Bay Area beers to try while sheltering in place

Petaluma is hunkering down and staying indoors for health and safety, but if you’re able to venture out briefly to these retail locations, pick up a few top-notch beer takeaways to keep you socially happy and fortified while you distance yourself.

Celebrate the luck of the Irish with Third Street Ale Works’ (Santa Rosa) Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout in the 16-ounce can at Petaluma Market. This traditional dark ale pairs perfectly with Irish soda bread and corned beef. If you haven’t tried this award-winning beer (six Great American Beer Festival medals, five World Beer Cup medals), you’re in for a treat. Its dry finish and coffee-like smoothness might have you wondering why Guinness is often the only stout on tap this time of year. 4.4% alcohol by volume.

HenHouse Brewing’s Palace of Barrels (1333 North McDowell Blvd.) is open from 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays, noon to 7 p.m. weekends, for can-only purchases. We have friends who have left the strict confines of quarantine throughout the Bay Area to travel to Petaluma for a taste of HenHouse’s really fresh beer. HenHouse may be well known for the hazies, but these Petaluma local brewers are returning to their classic roots to celebrate their thousandth batch of beer, with Precious Metals and Jewels, a German-style Helles lager with old world hop flavors and a clean, crisp finish, available in 16-ounce cans. 5.0 % ABV.

Look for a recognizable Petaluma connection with Ricky Watts’ art on Fogbelt’s (Santa Rosa) Pipe Dream IPA cans. Named after a 364-foot redwood tree in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, this West Coast IPA smacks of centennial hops with big hop flavor profiles for a hearty but relatively clear IPA. Fans of Ricky Watts’ mosaic murals on the Phoenix Theater will get a kick out of this 16-ounce can art, a keeper. 6.9% ABV. Available at Charley’s (601 Petaluma Blvd. South), and Wilibees (309 Lakeville St.).

Charley’s Wine Country Deli is the only Petaluma spot to carry Crooked Goat’s (Sebastopol) fresh crowlers 32-ounce cans to-go, including Ibex IPA, a smooth, fruit-filled 7.2% ABV ale featuring Citra, Simcoe and Amarillo hops, and Lil’ Chino, a lemon-zest winter session beer at 4.0% ABV. But the most remarkable find is an opportunity to try Crooked Goat’s Upside Down Hazy IPA featuring Australian hops for a completely unique hop aroma and flavor profile. Southern Hemisphere hops tend toward light tropical and stone fruit notes with airy aromatics.

The minute we tried Ghost Town Brewing’s (West Oakland) Geisterfaust Pilsner on draught at Whisper Sisters, we knew we were on to classic. This California lager nearly replicates a true German pils with a proud malty grain-base, and old-world Bavarian hops for a clean and slightly bitter finish. It tastes like Oktoberfest but in a 12-ounce serving. 5.6% ABV. Sadly, Whisper Sisters shuttered its doors earlier this week, so we were so pleased to see at least two Ghost Town 16-ounce cans at Wilibees (Geisterfaust Pilsner and Inhume IPA). If you can get your hands on Ghost Town, give it a try. These East Bay brewers know craft style.

Reconnect with a classic. We are fortunate to have an amazing selection of world class beers at Petaluma Market and Wilibees. Right now, try the quintessential Belgian Tripel trappist beer, Chimay Cinq Cents with a friend (because it is usually only available in the large 150-cl bottle, 50+ ounces). This white-label Belgian ale is a union of high alcohol warmth and subtle honey and grain notes. The citrus esters from the yeast produce a rounded, lemony spice note that you might come to expect from a classic Belgian ale. This is a perfect balance of sweet and bitter that marks the Belgian style, and pairs perfectly with carb-friendly quarantine meals like pasta, risotto, and salads. 8% ABV.