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Only in Danville during the annual Shops & Hops event can you sip San Ramon Valley-made beer at your local collectibles and jewelry store or say “Cheers!” outside the regional museum in the town’s restored Southern Pacific railroad depot.
Labeled as the Danville Craft Beer Stroll, the event benefits the community and educational programs at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley. This year, the 7th Annual Shops & Hops occurred on April 25th and featured ten regional breweries at nine venues. Despite the chilly weather, Executive Director Dan Dunn reported that nearly all 320 tickets sold out.
I chatted with a fellow attendee near the Side Gate Brewery of Concord stand outside the Museum of the San Ramon Valley where the event started. Discovering both my companion and I were newcomers at the event, Gary Zupo, who lives near the museum, offered some insider advice. “Go straight up Prospect Ave. first, then Hart, and end at Primo’s Pizzeria. If there is time, I go back around a second time.”
Looking forward to a leisurely browse around downtown, my friend and I headed for the Cottage Jewel store to ogle at old and not-so-old decorative items plus jewelry. We enjoyed a sample of San Ramon’s Canyon Lakes Brewery beer in our little commemorate glasses.
I forgot my glass contained some beer as we continued down Hartz Ave. until my friend gently reminded me that we were not in the New Orleans French Quarter.
Early on we visited Ella J Boutique on Prospect Ave. where a surprise awaited me. I had no idea a brewery resided on Old Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton. Mount Diablo Brewing Co. produces small quantities of German style beers there—but does not have a tasting room. An executive in the maritime industry, owner Dave O’Neill grew up in the foothills of Mount Diablo and currently lives in Pleasanton.
After homebrewing beer for 15 years, the hobby turned serious, and O’Neill launched the brewery in 2014. “I have a love for brewing beer and a passion for good beer.” O’Neill targets sales in Pleasanton: five-gallon kegs to restaurants such as Strizzi’s and Fat Fish Sushi, and when production allows, 22-ounce bottles at Gene’s and Supreme Liquors.
Not only did I enjoy tasting O’Neill’s Mount Diablo Blond Ale with low bitterness and a smooth finish, I bought a necklace on sale at the boutique.
After hearing rumors of beer and pretzels, we strolled over to Danville Brewing Co. (DBC) on Railroad Ave. Fresh from the oven, the warm pretzel bites paired well with the Danville Pils, a German-style Pilsner. General Manager Max Brown served the Shops & Hops offerings at the back of the brewery.
After discussing the brews and noting that the 925 Blonde ale was the most popular DBC beer, Brown shared the news that DBC plans to build a production brewery, taproom, and biergarten in Pleasanton on Utah Street off Valley and Bernal Avenues. I followed up with owner Marcus Maita by email who added, “Our current timeline has us opening in May/June 2026.We’re excited to join the Pleasanton community.”
At Eyes on Hartz opticians, we sampled a new, interesting beer from Trumer Brewery in Berkeley named Doppelgänger, a word usually referring to a double or lookalike of a living person. My friend took advantage of tapping the optician for recommendation on the best shape for her next eyeglass purchase.
Curiosity about the selection of the name prompted me to ask Chrissy Reinthaler, the brewery’s marketing manager, about its origin. Reinthaler explained the beer is a close version of a German-style Northern Lager but more contains more hops. The name also reflects the Berkeley brewery as an outpost, or “doppelgänger” of the original Trumer Brewery in Austria, known for Trumer Pils, a traditional Pilsner lager.
Previously the only beer available year-round at the Berkeley location was the original Trumer Pils. Since the Berkeley brewery team can innovate, they released Doppelgänger during San Francisco Beer Week only three days before Shops & Hops.
A stop at Primo’s Pizzeria & Pub was mandatory. When I lived in Concord, I drove to Danville for Primo’s wings. I was happy to get a pizza bite to pair with Dust Bowl Brewing Co. Taco Truck Lager. The back area of the pub was busy with Shops & Hops attendees who appreciated a sit-down at the tables. Passing through the main dining area made me hungry as servers whizzed by with big platters of wings.
After the nosh, one more shop and hosted brewery to see. The town’s newest brewery, Canyon Club, opened recently with a taproom, restaurant, and small pilot production facility in the Danville Livery. Canyon Club poured at Danville Chocolates, a great place for a dessert of rice crispy bars and chocolate. I bought some dark chocolate for my healthy husband.
I also liked the Canyon Club beers. Again, an interesting name, Burning Ram Kölsch. John Crossley, a supervisor from the brewery, told me that on the owner’s first drive to deliver beer, his Dodge Ram pickup truck caught fire. Of course, the link to the Burning Man event frequently engenders this question, he added.
At the Museum of the San Ramon Valley where Shops & Hops started, I met Bob Miranda, one of the several volunteers on hand for guest check-in and to share the current exhibit on The Road Ahead about the history of cars in the area and Calif. A retired dentist, Miranda is the museum’s “train engineer,” aka resident train expert, who tours kids at the railcar parked behind the museum. He was eager to tell me about the next exhibit on Model Trains which begins June 21st through August.
When asked about the Shops & Hops event, Miranda replied that he did not drink beer and added, “It is nice for the museum to join with the businesses to promote the shops downtown. It seems like the restaurants in Danville get all the attention.”
