Baeltane Brewing

Fantastic place!
Wonderful atmosphere, friendly staff, delicious beers, and whimsical live music!
They just need more chairs to accommodate such large crowds when the nice weather rolls in!
Ooh, also, I wish they sold heftier snacks the way Ernie’s Tin Bar does… because that beer will shoot you to the friggin moon it’s so strong!

I put this off posting this revised review because I was so angry at how I was treated — I really needed time to cool off. It was a particular challenge because I drive by Baeltane multiple times a day and each time I was reminded of how I was treated as described below. However, after thinking about it, I really need to revise my review based on two sequentially bad customer service experiences I had. When Baeltane first opened in 2014, I was an enthusiast customer. After stopping in several times and trying out various brews on site, I purchased a «growler» bottle from them as they offered affordable refills. The first time I came back with the growler to get a refill there was no problem.
However the second time I stopped in with the growler (which involves driving to my house, getting the bottle and then driving back to the Baeltane), I was told that they would not refill my growler because they needed to save the beer they had left for customers who were drinking on site (e.g. purchasing more expensive individual pints.). I was incredulous. I’m the regular customer with the bottle in hand and I’m being told that the per glass profit was more important than taking care of customers!
I left very unhappy as you might imagine. After a few weeks, I thought to myself that perhaps the employee was just misguided in their thinking and why should I condemn the business based on a single bad experience. So, I went back, bottle in hand another time. And un-****ing believably, I was told the same thing! «We’re low on beer, we need to keep what we have for the more profitable customers.» That’s an almost verbatim quote. I can’t tell you how tempted I was to smash my growler on the ground. Instead, I kept it as an example of how NOT to provide customer service.
The beer is good. The business policies suck. I only give a revised rating of two stars because of the quality of the beer. Don’t buy a growler unless you like empty bottles. Don’t expect customer loyalty.

Liked this place a lot their beers can be found at local markets in Marin and Sonoma County. I loved their Luminance Tripel beer. They offer a sampler I recommend doing that first and if you find one you really like order it or take some home.

I’m so in love with this brewery! The best beer, amazing people, and the perfect place to stop when theres a traffic jam.

Some of the best beers I have tasted across the board.

If you like your beer from small local breweries you can’t get much smaller and local than this.
If your tastes are more along the lines of Belgium and saison/​farmhouse and not towards the tastebud killing hop bombs that seem to be popular now then this is your place.
Service is friendly and makes you feel like you are drinking at your friends house — if your friend was a fantastic Brewer with a penchant for Belgium ales.
I don’t get by often because I live so far away but this place is my favorite brew house and their beers are unique and right on point. I drive out of my way to get here when I can.

Place was good. Pretty small and almost missed it. Glad I found it though. Good beers.

Rad find! Definitely a fan and bummed it took me so long to stop in. Also stoked to know I was able to bring my food from next door in and eat while I had a couple of pints.
Will be back!

I came here with a group of friends {and my seven month old} towards the end of a wine country brewery day and we were welcomed with open arms! The indoor space is cozy and intimate, while the outside space provides a sidewalk and grass for picnics and sidewalk chalk drawings from the other families who visit.
Dog friendly? Yes! People friendly? Yes! Great beer? YES! Go, Go, Go! It’s soooo good.

This place is a hidden treasure, I can’t believe it’s taken us so long to get to the tasting room. I’ve tasted Baeltane at Biketoberfest over the past couple of years and always thought it was the best beer at the festival. We went on the hottest day possible and parked ourselves outside on the grass. There is seating inside and I saw a shelf full of board games, if you’re ever stuck in traffic (which we were trying to avoid) this is a great place to pass the time.
My husband ordered the full flight, and we took home a bottle of the Citroen Farmhouse — it’s a saison that is citrusy and refreshing. They don’t serve food, and I’m ok with that! I’m tired of the standard menu items at breweries anyways. I’ll have to ask if it’s ok to bring outside food, if so I’m thinking a picnic and beer tasting is the perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon.

First time here on a Saturday around 4 p.m. while passing through Novato on the way back to Sacramento. I was able to easily find free 2 hour parking on the street. They also are a dog friendly place.
The brewery is very small and also dimly lit, so I opted to sit on the patio at one of the two tables available. I had good service, but something about this place just didn’t make me want to stay awhile.
Beer tasting costs $ 9 for four 4oz samples and you can get additional samples for $ 2.25/each. Here is what I thought:
Liked: None :/​
Indifferent:
1. Farmer’s Flock
2. Jabberwooky IPA
3. Frog Double IPA
Didn’t Care For:
1. Citroen
I have to say that I wasn’t a fan and don’t see myself coming back. Come check them out to see for yourself though.

A hidden treasure. Great beers. Friendly people. And on a nice afternoon, what could be better than to sit outside with a friend and enjoy some of the best brews around?

Looking to taste some amazing beers but don’t want to deal with the crowds you’ll find at Lagunitas or Russian River? Definitely try these guys out! The location is a little off the beaten path, but that just adds to the awesomeness!
Get a flight, take a seat inside or out, play a couple games, and when you’re hungry just walk next door and grab some tasty Thai food.

Super-​high quality beers and interesting ones at that! No TV, so it’s bad for hooting and hollering sports fans, but PERFECT for a great beer and meeting interesting people– right on.

Baeltane Brewing might be the smallest brewery I ever visited. I drove right by the place twice– without even noticing it – though the GPS pointed the exact location. Once I was in the back, I spotted some kegs and tanks so I know the beer must be around, but on the other side. As Baeltane is not in a busy part of Novato, you can just park on the street, few steps away.
Their whole operation including the tasting room is probably even smaller than 1000 square feet. What this makes for is a bar with few stools, couple of tables by the window/​entrance, couple outside, and the tanks in the back room. That is it. Décor is somewhat minimal, obviously Celtic insipired.
Having few of Baeltane brews at local beer festivals in the past few years, my expectations were not too high as far as the beer goes. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with Baeltane’s beer. It just doesn’t stand out for me… It’s surely drinkable but I did not find one single beer they make I would consider as one of the better in the style. I took a flight of everything they had on offer minus the barley wine so maybe I am missing out, but overall what they had at the time was OK, nothing more.
Considering the size, Baeltane Brewing has a lot of room for growth. Their beer is decent and it will be interesting to see if they can take it places from here. Due to the setup (same ol’ industrial area, no food), I can’t go with more then 3 star rating but I wouldn’t mind checking back on how the things are going when I am around in Novato next time…

Hole. In. The. Wall. For sure.
After beers & bites at a brewpub a few miles up the freeway, I stopped by Baeltane Brewing for a few more tastes before heading home. Because, yeah, you actually can do a brewery crawl in Novato.
I’ve tasted 1 or 2 Baeltane beers at beer festivals over the past couple years, but didn’t have any real sense of what this place’s beers are all about. So I went to the source. Which took some searching, even with GPS nav. Baeltane is tiny & it’s easy to drive right on by it.
Once located, I parked easily on the street directly in front of their door. Inside, more of the tininess. There’s a couple small communal tables & 3 seats at the bar. There were only a few other folks in there, so even the limited seating was sufficient.
Tiny brewery means tiny brewing capacity. Baeltane was still recovering from SF Beer Week & the beers available were limited. But there was still enough beer for me to try some tasters, with a little gratis bonus thrown in.
For tasters, I got: Biere de Gardeniere, Citroen French Farmhouse Ale & Tapestry Belgian Style Dubbel. The gratis bonus was a tiny taste of Beleriand Barleywine, which was in extremely limited supply. Baeltane’s focus is obviously on Belgian/​Saison beers.
While these types of beers aren’t what I tend to gravitate toward, everything I tried was excellent for what it was. Being a West Coast IPA guy, I really liked the Citroen French Farmhouse Ale, which is a Saison dry-​hopped with Citra. Nice.
&, man, that Beleriand Barleywine really packs a punch. High %abv, but sweet for my taste. During my tastings, I had an interesting conversation about beer (of course) with another patron. Baeltane, in its tininess, may not draw a big crowd, but it draws 1 that is knowledgeable in beers.
Baeltane Brewing is not the easiest place to find & is tiny (I did mention it’s tiny, right?), but it’s worth the effort to seek out & find. For some excellent Belgian/​Saison beers in Novato, in the company of other beer people, this place is it. For me, it was the icing on the cake of a Novato brewery crawl.

What a gem! Definitely off the beaten path in an industrial-​like area, like so many other amazing breweries. All of their beers are expertly crafted and have wonderful, full flavors. Kathy, the one working the bar, was amazing, kind, and fun to talk to.
I would absolutely (and very highly) recommend you get the En Suite Sauvage. It’s unlike anything I’ve had before. Can’t wait to come back!

Small brewery with welcoming vibe and cozy tap room. Frog That ate the world is an excellent IPA, and the saisons are also excellent. Really liked the Belgian Tripel also.

PROS:
Good prices — a 9 beer tasting for $ 15.
Comes in a handy looking wooden tray:
Free pretzels at the tables.
There are a few tables outside, partially shaded by a tree.
CONS:
This place is small, which is not normally an issue but it did not do well to accommodate our 30+ person birthday group. We could have planned better.
There is no AC, just a couple electric fans in the corners. The tables outside provided the best respite from the heat, it got so stuffy inside the brewery.
I’m not a beer aficionado (or even fan) so I always have to resort to the bf on the beer review: while there was a good variety, he really didn’t enjoy any of them very much.
Baeltane is in the middle of a commercial complex (think carefully manicured lawns, 1 story office buildings, lots of parking lots). Not a very Sonoma-​like vibe.

Beltane Brewing’s tasting room is located in south Novato. Beltane is a great addition to micro breweries in Marin county. This location features a cozy tasting room with a couple tables and benches, board games, and of course; great beer. You can sample from a wide variety of their small batch ales. I recommend having a tasting flight on your first visit to try a bit of everything.
The owners have always provided us with some pretzels to snack on, but will allow you to bring in food from neighboring restaurants to enjoy with your beer.