Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company recently opened its doors on a sleepy street in Buellton, bringing pub fun and stylish beers to the Central Coast. To the delight of locals, the handcrafted brews honor regional lore with names evoking the colorful character of the Santa Ynez Valley.
According to Jim and Jaime Dietenhofer, the founding father-and-son team, the aim of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company is to produce rustic American ales and lagers that reflect the Valley’s singular history and indelible personalities.
“We’re really trying to make it a regional brewery,” said Jaime Dietenhofer. “We’re going to make sure all our products and beer styles emulate things from the Valley itself.
“We want to keep everything turn-of-the century rustic,” he continued, “and as far as our products and artisans are concerned, we’re going to do everything as local as possible.”
Indeed, the taproom’s fare—which is served at wooden tables and a wide bar in full view of the brewery’s stainless steel tanks—includes pizza from Los Alamos’ Full of Life Flatbread, ginger-soy chicken wings from New West Catering, and Danish sausage sandwiches from Solvang Sausage Company.
The Davy Brown Ale honors a Valley pioneer, while Paradise Road Pilsner is a golden brew named for a scenic area off San Marcos Pass. Other beers include Wrangler Wheat, an unfiltered ale that cuts the dust of the trail, and Hoppy Poppy IPA, displaying the distinctive bite of hops and a label adorned with California poppies.
Made with a blend of European and sweet caramel malts, Danish Red Lager pays tribute to the Danes who settled the region. When the Dietenhofers proposed the name, brewmaster Jason Courtney came up with a Vienna-style lager that bears an appropriately rosy hue.
Former Brewer of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, Courtney based the Davy Brown ale on his two-time award-winning GABF American Brown recipe. He crafts the cutting-edge beers—currently 1,200 31-gallon barrels per year—in a stainless steel brewhouse customized for the brewery’s needs.
“We did some modifications,” Dietenhofer said, “including changing the holding and brewing tanks so we can brew at different times and temperatures, which will allow us to be more creative with our beer styles.
“We’re growing our system, too,” he continued. “We’re adding two fermenters and another fermenting tank, doubling our capacity. Eventually we’ll have a line-up of a dozen beers, including eight mainstays and four seasonals.
“The biggest thing for brewery visitors,” he added, “is your beer is made just 13 feet away, and there’s no beer fresher than that!”
The Dietenhofers celebrated their grand opening during the last weekend in November, and within a month had sold out of growlers, 22-ounce bottles that can be filled, taken home, and returned for refills.
“We sold a hundred in a week,” Dietenhofer said. “The demand has been great, and it’s been really fun seeing the response, watching people enjoy our beers throughout the Valley.”
Suds aficionados who want to learn more about beer making can take advantage of guided tours led by the brewmaster or one of his knowledgeable assistants.
“It’s interactive as opposed to sitting on the sidelines,” Dietenhofer said. “We’ll post when we’re doing the tours—here and on Facebook—but if the brewer’s in and there’s a crew that wants it, we’ll do it on demand.
“We like to fill up their pints first, though,” he laughed, “because the tour’s always more interesting with a beer.”
Regular brewery visitors will want to sign up for the Davy Brown Mug Club, which entitles members to benefits and discounts, including 25-ounce mugs of beer at 16-ounce prices. Membership will be limited to just a hundred or so imbibers, whose glass mugs will hang on the wall.
“It’s for locals,” Dietenhofer explained. “We want to honor the people who come in all the time. The mugs will be individually numbered, and they’ll have the Davy Brown logo on them.
“There’ve been people trying to sign up since day one,” he added, “vying for positions. It’s pretty fun.”
In February, the team at Figueroa Mounting Brewing Company will begin bottling 22-ounce bottles of beer—and later, 12-ounce bottles in six-packs—for distribution from Paso Robles south to West Lake Village. The bottles make it possible for stores and restaurants not equipped with taps to offer the company’s innovative line-up of beers.
This spring, look for an inviting beer garden to open adjacent to the industrial building that houses the brewery and taproom. Here, patrons can sip in the shade, while admiring views of the nearby coastal mountain range.
“It’s a nice area,” Dietenhofer said. “We love to have some outside air for people to enjoy, especially when the weather gets nice.”
Dietenhofer emphasized the unique nature of a visit to Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company.
“There’s no place else in the Valley where you can see beer being brewed,” he said, “and I think that experience is something people yearn for, especially purists who want to know how it’s done.
“We have exciting, inventive beers,” he added, “and we want to make our mark as a regional brewery that everyone’s proud of.”
K. Reka Badger produces exciting, inventive columns. Contact her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jan 13-20, 2011.