Besides being a wonderful place to sample many speciality home-brewed ales, The Aleworks (as most people call it) offers fine food at good prices. The daily specials are always tempting enough that I've rarely ordered off the regular menu. I've had a killer pumpkin fennel soup and fresh butternut squash raviolis. There is also an open-faced crabmeat and artichoke sandwich. Try it with any one of the delicious sides; my favorites are the sinful garlic-crusted french fries or the mashed potatoes (again, garlic added).

Hands down, the best part about The Aleworks is Wednesday night, when BBQ'd oysters are on the menu. These bad boys come in a thick garlic butter sauce, creamy pesto or classic barbeque sauce. These suckers are HUGE, so at a $1.25 each you can really load up. They begin serving at 5pm and end when the oysters run out. And another good part about Wednesday nights here is that Santa Rosa's Wednesday Night Market is right down the street. It's a lot of fun, but parking can be a drag.

So, when in wine country, why not jump off the normally beaten path and try the other alcoholic beverage Sonoma County is known for: BEER!