The coolest part about Marin Brewing Company is taking the ferry to Larkspur Landing and walking up to their massive restaurant and tap room. Brewmaster Brendan Moylan has been at the helm of this institution since 1989 and Marin Brew Co has been the breeding ground for a number of brewers all over the Bay (Cellarmaker among them). You'd be hard-pressed to think of a more notable local fruit-forward Ale than Marin’s Blueberry Ale. There's also a menu of standard pub-fare; it's family friendly, and a popular stop for mountain bikers on the way back from a ride.

Nestled in the comfortable confines of Fairfax, CA, Iron Springs is a welcome presence in Marin County. Their pub and brewery is complete with a full kitchen and plenty of indoor seating and outdoor picnic tables along Center Blvd. Kent Lake Kolsch is a staple and the Compulsory Triple IPA has been a favorite at Beer Week.

Despite selling 50 percent of the company to Heineken in 2015, Lagunitas’ product has remained unchanged. If anything, they’ve added to their lineup of classics like Lagunitas IPA, Little Sumpin Sumpin’ Ale, with a slew of both year-round and limited releases as well as canning the now hugely popular and tropical hoppiness of the 12th of Never Ale. Definitely go to the Petaluma brewery for a weeknight concert in the “Live at Lagunitas” series, or to relax on their spacious patio with kids and dogs.

The crown jewel of Santa Rosa, Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo’s RRBC changed the game with the Pliny The Elder Double IPA, perhaps the most influential of all West Coast IPA’s. And while its lighter cousin, Blind Pig IPA is also a fine product, it’s the Barrel Aged Sour Ales like the local Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel-Aged Consecration, Lambic-inspired Beatification and Belgian Style beers — like the brett fermented golden Sanctification — that really drive home why RRBS is a world-class brewery.

The Winters-based brewery has been making some of the most consistent beer in the Bay for a minute and their “Separation Anxiety” series of IPA’s is top notch, especially the Mini Sep — a super crushable Session IPA. The Double Tap IPA is likewise memorable and the award winning Whippersnapper is a classic British Mild. Their tap room is open Thursday through Sunday. It's family-friendly, with food trucks and live music often on the docket.

Windsor’s St. Florian’s brewery is a family business started by Aron and Amy Levin. Brewer Aron is also still a firefighter and St. Florian’s donates a portion of their profits to fire-related and community-based organizations. Their “Tap Station” is open Thursday through Sunday, where they pour a lineup that features the 48/96 (a Citra-hopped Session Ale) and their California Common. And at a time when the Brown Ale movement’s best days are behind us, St. Florian’s Winey Siren wine barrel-aged brown ale stands as a bastion— an incredibly delicious and unforgettable one.

If you’ve never had a Racer 5 IPA, you either live in a cave, or you don’t drink beer. Healdsburg-based Bear Republic has won multiple Great American Beer Festival gold medals for its Crystal malted and Cascade & Columbus-hopped IPA. While their portfolio of beers is wide (shouts to Big Bear Black Stout), Racer 5 is as strong of a flagship beer as you’ll find anywhere. The bustling taproom offers flights, pints, and a menu of pub grub.