Another transformation is in the works for 691 Broadway, erstwhile home to Deuce restaurant and the short-lived Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack. The latest iteration of the dining spot will be HopMonk Tavern, a new venture by micro-brewing pioneer Dean Biersch.
Biersch owns the successful HopMonk Tavern in Sebastopol and aims to bring the same concept — seasonal domestic and international specialty beers along with appealing food and an outdoor beer garden – to Sonoma this summer.
“I’ve built beer gardens in the Arizona desert, Honolulu Harbor and downtown San Jose, but I think HopMonk Sonoma could be the best one yet,” Biersch said.
Biersch has been involved in the craft beer/brewpub industry for 23 years, helping create the micro-brewing boom with his Gordon Biersch brand. He and partner Dan Gordon opened their first brewery restaurant in downtown Palo Alto in 1988.
“I’ve stayed interested in craft beer for all these years because the quality, diversity and abundance of fresh, draft beer available in Northern California is at an all time high,” he said. “This is surely the Golden Age for beer lovers and I’m glad to be a part of that.”
Biersch said the Sonoma HopMonk will be the perfect location to introduce people to the diverse flavors of well-made craft beers. Sonoma is best known for its world-class wines, he said, but “There’s a famous old quote, ‘It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.’ We hope to take all those discerning wine drinkers and introduce them to a whole new world of flavor with these craft beers.”
Sonoma was central to the modern craft beer movement. In 1978, Jack McAuliffe and Don Barkley started the New Albion Brewery on East 8th St. Plagued by various production problems, New Albion lasted only three years. Barkley moved the brewing equipment to Hopland, where he started Mendocino Brewing Company and launched California’s first brewpub. Since then, the micro-brewery phenomenon has exploded. Currently there are more than 1,500 producers nationwide.
“I love the idea of creating a new project, not only in the town where I live, but in the town that housed the first micro-brewery in the United States,” said Biersch. “Craft beer is an amazing beverage and it goes hand in hand with hospitality. These beers are sophisticated, but they lend themselves to a casual, relaxed social scene.”
Two years ago Biersch opened HopMonk Tavern in a historic building in downtown Sebastopol. His concept was to offer a wide selection of the best craft beers, focusing on seasonal specialty beers from great producers, complimented by an eclectic menu of tasty food made with fresh local ingredients.
A similar approach is planned for the Sonoma location. Plans include an outdoor beer garden complete with a band shell to accommodate acoustic musical performances. There will be an indoor bar with 16 craft beers on tap focusing on the small-batch seasonal specialty brews that are Biersch’s and his tavern staff’s favorites. HopMonk will offer seafood specials, beer and food pairings, proper glassware and, to designated drivers, free non-alcoholic drinks to designated drivers.
