The Beer

Named after one of our favorite local beaches, Sunny Cove features the American hops Centennial, El Dorado, and Strata jumping and running exuberantly on a background of Admiral Pils malt. The aroma starts off with a hit of funky herbal dankness. Passion fruit, strawberry,
grapefruit and resinous green pine are all players in this crisp, bright lager.

Bright bursts of lemon meet your nose and palate with the first summery sip of Shadybrook. Does it remind you of lemon marmalade on a freshly baked biscuit, or a lemon candy tucked in your cheek on a hike? The buoyant bitterness of lemon zest accents each light and refreshing swallow.

Pineapple joins the Cruzer Weisse party! Cruzer Weisse is our Santa Cruz version of a Berliner Weisse, the sour wheat beer from Northern Germany. Pleasantly tart and effervescent, Cruzer Weisse is the perfect thirst quencher, bringing a refreshing zing to your warm weather fun. Plus, pineapple!

Our kristallweizen, a filtered hefeweizen, is crystal clear and sparkling with yeast-derived fruity and spicy goodness. Like the electric zing that sparks from colliding quartz crystals, aromas and flavors of fresh banana and clove flash from your glass. Zippy carbonation adds to the energy of this beautiful wheat beer.

A well-crafted hazy is like stacks of stars in a glass. Dry-hopped with Strata, Zappa, and Comet, this hazy double IPA sparkles with aromas and flavors of citrus, sweet tropical fruit, and dank, resinous pine. Expand your horizons with its cosmic juiciness.

Brett, saison yeast, lactobacillus/-pedicoccus, and time worked their magic on this saison, resulting in a bright, citrusy beer with a dry finish. Notes of lemon, stone fruit, pepper, baking spices, and vanilla captivate the palate.

Our whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout is dark, rich, and authoritative. Aromas of roasted malt, whiskey, and oak capture your attention, while notes of deep caramel, toasted marshmallow, and fig enthrall your tastebuds. A lingering, roasty bitterness brings all of the elements into triumphant balance.

I drank the IPA
that was in
the icebox.
You were probably saving it
for after work.
Sorry!
It was great,
so crisp
and so cold.

Sultana, Simcoe, and Idaho 7 hops are showcased in this IPA brewed and fermented to emphasize a crisp, clean finish.

Hi Amarillo! You surprised us all, just popping up in a field of Liberty hops one day! We’re so glad you were discovered. Your little cones give such aromatic bursts of sweet orange and lemon candy. We love the hints of cantaloupe, ripe mango, papaya, and honeyed peach.You were quite a find!

The Lark, our Maibock brewed each spring to celebrate the season, spent a year in a bourbon barrel.  Then, a bit of The Lark from this spring was blended in to add body and sweetness.  Toffee and biscuit on the nose lead into toasted oak, the pleasing glow of bourbon, and a dry lager finish.  Do you get a hint of dried flowers that suggests an early summer stroll through a sun-warmed field?  Us too.

Stefano balances soft, sweet malt, light fruitiness, and floral and herbal Noble hops character.  Complex and delicate yet saturated with flavor, its strength is in its gentleness.  We namedt it in honor of Grandpa Stefano Genco, who immigrated from Bari, Italy in 1906, turned his Fresno yard into a vegetable garden, and hand-dug a cellar where he kept Italian cheese amid the garden bounty to share with his grandchildren.

Our version of Flanders Red, the famous Belgian Sour Red Ale, is fruity and reminiscent of red wine. A lemony nose leads into tart cherry character on a good malt backbone, with oak notes from the barrels mingling with a suggestion of almonds.

500ml bottle

Let me be clear. I’m a West Coast IPA emphasizing hop character over bitterness. With classic Cascade hops contributing their unique citrus and floral notes, and Azacca and El Dorado offering tropical and stone fruits, bright aromas and flavors come shining through.

Under the great big sky is where Great Uncle Dave likes to be, sheltered by the stars. In this heightened version of your favorite IPA, bright fresh green pine meets your nose, leading into mouthwatering caramel malt balanced with a bit of candied orange peel and the zing of rye. The twinkle of tropical and piney hop flavors brightens this classic West Coast Double IPA. It’s great!

Complex hop chords improvise from jazzy joy. Notes of tropical and citrus fruits, flowers, and pine play well together in this easy drinking, highly aromatic IPA.

This dazzling attention- grabber glows with the clean character and pleasing bitterness of your favorite German- style Pilsner. Its shimmer is amplified, yielding a golden, noble beer with richness and depth. Let Neon Shine illuminate your situation.

Raspberries and hibiscus bring happy pink flavors and fruity aromas to this tart and refreshing beer. It tastes like a smile.

When hops and yeast play together under the right conditions, hop components are transformed, and previously hidden aromas are unlocked.
On a resinous background, this full-bodied IPA reveals delectable aromas and flavors of lemon, tropical fruits, and green melon with a squeeze of lime.

Your splendid tropical fruit and floral aromas lead us eagerly into the opulence of you. Your golden hue promises a wealth of treasures, and you deliver such an abundance of bright and candy-like fruitiness. You whisper of green and resinous secrets, keeping us enthralled.

Parched? Quench your thirst with a glass of Margarita Road. We aged our Mexican-style amber lager in tequila barrels, then added sea salt and organic lime zest. The copper-hued malty lager has a bright and refreshing character that makes for easy drinking.

Our Contemplate beers showcase unique ingredients on a canvas of Belgian blonde ale aged for a year with Brettanomyces in American oak barrels.

Contemplate Grapes stars local, organic Chardonnay grapes. They give a vinous quality to the aroma, with notes of pear, mango, and citrus. Fermentation on the grape skins created moderate tannins which add heft and dryness. The grapes’ acidity lends balance and maintains the refreshing finish. With time, this variation may evolve more complex fermentation characteristics due to native yeasts on the grapes themselves.

Our Contemplate beers showcase unique ingredients on a canvas of Belgian blonde ale aged for a year with Brettanomyces in American oak barrels.

Contemplate Hops displays Jarrylo and Waimea hops. Jarrylo adds its own notes of banana and pear to those same fruit notes contributed by Brettanomyces. Waimea lends bright citrus and pine components that play well with the mild acidity. Together, the hop flavors mingled with Brett’s fruit esters present ripe stone fruit and a tropical touch of pineapple.

This Brett-ed wit with coriander, pink pepercorn, and chardonnay pomace was aged in a Windy Oaks pinot barrel for 18 months. The aroma is oaky, spicy, citrusy, and pear-like, with vanilla and some chardonnay notes. The light refreshing flavor starts with a kiss of tannin and gives way to a silky, oaky fullness.

We support the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, which works to preserve local lands and critters.

Hi Citra! We will never get tired of hanging out with you. Your exceptional aromas and flavors of orange, guava, melon, and green pine are so alluring. You make such a sweet first impression, and then you continue to entice and refresh us. You can come over any time.

Is there anyone better to sit around a campfire with, telling stories, IPAs in hand? We think not. Cheers, Uncle Dave! This full-bodied, complex, dry-hopped India Pale Ale delivers fruity hop aromas supported by substantial maltiness and a hint of peppery rye.

Available in 12oz and 19.2oz cans.

Aged for over 15 months in French oak barrels, this old ale’s brettanomyces character expresses itself as fruity funk on the nose, with flavors of dried cherry leading to a dry finish.

“Follow the Creek” is always good advice, whether you’re seeking adventure upstream or finding your way home. This IPA will refresh you wherever you end up. Aromas of pine and citrus lead to lemon drops on the palate, enhanced by the sweet, grassy character of California grown and malted pilsner malt.

Three Fawns is a Belgian-style tripel aged in American bourbon barrels. A boozy warmth redolent of vanilla, black pepper, and honey, along with soft berry notes, leads into a dry peppery finish influenced by oak.

Tens of millions of flowers were visited by local bees to make the honey that gives a taste of place and a dry finish to our Kolsch-style ale. Vinous esters mingle with a wisp of honey in the nose. The delicate malt flavor is gently accented with a touch of orange zest in this refreshing, food friendly beer.

This new-school hazy IPA is brimming with aromas of tropical fruits. Hops, hops, and more hops were added to this beer throughout the production process to create a distinctively succulent IPA with notes of pineapple and guava. You wouldn’t be blamed if you thought this was some sort of “new juice” rather than a hazy IPA.

Originally brewed for the Redwood Mountain Faire, this blonde ale is a favorite for sipping beneath our beloved, towering redwoods.  Delightfully bright and refreshing, its low bitterness and subtle malt expression will win you over.

Sitting by the creek, we launch flat rocks and watch them skip. We could do this all day while sipping our Rock Skip Session IPA, which offers the hop-forwardness of an IPA, but with less alcohol. Brewed and dry-hopped with Cascade, Centennial, and Mosaic hops, this is an aromatic and refreshing beer full of fruity, floral, and citrusy hop notes.

The Winter Circle is a huge, twinkling pattern of stars that dominates the winter sky. Our Winter Circle casts a prevailing glow that decorates any darkness.

This barrel-aged version of our American Barleywine (3 months in Colorado Whiskey barrels) is a big, complex, copper-hued beauty. The whiskey barrels in which it is aged add notes of vanilla and oak to this luscious, heady sipper.

The man who played his accordion for us in a small beer garden in Baden-Baden forever changed our impression of this instrument.

Thanks for the gorgeous music, accordion man. This beer’s for you!

Our golden-orange-hued Oktoberfest Lager is brewed with imported Pilsner, Vienna and Munich Malts for authenticity.

Amazing panoramas await when you take the scenic route. Scenic Stout is a robust yet smooth stout with a rich aroma of bittersweet chocolate. Oats round out its roasty, deep, dark cocoa flavor. Scenic Stout is the way to go.

Lars and Kathleen spent a week wandering around Dublin during a heatwave, and all the Dubliners were in the parks with their shirts off enjoying the feel of the sun on their skin. Day by day they walked through St. Stephens Green seeing redder and redder skin as everyone excitedly burned.  It was a sunburn celebration. This is a traditional Irish Red: malty with a wee bit ‘o hops for balance. Sláinte!

While we wait for the rains, foggy forest walks reassure us with green, misty promise. This IPA hints of forest pleasures with its dank, resinous, piney hop aroma.

Our old shepherd Faith would’ve made a great brewery dog, but she didn’t live quite long enough. (Dogs never do.) Here’s to her and to all the good dogs. Good Faith is a Strong Ale, with malt derived toffee and dried fruit notes.

Oh Black Lager, Keep on Rollin’… The sound of the black lager happily burbling in the brew house brought this song to mind. Similar in style to a German Schwarzbier, this lager is dark brown in color with a roasted malt aroma and a lingering finish.  Its flavor is malty and mellow with a slight roasty edge reminiscent of bitter chocolate.

She has a shimmery depth, like light on the fathomless sea. Our brewer’s wife, Eileen, inspired the name of this beer.  Shimmer Pils is a crisp and refreshing German-style Pilsner, a true lager with a balanced hoppiness.