In the view of Denise Jones, the kind of tourists who are attracted to wine country are people who are typically much more appreciative of the flavors found in craft beer than is the average American.

“I think they’re more in tune to flavor and stylistic value," explains Jones, the affable brewmaster at Moylan's Brewing Company in Novato. "Their sophistication with wine has led them to having a sophisticated palate when it comes to beer as well.

"I can guarantee you that there are a lot of flavors that are very similar—flavor compounds, esters and alcohols, and especially with some of the barrel-aged styles, there’s the tannins. Then you have the fruit beers that have pectins and fruitier notes.

"Of course not everything’s the same. There are a number of differences too as far as the type of yeasts we use and the types of sugars we ferment with. The fact that beer is all carbonated—that’s a huge difference between beer and wine.

Enlightening comparisons of beer and wine making

Hearing Jones explain some of the differences between craft brewing and winemaking is quite enlightening. She says brewing thrives on consistency—making a specific beer taste the same year after year—but with wine, each vintage creates its own signature.

“In wine, inconsistencies can be passed off as vintage," explains Jones. "Where in the beer industry we have to remain consistent batch in and batch out, meaning 15, 20 or 30 batches of beer a year at the same flavor, at the same consistent quality.”

But that doesn’t mean brewers always achieve that consistency. Jones says it is not really possible, even with your favorite recipes.

“We have shifting sands too," she says. "From year to year our malts and barleys change colors and have different starch modification levels. The hops also change; similar to grapevine rootstock, it’s a growing cultivar too. The alpha acids change and other aromatic components in the hops change.

"We’re working with inconsistencies in raw materials yet expected to be consistent and perfect all the time—to have the same beer in the bottle time in and time out. In the wine industry there is more acceptance of variability. We try not to claim variability in our beers, but I know they do flex a little bit."

With beer styles, the more the merrier

Jones says one of the great things about running a bottling brewery that is also a brewpub is the diversity of beers you get to make.

"What’s fun about having a dual personality," she relates, "is that we have the opportunity to brew fun, whimsical beers on occasion, yet still maintain our whole line of beers that go out across the states.

“I’ll get a port barrel or a chardonnay barrel or some pinot barrels. I also occasionally find some brandy and whiskey barrels, and I use them in different ways. We use local chardonnay barrels every year for a special beer that I’ve made since ’07. It’s called the Wet Hopsickle, and it’s quite the favorite. It has some fresh-grown wet hops in it as well.”

A fun, fun, fun stop for wine country tourists

With all the fun beers, Moylan's is a magnet for visitors to the Novato, Marin County area. With a location just off the central 101 freeway, Jones welcomes wine country tourists with open arms.

"We try to make the brewpub here a destination spot," Jones says.

In addition to the ten or so regular Moylan’s beers, Jones keeps some delicious seasonals or special limited-edition beers on tap too. Moylan's kitchen is no slouch either, preparing lunch and dinner plates worthy of accompanying the exceptional brews. The combination makes Moylan's a great wine country vacation stop.

Jones believes that tourists who discover a tasty beer while visiting the brewpub will later look for that beer back in their home markets. Moylan’s beer is currently distributed to around 30 states.

“We always provide a big sample set," she says in describing the 4-oz tasting portions offered for $1.75 apiece. "That’s really the best way to help people learn and enjoy all the different things craft beer has to offer. They'll have a multitude of different flavors and styles in front of them.

"You’ll find out a great deal about the types of flavors you like in a beer, whether it’s sweeter or drier flavors, hoppier notes or malty notes or roasted types of features. There’s all types of flavors that can come out of a beer tasting like that." 

How’d they get grapefruit in the beer?

Sometimes wine centric tourists are surprised at the flavors they find in craft beer. The citrus, banana, spicy, and grassy flavors are often unexpected. Jones, herself, notices an affinity between the grapefruit flavors found in some of her dry-hopped beers and the stainless steel fermented Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs.

"Grassy, grapefruit, piney—all those types of flavors really come forward with wine drinkers," Jones says. "They also tend to enjoy the extreme beers. I find that the California wine drinker appreciates the more assertive flavors, like the super-rich, higher alcohol IPAs. Many wine drinkers will like the fruity beers too.”

And don't leave out coffee drinkers. Jones has something for them as well.

"A lot of people who drink cappuccinos at Starbucks are very surprised when they put a Stout or a Porter in their mouth at how much they really enjoy it."

Brewers and winemakers bond for the community

Jones also likes the camaraderie and community spirit evident among wine country brewers and vintners, and also enjoys the friendly competition.

"Most winemakers in our area are very community minded," says Jones. "I know all the brewers are community minded."

"When you go to a charity event where they’re pouring probably 30 wines and beers, you’ll find the it’s the people pouring all the wines and making the wines who are the first to be in line at the beer booth.

"There is really a lot of camaraderie between brewers and people in the wine industry. It's a community feel in wine country. The fraternal effort between beer makers and winemakers seems to be more evident every day.

“We brewpubs here in wine country, we love wine too," she says. "And we sell a number of local wines. The wine lovers live in our communities, and we what them to come in here.”

Jones putting her mark on beer

Denise Jones is a real brewing stalwart these days who is helping shape the body of wine country beer work. She is not only an accomplished technical brewer but also an artistic one. Accustomed to breaking new ground—she was the first female graduate of the American Brewers Guild, which has trained many of the nation's leading craft brewers—she relishes the opportunity to put a smile on her customers’ faces.  

Jones began her professional career at Great Basin Brewing Company in Sparks, Nevada and was the brewmaster at Bluewater Brewing Company in Tahoe City, California. She later took charge at Third Street AleWorks in Santa Rosa, where she established herself as an award-winning brewmaster. After eight years there, she moved to Moylan’s in 2007.

Moylan’s Brewing Company was started in 1995 by Bay Area native Brendan Moylan, who is also the owner of Marin Brewing Company. It celebrated its15th anniversary in August 2010. Among its more popular beers are Kiltlifter Scotch Ale, Tipperary Pale Ale, Ryan O'Sullivan's Imperial Stout, Dragoon's Dry Irish Stout, Moylander Double IPA, and Hopsickle Triple India Pale Ale.

Moylan’s Brewery and Restaurant is open daily. Whether with locals or tourists, the brewpub bar is always busy during the lunch and dinner hours. Brewery tours are offered by appointment only.

For more information go to: Moylan’s Brewing Company profile page