Andy Hooper fills a glass with the Sonoma Estate Festbier, sourced from and processed in Sonoma County, which will make its debut Friday at Seismic Brewing Co. in Sebastopol. (John Beck/ For The Press Democrat)
"Hey, nobody offered the farmer a beer?” Ron Crane yells, smiling, to anyone listening in the crowd that has assembled for what was once a widely celebrated Sonoma County tradition — the annual hop harvest.
It’s 8:30 a.m. on a Thursday in a hop yard nestled in a sheep and cattle ranch south of Santa Rosa. Running back and forth between rows of comet, bitter gold, cashmere and triumph varieties, the Crane Ranch Hops grower finally takes a moment to notice that the crew of about a dozen young staffers from Seismic Brewing Co. — many who have never been in a hop yard in their lives — are all knocking back fresh-brewed helles lagers in shiny, unwrapped cans.
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