proof of Vax required at Fieldwork.
IRON SPRINGS and HENHOUSE. This is going to be HUGE for Fairfax and the Ross Valley area, but first, let us just say it has been a labor of love and hard work by owners Michael and Anne Altman to bring you Iron Springs, serving our community and families with passion and integrity the past two decades. In a recent conversation with Mike, we talked about the bittersweet time in their lives as they hand over the reigns to Henhouse. Interesting side note… prior to the space being Iron Springs, it was The Ross Valley Brewing Company, who replaced their production system about… 10+ years ago, and their original tanks and fermenters ended up in Los Angeles…and were bought by… Absolution Brewing Company, who outgrew them quickly and offered to sell the tanks to us in our ‘conceptualization’ years when Creekside being an actual brewery in San Anselmo was on the decision tree (luckily, we decided to be a taproom instead). ANYWAY, yes, everyone has heard the buzz that Henhouse is taking over Iron Springs. Again, Congratulations, and Thanks, to Mike and Anne; you changed lives, for the better. Moving on. So, Henhouse (one of the first breweries we had on tap at Creekside) is taking over the operations and staff, and Iron Springs brand will be a memory (rush out now in a buying frenzy to get your Iron Springs commemorative shirts, sweats and hoodies!). Henhouse, is a Super Cool group; they won’t come in and bulldoze the place (they honor and value tradition, employees and dedication to community and brand), but it will change. Henhouse’s brewery in Santa Rosa (behind Auto Row) is worth a visit for sure. In one of our Instagram posts circa 2017, you can see a video of our tour there, and Henhouse was also somewhat of a fledgling then; Fast-forward 5 years and look at them go. Anyway, this will be new ground for HenHouse too as they do not have a restaurant or food program at either their Santa Rosa brewery (they have food trucks only, like Iron Springs, Absolution, et al due to ridiculously outdated ABC, Alcohol Beverage Control, laws), and their taproom (across the street from Lagunitas) in Petaluma is… taps only. We have both Henhouse and Iron Springs on tap at Creekside….so we’ll see what we see when HenHouse Brewing Company sets up a new big chicken coop in Fairfax, their first venture outside of Sonoma County, ever. Good stuff ahead.
WINE SHOP: Yes, I mentioned Wine in my opening statement. Harvest 2021 is coming to an end. Rain is forecasted for early next week, so this is the harvest mad rush for late pickers. This year, we were not raved by fires, and we had a long, dry summer, so grapes should be extra hearty this year for our bigger red wine fans. 2019 varietals are coming out now…and it’s slim pick’ens for NorCal wines of all varietals as so many were simply dropped or left on the vines in 2019 due to smoke damage to local vineyards; a devastating 2019 for many wineries. BUT… at Creekside, we just brought in some great new wines. DID YOU KNOW we carry over 40 different wines by the bottle for dine in and for Takeout/Retail sales? We have super approachable pricing for many varietals, and we have some Creekside-only “Reach wines” from Kosta-Browne and Gogi Wines (Kurt Russell’s great Pinot, yes, the actor, Kurt Russell, who we’ll be meeting with in June at his estate; he makes Great wines, who knew? We do). For online ordering, we’ve moved our “Wine Shop” to the top of our Drink Menu and tiered it from Specials, bubbly, whites, Rosé, Pinots, zins, Syrahs, red blends and a healthy Cabernet Sauvignon selection, great for pairing with our meat pizzas. All wines thoughtfully balanced and curated to enjoy with our food; not overpowering and not underwhelming, or “stand alone” as a meal in itself. We only curate CALIFORNIA WINES, including organic wines and ;local, plus our magical “Skywalker Trilogy” with Marin County’s awesome Skywalker Vineyards’ “Sommita” Chardonnay, Rosé and Pinot Noir. The Force is with us; that’s how we roll. Grab a great bottle for home, takeout or park dining from our DRINK MENU here at CreeksideSA.com
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Ellie enjoying FIELDWORK at FIELDWORK (Just 25 minutes from Creekside)… worth the trip across the pond. Try their seasonal October Fest Beer. It’s awesome. Good local pretzel on the side. Storm the Husky say Yum!