Ukiah Brewing Company, Ukiah CA

Category & Type :

Wineries And Breweries

Location :

102 S. State Street , Ukiah CA

Phone :

707-468-5898

Website :

http://www.ukiahbrewingco.com

Information about Ukiah Brewing Company...

It took four months and 160 regulatory forms for Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant to become the second certified-organic restaurant in the country in June 2001, following in the footsteps of Restaurant Nora in Washington DC. The Ukiah, Calif., restaurant specializes in organically brewed beers. "When we first had the concept, there weren't any organic hops and barley available," says Els Cooperrider, who co-owns the operation with her husband, Allen. The growing availability of organic foods helped the Cooperriders find the best organic ingre-dients for the restaurant's beer selection. "We brew 12 beers now. We were not able to do that three years ago," she adds. The beers, which are brewed by the Cooperriders' son, Bret, include golden ales, lagers and stouts, and are "a big attrac-tion," she says. "Organic malts cannot be stored for a long time, so they're fresh-roasted when we get them. We use only a small amount of hops and malt, and people can taste the freshness." The restaurant isn't tapping into the organic trend with beer alone. "We have a complete wine list that features a whole array of organic wines grown [locally] in Mendocino County, Calif.," says Cooperrider. "It's nice for tourists to come and see we have a complete [local] wine list." To get certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers, Ukiah Brewing Co. provided records indicating that everything in the restaurant-clown to its cleaning products-was accept-able for the organics industry. "We're not just doing food, beer and wine; the whole opera-tions supports the concept of sustainable organic living," says Cooperrider. "And so far, it's working out really well."

The First Organic Brewpub in the Nation

Ukiah, California. Two hours north of San Francisco in Mendocino County, where over 30% of its wine grape crop is grown organically, Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant has become the first Brewpub and only the second restaurant in the United States to be certified organic. The California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) officially granted the family-owned small business their certification in July 2001.

The brewpub joins Nora's Restaurant in Washington, DC as the only other certified eatery in the country.

"It's great to be recognized for some-thing that more people should be doing: paying attention to their food sources and supporting local small farmers and suppliers," says Els Cooperrider, who owns the company along with her husband Allen. Cooperrider isn't sure whether running the business or finding organic suppliers has been more difficult: "We've been in business for only one year, but we were out searching for organic suppliers long before we opened the doors. There just aren't very many organic producers with enough quantity to supply food service operations." Her son Bret is the brewmaster, and all of his beers are organic, as well. "Finding organic ingredients to make beer was not easy, but in the last couple of years organic malts and hops have become more available," he says.

Since the entire facility is certified organic, all of the ingredients used in the restaurant and brewery must be grown and produced on certified organic farms without the use of artificial or toxic chemicals. A long list of pesticides, food additives, and artificial preservatives is prohibited. Even cleaning and sanitization procedures must be monitored and enforced.

But a certified organic restaurant doesn't just serve tofu burgers and sprouts. "People have the erroneous idea that organic food is bland, boring and vegetarian, and that's just not true," Cooperrider says. One of the most popular items on the menu is corned beef made without nitrites or other additives. They also serve plenty of pot roast, sausages, pizza and cream pies along-side organic green salads and pastas. Pub fare starts at $4.50 per plate and dinner entrees go up to $18.00. There's a list of organically grown wines as well.

The Cooperriders roots go back over 40 years in Mendocino County, where Els' father started a vineyard while her mother taught school in Ukiah. Els and husband Allen both worked as biologists across the West before returning to the county in 1990, a year before the California Organic Food Act passed and ten years before the USDA released their organic standards.

Ukiah Brewing Co. & Restaurant is located at 102 South State Street in Ukiah, just off Highway 101. Meals and brews are served seven days a week and live music often fills the space on Friday and Saturday nights. Telephone: (707) 468-5898.

Ukiah Brewing Company is the nation's first organic brewpub and the second certified organic restaurant. More about the restaurant...

The brewery produces just 400 barrels a year in small batches. The beers are not filtered, and with one exception all are sold exclusively in the restaurant. More about the brewery...

Pilsner Ukiah is sold in six-packs around the county.

In 2004, Ukiah Brewing Company headquartered the historic Measure H campaign against genetically modified organisms. More history...

BEER: Brewmaster/General Manager Bret Cooperrider designed most of the beer recipes that Head Brewer Mitch Parent and the UBC Brew Crew produce. Every now and again you might see a crew in the brewhouse hand-canning our Pilsner Ukiah.

MUSIC: Listen and dance to music by local and national acts on most nights. Show Ukiah what you've got on Monday Karaoke.

LOCAL: Ukiah Brewing buys as locally as possible, supporting our local economy, from: Covelo Organics: produce; Elk Creamery: cheese and potatoes; Loleta Cheese Company: cheese; Clover Organics: milk, cream; Strauss Family Creamery: butter, yogurt; Apple Farm: apples, apple juice; Schat's Bakery: bread; Eel River Organic Grassfed Beef: beef, pastrami; Altierra Organics: blueberries; Petaluma Poultry: chicken; Judy's: eggs; Mendocino Organics: lamb; Lundberg: rice -- to name a few...