Came here a few weeks back. I was excited by the rave reviews, but unfortunately, my experience was less than stellar.
I was excited to see their list of craft beers on tap, but out of all of them, none really stood out. We did 2 tasters of 6 different beers, and nothing was really that great. I didn't even end up ordering a pint. They also have about 5 or more beers that are not craft beers.
It was a warm day, so we sat on their "patio" which was dirty, filled with ash trays, and a bunch of smokers.
The bartender wasn't very knowledgeable about the beers on tap or all that friendly. I guess if you like dive bars this is your place, but I won't be back, and I know the other 7 people in my group felt the same way.
Great beer! Â Great staff! Â They have 32 rotating taps with a wide variety of craft beers. Â I'm sure you can find something you like. Â Two of us tasted 6 beers each on a groupon deal. Â We're from out of town, and Coley greeted us, got our names, and showed us the ropes. Â The other patrons were happy and friendly. Â Comfy bar stools...important. Â We'll definitely be back next time we're in Sonoma. Â Expecting to see some of their own brews soon.
Review Source:Loved to find this place. We stumbled upon this place when a person we were considered sharing a living situation with suggested we meet him here. Was pleasantly surprised.
The person behind the bar was very helpful and even admitted that none of the current selections fit what type of beer I was looking for. I wanted something super hoppy but not too bitter, though not sweet either. They had just run out of Lagunitas IPA the day or so before, and I wasn't in the mood for a Racer 5. She had me try several to get me interested in something else that they did have. Worked great! Found another beer I was in the mood for, a nice unfiltered wheat.
We were there in an early afternoon on a week day and even then it was decently stocked with people. There was still ample bar and table seating though.
Once our meeting was done we moved to the bar from a table and grabbed another pint. Great craic! So many fun people to chat with.
We noted how they let you bring in food from the place next door, or really from anywhere since they don't have a kitchen and they want you to stay and drink more beer! Cool!
We were instant fans of this place! If we're in the area again, we're so stopping at this place for a pint. Love the awesome selection. If anything, I've been to other places with just as awesome of a selection, however these places are all spread out and few and far in between. I am so stoked to find another!
Sooooo refreshing to find a place where the locals chill in Sonoma that is unpretentious unprecocious and just a good ol' time with a pint.
I have never had a pub or bar that I could call my own. You know, like "Cheers" (though I'm not sure "everybody knows my name...yet!), the kind of place where the staff knows you by first name and can pick out a beer they just KNOW you'll like, where one of the other patrons might buy a round for the group, where you look forward to meeting up with friends you met there. This is my pub now. 32 different beers on tap, an owner who used to brew beer, knows his stuff, and is ready with a welcome, a fun and friendly staff that knows their products, and the friends I've met here. Oh and the nachos from the taqueria next door are great. Yup, it's my pub.
Review Source:This place is great. Â I was here a couple of nights ago to meet some friends. Â Their beer variety is amazing and the energy is chill and fun. Â The Mexican restaurant next door will deliver to you if you're hungry. Â I've also had Mary's across the street deliver food to the outdoor patio. Dogs are welcome in the patio area which is great for all of you pet parents. Â The patio is smoke friendly which is a rarity but if smoke bothers you there is still plenty of space inside to sit and not be around it.
I'm not a Beer Connoisseur. I don't care what the alcohol content is and I don't think that PBR is beneath me. Â Even not being very knowledgeable about Beer, I've never once been intimidated. Â The very first time I came in, I told them that I wanted something "that drinks like a Coors Light" and they didn't treat me like I was a bother, stupid or as if they were offended. They have also made some great suggestions and let me try little sips to see if I like something. Â I'm proud to say that they have helped me over the months to expand my beer horizons.
Cheers!
Favorite place to hang out and have a couple pints and watch a game on TV. Numerous dart boards and a pool table give you lots of options if you don't wanna just sit there and chat it up at the bar.
This is a GREAT venue for live music and the juke box also never disappoints. Â Lots of locals always around to keep you abreast of the happenings around town.
The beer selection is the BEST around! Â No joke when I say that. Â I like my beers hoppy and I was just introduced to the Raging Bitch Belgian IPA from Flying Dog Brewery located in New Jersey. Â Amazing beer! Â They also have Pliny the Elder, Freestone Walker's Double Jack, and dozens more great beers on tap and in bottles. Â The staff is very knowledgeable and friendly as well.
Stop in whenever you feel like just kicking back, having a good craft brew, and listening to some live music (or juke box tunes!) while watching a game on the tube.
Salud!
Love this place! Impromptu day off adventure found me & the bf up in Sonoma for some serious lazy-day beer imbibing. Thankfully, out first stop was Olde Sonoma Public House. Now, I love beer, but tend to geek out about wine a little more than the average person can handle. My bf is a straight-up beer guy, and while he puts up with my relentless stream of vino-babble like a true champ, there is something about seeing him in his true element that makes me so happy :) This was SOOO his place! I tried an awesome double belgian that I'd never had before, he went for the Old Rasputin (an Imperial Stout), and our bartender Brian hooked us up with a few tastes of some great on-tap items that we probably wouldn't have tried. Ever mixed pear cider with pinot gris? Neither had I, but it was dangerously delicious. Great staff, great vibe, and great beer; this might not be close enough to qualify as our local pub, but it definitely is one of our new favorites.
Review Source:Fun, comfortable place to stop in and grab some drinks, and grab some food from next door.
Met up here with some friends for the first time on a saturday night. Â Not super busy, but definately not empty.
Asked the 'beertender' a smooth but flavorful beer, and he suggested the Ally Cat Ale. Â Gave it a try, and it was exactly what i was looking for. Â So just based on that, these guys know what they are doing. Â Which is nice for a change :)
Will definately come back here again, try out some good beers, and enjoy some good conversation with friends. Â
Only downside: Â The couches that they provide are really uncomfortable. Â You can feel all the springs and the frame. Â I'd suggest they get a more 'solid' or firm couch, so then their customers dont sink into the couch, and have no support to sit and enjoy a cold beer.
Amazing beer. Â Great Staff. Â Everytime I walk in I feel dwarfed by their monolithic selection of tasty tasty beer. Â That's where the good staff comes in, they all know whats up and will gladly let you taste anything before you commit. Â Russian River is well represented, although Coley told me, they end up keeping a lot of Pliny to themselves, who could blame them.
DARTS. Â Love that they have free darts and actually nice dart boards. Â No electronic, disco darts that dont stick in here. Â Just check out a few sets and cricket the night away.
RECORDS. Â What makes this my favorite bar ever, is the selection of funky old 45s in the back room. Â People my age seemed unsure if it worked, or if it was just for show. Â Within 5 seconds I was pumpin' a nice crackley version of "Power Of Love" by Huey and the News.
Also, they have a chalkboard behind the bar where you can leave a tab for a friend, so If anybody is in there feeling generous, I could always use a pint.
The Olde Sonoma is a great, mellow place to have a few beers and hang out with friends. It's never too crowded, even on Saturday night, and people are mostly friendly locals. It's a nice change of pace from the touristy/meat market-y plaza bars. There's sometimes live music, but it's generally pleasant and not too loud.
There are dozens of rotating taps, including many limited editions and rarer imports, and many beers you won't find anywhere else. There are also some nice bottled beers and a good selection of local wines. The owners seem to have pretty good connections to breweries in the area (and beyond).
The food options are limited to a taqueria next door and pub grub, but they encourage you to bring in take-out from restaurants in the area. And there's a popcorn machine.
Happy hour is from 4-6pm.
This isn't a bar, it's a taproom and it's very good. Â Went here on a slow Tuesday afternoon, didn't expect to see it is a strip mall but was pleasantly suprised by the outcome.
I came here for a good craft beer selection and this definitely blew away my expectations. Â Most places with this many taps you might expect the whole line from breweries, 3 or 4 taps from a handful of breweries, so you are still limited to only a few choices but this wasn't the case. Â Coley has great selection, over 20 different breweries easily are represented on his 32 taps and it's not just the standard stuff, a lot of it is stuff that is only available at the brewery or beers you haven't heard of. Â Great selections of big IPA's, which is what we came for. Â Stayed here for about an hour and a half with my girlfriend, Coley was awesome and gave us tasters of about 5 or 6 beers, enjoyed a few pints and some nachos from next door, seriously can't wait to go back.
Also this place isn't for the casual drinker of bud and coors, you won't see it in the building (Thank God!).
Lots of beers to drink, sports bar vibe with great tv's, but kind of ghetto. Â I don't care for the strip-mall feeling of the suite and it seemed a bit dirty and uninspiring inside. Â . Â . Â like a strip mall suite. Â Its hard going from the superb ambiance of places like Mondo (R.I.P.) and the Jack London Lodge to "kicking it" at the Fiesta shopping center. Â A personal preference. Â Probably a great place to go to watch a game and get wasted with the fellas, but there's really no vibe.
Review Source:Pretty damn good tap beer selection for Boyes Hot Springs. Local crowd of which some seem to prefer the cheap canned beer they slyly pour behind the counter. Fine as it leaves a bit more of the good for those who appreciate. Kind of a sterile place for a tap house but give it time for the patina to develope. Â Spacious, pool table, outdoor seating, smoke friendly...will have to come back for a few more pints and a cigar on a nice spring day.
Review Source:My new favorite after work spot. I just got into beer within the last 2 or so years. I've never been a big fan of just going out to the bar unless dancing was involved or I was out with friends. I love coming here by myself for a beer or two and chatting with some other random person. The vibe of the bar is great, lighting is bright enough to be cheerful without being glaring. The beer selection is tons of fun, I try and at least sample something new every time. Bar tenders are friendly and quickly learned my name. Coli the owner is great as well. If you haven't visited you are missing out.
As for the alcohol percentages, I have no clue if they are right or wrong by the specific beers specs, but when I drink a 9% it generaly has the effect I would expect and likewise for lower percentage beers. The key is to watch which perecentages you drink and meter yourself. If you drink 3 pints of a 9% beer, you are going to get much tipsier than say 3 pints of your run of the meal beer found in the grocery store. Pay attention and have fun.
Got turned on to this place a few weeks ago and I love it. Â Great selection of beers and nice combination of bar, table, and outside seating. Â (They even have the cool old sofa from the now defunct Emy's) Other than the popcorn machine there is no food, but they do have an arrangement with the Mexican restaurant next door so you can have food delivered. Â Nice. Â Pool table has its own room and they have a dart board with real darts! Â Cannot wait for their leagues to start up.
The only reason I am not giving it 5 stars is because of the location. Â First off it's in a shopping center and second, it's in an area notorious for very heavy patrols and the more than occasional DUI check-point. Â Not that I'm an advocate for over indulging, but you are taking a real risk having more than one and getting behind the wheel. Â I'm just saying...
We stumbled into the Olde Sonoma Public House after doing some wine tasting in Glen Ellen. What a great surprise. The beer selection was out of the world. Some real gems on there. And to top it all off, Coley and Jo are two of the nicest and most knowledgeable bar owners I have ever met.
I'm definitely stopping by here whenever I'm in Sonoma.
I love and support all the brewpubs here in Sonoma Valley... However, no one, until now has ventured to this side of town...
Set right in the South end of Boyes Springs in the Fiesta Plaza Shopping Center is "Olde Sonoma Public House"! Â Now, if you've been there, you have probably seen me there, because I very much enjoy the atmosphere... Not only are the employees friendly, the clientele is energetic and having a good time...
With 32 beers on tap, surely there is something you like being served... If you haven't tried any of the beers (which I doubt) you can have a sampler of 6 or just taste one or two to help you decide... Â The great thing is, they are always changing the beers around, so every time you go, there is probably something new you haven't tried, or even ever heard of... Coley is so knowledgeable when it comes to beer; he is a mixologist of sorts... Tell 'em what you want and he will concoct something from 2 or more beers - Sounds weird, but awesome! They also have a very wide range of pricing for their beers, anywhere from $2 - $10 for a pint... (Something good will fit your budget)
There is so much to do here also.. They have 2 dartboards, a pool table (FREE), jukebox, and FREE wi-fi... Â What more could you ask for... :) lets get some tourney's going!
Light food is served, like hot dogs and popcorn... But they encourage you to bring in your own.. Right next door is a little Mexican Food joint, and across the street Mary's Pizza Shack... A little ways down also is Essan Thai... He also has a folder of menus that you can look thru and order out from the near-by restaurants...
Last but not least, Coley and Jo are awesome business owners who are there for the community... They live close by, and really understand what this area of town needs! Congrats to the success!
With all that said - If you haven't been here yet... GO! You will not be disappointed...
-- Tell em Chenoa sent u!
I thought a two star review was harsh. Hell lets make it a one. I went back to see if the alcohol content was changed. Yes the alcohol content was properly labeled 8 percent...But they also changed beer from the distributor.
So now they are serving a 5 percent alcohol beer listed at 8 percent...Do they really care? Nope.
On a positive note, the staff will give you a few sample tastes before buying a full glass.Its nice that you can try before you buy.
It's simply not geeky enough. A place for beer geeks by beer geeks would be nice. The staff are not all bad. But the majority are not high enthusiasts of beer.
I wanted to like the place. I see they have full sail ale on tap. Anybody with a sleazy tavern acquire that beer. It's a big mainstream distributor beer...I don't propose segregation of phillistine patrons.
I propose education. How is anybody to know a better beer if the opportunity to continue to consume swill is given? The notion that beer is a bland blue collar beverage or not as sophisticated as wine is pure rubbish.
One can only hope that some of the staff at this establishment will be fired, or quit. New talent and passion needs to enter this establishment. It would be nice if more passionate people for beer would be employed.
Let us hope the business is a success. Small business is tough in Sonoma county. The good news is there are more options for beer in Sonoma.
This part of town needed a pub. Â We now have the Olde Sonoma Public House thanks to Coley and Jo. Â The pub is relaxed with bar, table and sofa seating. Â The menu of fermented products rotates. Â The atmosphere is friendly and casual. Â If you do not know what to order just explain your likes to Coley and he will produce an ale or beer that will satisfy you. Â Went there first to read a short story by Elmore Leonard. Â Had no problem with distractions. Â Went a second time with my bride to socialize a little and did that too. Â Try it and you will not be disapointed.
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