Moonlight Brewing Company


The Moonlight Brewing Company is a brewery founded in 1992 by Brian Hunt in Santa Rosa, California, USA. It is known for its flagship beer, Death & Taxes, which is popular in Sonoma County, California. In 2008, it received the
Best Brewery award at the 17th annual Santa Rosa Beerfest.

History

Founder, brewmaster and abbot Brian Hunt started the brewing company in 1992, not for profit but to "support his habit". With a degree in Fermentation Science from UC Davis, and years experience as a brewmaster and beer consultant, Hunt saw the brewery as a chance to become self-employed. At the age of 35, he rented an tractor barn in Windsor, California and bought 200 used beer kegs. In 2003 the brewery was moved to a building designed specifically for the purpose of brewing beer and was designated an Abbey through the Universal Life Church. Moonlight Brewing cultivates a large field of hops for its seasonal Homegrown Ale on the old property. In 2018, Moonlight opened a small taproom with limited retail sales in Santa Rosa.

Production

Due to its relatively small production, 2,700 barrels in 2017, beer is limited mostly to kegs served almost exclusively in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2018, Moonlight began selling the flagship Death & Taxes in cans.

Beer

Currently, the brewery produces a large variety of beer, including frequent seasonals. The five year-round production beers includes Death & Taxes,
Reality Czeck, Lunatic Lager, Misspent Youth Pale Ale, Bombay by Boat, and Twist of Fate. Homegrown is a fresh hop ale that is produced using hops that are solely from the brewery's quarter-acre hopyard and harvested in mid-September. Working for Tips Ale is brewed with Springtime Coastal Redwood branch tips around late May. Bony Fingers is a seasonally produced black lager, brewed specifically for Halloween. Toast Strong Lager is made for New Years.