617 4th St., in Old Town, (707) 445-4480. L-D daily; $. Reservations accepted.
Situated within a historic building, the Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe is the first brewery in the U.S. founded and operated by women. The actual brewing production has moved to a new dedicated facility south of town, where you can take a tour. Among the several kinds of handcrafted microbrews, the hands-down favorites are Great White beer (features the flavors of wheat and coriander and is their best seller) and Downtown Brown ale, but Indian Pale Ale isn’t far behind and was my favorite. And don’t overlook the house-made root beer. Roast beef and turkey is baked in-house, and french fries are made from scratch with fresh potatoes. The menu’s extensive pub fare goes well with a pint. Burgers are the best sellers, but the delicious locally-caught halibut and chips is close behind. More options include French dip and pulled pork sandwiches, coconut prawns, stuffed Navajo bread, Tuscany pizza, and a build-your-own pizza. Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. and is the perfect time to try the nachos or the big baked pretzel--solo or stuffed with cheese.
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| rear entrance to Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe in Eureka, California |
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bar menu at Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe in Eureka, California
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| interior of Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe in Eureka, California |
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surfboard chomped on by a Great White at Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe
in Eureka, California
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local halibut and chips at Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe in Eureka, California
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| house salad at Lost Coast Brewery & Cafe in Eureka, California |
Lost Coast Brew House
1600 Sunset Ave., 2 mi. SW of town, (707) 445-4484. Free.
This small regional brewery is of one of the nation's largest microbrews and now has a sleek new brewing production facility. The company’s brews were made for the first three years in the pub cafe, then in a warehouse for 22 more years. Tours here of the new Lost Coast Brew House are usually led by owner Barbara Groom, a former pharmacist. You’ll learn about how yeast eats sugar and makes gas, and about malt and green leaves and sun and how it all turns into beer. You’ll smell the fragrances, see the various grains, and stagger your mind with the fact that 40 types of yeast are used to give the beer different flavors. If you’re lucky, you might get to step inside the 20-degree hop freezer—a particularly refreshing experience on a warm day. Throughout you’ll see shiny stainless steel pipes, concrete floors, and equipment from an array of international companies—Germany (tanks with colorful blue trim), Mexico (a grain grinder with a dryer motor used to grind coriander for Great White), and America (a fascinating bottling machine). Try to schedule a weekday tour because that is when everything is happening, and you can see the bottles filled, capped, and packed in boxes. The bottler pops out 440 per minute, and though bottles are king, cans are coming due to demand for use at the beach and around pools. At the tour’s conclusion, you’ll get to do some tasting in the Tap Room, where lovely recycled counters from a 100-year-old Monterey cypress tree enhance the decor (that tree was also used for trim throughout the building). Ice cream is available from Humboldt Creamery (expelled grain from their company is used in beer making here). Don’t miss viewing the concrete restroom counter made with recycled chipped beer bottles and molded to look like a beer bottle. Picnicking is welcome.
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owner Barbara Groom leads a tour
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bottling line at Lost Coast Brew House in Eureka, California
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| recycled beer bottle counter at Lost Coast Brew House in Eureka, California |
More things to do in Eureka.
More ideas for exploring Northern California.
images ©2015 Carole Terwilliger Meyers
Great post, especially for beer lovers! I like that first brewery by women. 40 types of yeast, interesting to know! And love that restroom sink countertop!
ReplyDeleteI am adding Lost Coast Brewery Cafe to my list for my road trip! I was just in Corte Madera for a conference and I saw the signs for Eureka. I will be taking the 101 coastal highway early in 2016 so I have been compiling a list of places to see, didn't add restaurants yet but now I need to, thanks for the photos and great info, will definitely be trying the made from scratch french fries with some halibut!
ReplyDeleteBe sure and do the Avenue of the Giants, http://berkeleyandbeyond.com/Northern-California/Highway-101/Avenue-of-the-Giants/avenue-of-the-giants.html
DeleteLost Coast reminds me a bit of some of the Belgian breweries I've been in, where the brewing equipment is on full display. Looks like a great place for a meal (or just a drink or two!)
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun place to explore! I love visiting craft breweries and trying their unique flavours.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had read this before our stay in Eureka, it would have made our time there much better. We did visit The Avenue of the Giants as well. Great suggestion.
ReplyDeleteWe had a short stay in Eureka on a Calgary to Mexico road trip several years ago. I'm not a big fan of beer, but the unique flavours at the Lost Coast Brewery sound interesting. The fish and chips look tasty!
ReplyDeleteYay for the women at Lost Coast Brewery! Beer is a good thing, but when you mentioned the in-house baked turkey and roast, I could almost smell the aromas. Been a while since I've been up the coast. Glad to have a couple of places to imbibe up there.
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