Lagunitas Brewing Co

I am a huge fan of Lagunitas beer and it was a treat to visit the mother ship. They have a great little bar area and a wonderful outdoor patio area. Unfortunately, I did not try the food. Keep in mind I love their beer so I may be a little biased. Great place!

Cool vibe, great beer. Came on a sunny Friday afternoon and it was packed. It took some time to find parking even with two lots and parking across the street, and many of the seats were taken but we managed to get a table in the sunroom/​outdoor area. I can only imagine how crazy packed it gets on the weekends and in the summer.
Ordered a four taster of Imperial PILS, New Dogtown Pale Ale, The Hairy Eyeball, and Cappuccino Stout. Highly recommend the 4 or 5 taster to get a variety of their great beers and maybe try something new. Unfortunately they were out of some of their seasonal rotations which was a bummer, but there’s plenty of other beer options on the menu. For food we ordered the pork belly sliders which were pretty good, flavorful pork belly and slaw.
Didn’t do a beer tour, but it’s on my list for my next visit back.

Pros:
*Great set up for Bands, seating, shade, etc!
* Very good food
* Excellent Beer (my favorite is MAXIMUS)
Cons:
* Closes early (8 or 9 pm… even on Fir and Sat)
* Hard to get a seat a lot of the time (just shows how popular it is because there is a lot of seating)
* Lots of bussers, Not that many servers. Only a server can take drink/​food orders. Last time in we had to ask approx 5 different bussers to get a server for us. Took approx 30 min to get an order in for a beer. Not a place to go if you aren’t planning to sit around and sip beer and relax. Don’t plan to be in and out quickly.
Still 4 stars since I like the environment, Food, and Beer!

This place was a diamond in the rough, or for us anyway. It seems that all of the locals are already aware of the high quality beers this place churns out as this place was absolutely PACKED! The beer line was really, really long and the whole place is ‘seat yourself’ so on a busy Saturday at around 5 pm it can be impossible to find a seat. While we were waiting in line the wife spotted a couple that were just signing their check, she waited patiently by them until they got up and jumped on the spot before anyone else could. It is that bad for seating so we got really lucky! It was very common for people to walk by and ask others if the seats next to them were taken. The staff were all really friendly and service was fast. I’ve never had a beer from this brewery I didn’t like and I’ve had my fair share. Food was better than your standard bar food and they appeared to have something for just about everyone. The seating area is outdoor with large, permanent type tents covering the area. Restrooms were in a trailer outside of the tented area, not sure if there were others inside anywhere. Live bands seem to be common here so not the best place to go if you plan on chatting it up all night.
A few complaints were the parking, which was spread out between 3 different buildings. Their hours, they closed at 8 pm on a Saturday with last call at 7:45. And no pitchers or growler fills on any beer over 8% ABV.
Easily 5 stars for the beer and at the top of my list for Microbreweries. 5 for staff/​service, 3 for the seating arrangement, 4 for food, 3 for parking 3 for hours of operation.
Would we go back? Definitely!
As a side note, this place is dog friendly. Worth mentioning if you have allergies as there were a lot of furry companions during our visit.

Love the vibe at Lagunitas!
Service is excellent, food is decent, beer is good.
I would say the only read down side is the crowds can be horrendous on weekends, we would love to take guests but its just overwhelming. We were there on a Thursday night recently and got a table, it was a FIRST.
Keep an eye out for their free summer concerts, we try and go to as many as possible and they never disappoint.

Coolest place ever!!! Went on a Saturday so it was super crowded but didn’t even mind because we had so much fun.
First of all, they allow dogs! Which is a big plus for me, with two pups I am always looking for dog friendly places. There were so many cute puppies running around.
The people who work there are SO nice, every single one we talked to. A lady helped us to find a place to sit when it was so crowded we were just standing around. As soon as we sat down we thought we would have to go grab some beer from the bar area but before we could even blink there was a server there with water for the puppy as well. Later on in the evening we met more staff who recommended a concert going on in the evening down the street and things to do in Petaluma the next day.
The beer was amazing. DUH. Lagunitas is my favorite already so this is an obvious one. BUT I was able to try the 16 beer flight so I got to try all these beers I had never had before which was great, I highly recommend that.
We got some chips and salsa which were also good.
They had a live band playing which was really nice.
Totally cool place, I would go every weekend if I lived closer :)

Big fun. We took the tour which included a sample of Cappuccino Stout. Learned a lot. Highly recommend the pork belly sliders in the taproom. The highlight was Casey in the gift shop. We charmed him with our beer poetry, and he was VERY appreciative! Plus, he’s taking our humble scrawlings home to post on his fridge. Yay!
You won’t be disappointed if you stop by. Plus, there is beer, beer and more beer. Good beer, everywhere.

I really recommend that you stop in for a Tasting Tour if you happen to be in the Petaluma area. My boyfriend and I stopped by on our way back home from Sonoma and I’m so glad we did!
The staff is really knowledgable and pretty funny. Along with the free tour and tons of interesting information on craft brewing, you also get to sample some of their beers for free too. :-)

Honestly… 3.5 stars… but that’s not an option.
The brewery itself is awesome. The burger was top notch. The meat in the burgers are grown on the farm next to the brewery so super fresh, super flavorful. Seriously, the flavor in the meat is amazing.
Unfortunately the beer is hit or miss… mostly miss for my palette. If you’re a fan of the beer, come here. If you’re not, it might be worth coming just for the burger and the tour.
FYI, they DO NOT give out samples of beer on the weekend tours but we were told that samples are still distributed during the weekday tours.

Stopped in as part of our Sunday brewery tours in Northern California. Though we were not doing tours, we were looking to hit some of our favorite breweries.
The place was completely packed when we arrived, parking spaces limited and no tables to be found. Your best chance of getting a table was to ‘hawk’ over other people waiting to see if they were leaving. Is this a bad thing? Not to me, just showed how popular they are. After about 10 minutes we got a seat and we were on our way. there is a lot of seating on the outside, the inside is much smaller. Plenty of heaters around the outside to keep you warm and if that does not work, drink more beer.
Plenty of bar type food on the menu. They provide peanuts free of charge on the tables for you. We did not get any food here, only because we had lunch prior, but I could see myself exploring the menu.
The beer menu consists of plenty of ‘year round’ beers as well and numerous seasonal brews. You are able to get a variety of samples as well, which is a great way to taste around the menu. I went with a few samplers, focusing on many of the brews I cannot get in PA.
The staff here is really good, prompt, efficient and engaging. They are really swamped but they get the job done, definitely no complaints.
Definitely stop in here, this is a fun and laid back place. Outdoor live music and great brews, can’t beat that!

It was my first time here and I loved it. The weather was super cold and I didn’t know they had heaters around all the tables so it was so comfortable loved it. So very pet friendly and live music I want to go here again for the summer time. Appetizer platter are huge loved the chicken wings.

Two words: Free beer.
It’s true! Show up to Lagunitas on almost any day, and if you arrive in time, you can get a free tour of their facility with five sample beers. The tour is full of some interesting information on Lagunitas beer and beer brewing in general, and has some real likable people doing the tour.
Yet another reason to drink local.

Guys, just stop. Stop whatever you’re doing, grab your friends, and go to Lagunitas Brewing Co. Right now. I love this place. I love their beer. I love EVERYTHING about this brewery.
Came here on Sunday with a few friends and it was raining like crazy outside. The brewery has an indoor and outdoor seating area. The indoor area is a lot smaller so we sat outside. But they had clear tarps/​tents over the entire outdoor seating area and a bunch of heat lamps! So even though it was raining cats and dogs outside, you really didn’t even notice the rain or even realize you were outside! It’s open seating and it was pretty darn busy despite all the rain and gloomy weather — but thankfully we were able to find a table.
We ordered the around the world sampler — 16 beers. Delicious. I think it was ~$ 20ish. My favorites were the cappuccino stout and the hairy eyeball. Also the imperial stout was delicious. Normally when I think of Lagunitas, I think of the IPA. But they definitely do a variety of beers and ALL of them are great! We also ordered the pulled pork nachos, some hot wings, and my friend got a coffee… with the cappauccino stout in it LOL. That was not on the menu and they were hesitant at first to give it to him, but they came back later and gave him the coffee and a small glass of the beer. And they even admitted that it was a delicious combination! Hahahah, goes to show how friendly and accommodating the service is here (even towards crazy drunkards like my friends and I LOL). The nachos were pretty good, nothing spectacular. The wings weren’t very spicy or anything but they were like FULL ON wings. WIth the drumstick and pointy thing and all. Not just the wing part hahha. But if you’re coming to Lagunitas, you’re not coming here for the food, you’re here for the beer! So I wasn’t too disappointed by the mediocre food.
They also have a gift shop towards the front of the brewery. So many cool things! Everything from shirts to beer coasters to books to mason jars, and more! We spent quite a bit of time in there, browsing the different items and walked out with a lot of souvenirs. Definitely check out the gift shop if you get a chance!
Overall, I love this brewery mainly for the beer and the atmosphere. It’s very chill and casual and the service is super friendly. It’s like hanging out with a bunch of your friends in someone’s backyard. With waiters. It’s great.

Came here twice now. Once on sunday and it was way overpacked and not enough parking. Outside grass was allowed to order hot dogs, and other meh items not tasting great, and missing the full menu.
came another time friday and had a blast, great service, live music, good food. What a difference it makes to sit inside or out on the grass. great beer too!

I am a fan of the beers. I ordered the sampler of 16 beers, and it was delicious. I really like the IPA, Maximus, Doppel (seasonal), and the Imperial Stout. The Brown Sugga is not bad either.
When you enter, there is a huge open area with tons of tables. It is open seating, so it is every man for himself. This place is very crowded and obviously very popular for a younger crowd, so it can be a bit aggravating to find a seat. My fiancé and I were able to get a couple of seats at the bar, but the place is so busy that it is hard to get served even when you sit at the bar. Luckily, they have pretzels and peanuts that you can munch on while you wait to order. I also noticed a number of people had a hard time trying to close out. It is a very busy place, so I imagine it is a very difficult job for the staff to make sure everyone is taken care of. But it can be a bit aggravating at times.
They do brewery tours, but we skipped out one one and opted to try the beers at the bar since they do not do tastings with their tours on weekends. There is also a gift shop for you to buy everything from candles to sweaters. I left with a couple of items.
I am glad that I went since I was on vacation. But this place is a bit too crowded for my taste, which makes the service not that great. If you’re like me, just go try it out once just to say you did.

On the way back from Russian River Brewing, my friend and I decided to stop at Lagunitas Brewing Co since we have previously tried a few of their tasty brews (IPA, Hop Stoopid, Censored) at various locations. We arrived at 1:30pm on a Saturday; it was very crowded and rowdy and all of the tables were taken. Luckily, the line for beer was only about 5 minutes or so.
I had the Hairy Eyeball, a malty strong ale (9.4% ABV). It had a good flavor but was definitely very strong tasting: not super drinkable. My friend had the Cappuccino Stout, which we both agreed had a very odd taste and would not recommend.
We then decided to take the 2pm tour of the brewery. It was about 50 minutes long, and consisted of storytelling near the fermentation tanks and in the room where they fill kegs. We didn’t get to see much of anything during the tour itself, but the tour guide was hilarious and very entertaining. He shared some funny (a lot likely made up or embellished) stories about the brewery and its owner Tony Magee. Unfortunately, the tour did not come with a free tasting like we had previously read about; apparently that is only during the weekday tours.
While the space was not as big as I would have hoped, it was still cool trying Lagunitas brews from the source. The gift shop was also huge and had all the Lagunitas schwag you could ever want to choose from, which I enjoyed because I’m a fan of souvenir t-​shirts and pint glasses. I would definitely recommend coming to Lagunitas if you are a big fan of their brews or if you are passing through, but it isn’t necessarily something you should drive multiple hours for.

Definitely go on the free tour– you will learn some fun facts about the brewery and how they came to be. And you can geek out over the beer engineering and giant machinery if that is your thing.
Enjoy food and beer on a lively patio back yard scene. Lots of drunkies to people watch.

Drove up here from SF with a group of 10 friends for a Saturday adventure around 11:30am and it was wonderful. Was about an hour drive. We were lucky to grab a long table right off the bat because another party was leaving. It was very full already, so I’d recommend getting there earlier to snag a table. Not sure if they take reservations.
The service was incredibly fast. They brought us free peanuts and pretzels right off the bat and a huge pitcher of water. We ordered two Around The World beer tours. Each order came with 16 different 4oz samples of their beer flavors. We also ordered the hummus, cheese plate, chicken wings, a few salads, and chips and salsa. We were all super impressed by the food– it wasn’t average bar food, it was delicious!
Live music started at 3pm and so did the free tour. Unfortunately the free tour only consisted of 1 room, but the tour guide was knowledgeable and he told the story of the founding of the company.
Definitely come up here on a nice weekend day to enjoy the outdoor patio. They also have a grass lawn so you can bring a blanket and sit in the sun. Also, there were dogs everywhere, so bring your dogs!

My husband and I love the beers that are distributed at Safeway and Bevmo from Lagunitas, and am so glad we finally made a trip to the brewery. The around the world sampler is probably the biggest sampler we’ve had by far, and was totally defeated by it. However, it’s so worth the price and worth ordering. There was only 1 of the beers that we didn’t care too much for, which was the cherry one. It was definitely a good way to try them all.
Personal favorites are the Little Sumptin’ Sumptin’ (and the extra), P32 (fruity, light and very refreshing), daytime ale, and the cappuccino stout was very unique. Overall, really good beers here. I love the outdoor, casual seating as well. You do seat yourself, so feel free to grab any open tables you see! It does get packed quick so plan accordingly. The second time we went, we got there before it opened, and there was a crowd waiting outside already.
This is a dog friendly facility, and they even bring water bowls for your dogs. HUGE plus in my book! The food here was also decent. The Lagunita Wings (a little spicy) were fantastic. They give you the WHOLE chicken wing, and not the separate pieces (thighs, drums etc). Their pork nacho was also pretty good. For the entrée I ordered the lamb burger which was just average.
If you want to have a relaxing afternoon sippin’ on good beer, this is definitely the place to go. And do bring your furry friends, they’re very welcoming here!

Yeah, you really have to give Lagunitas five stars. This place is ground zero for the modern West Coast beer revolution with their iconic IPA and attitude permeating throughout the United States. Their massive brewery, taproom, and restaurant complex is located in a remote office park part of Petaluma, but it is immediately recognizable by the packed parking lots and extra security.
This may be one of the most crowded breweries in the world. It is busy during off hours and crazy during nights and weekends. That is part of the overall experience. Many people drive a long distance to visit, especially from the Bay Area and Sacramento areas. Besides the cool gift shop and food offerings, visiting the brewery allows you to taste their specialty and experimental beers on tap. This really brings a new depth to the experience, especially after one of their daily tours.
The overall layout is a bit bizarre, but there is a massive covered patio and several buildings which contain the main bar and support areas. You can order at the bar or from one of the roving wait staff, but make reservations if you have a group. I usually grab a beer at the bar and just wander around. If you have a table, opt for the samplers or pitchers for the best time.
If you can survive the parking lot and actually find a table big enough for your party, you will have an amazing experience. If you have to park down the street and fight at the bar for attention, you will still have a great experience. There is a reason this place is so popular.