Redwood Curtain Brewing Co. is the best-known secret in town. Tucked in an unassuming business park on the outskirts of Arcata, it’s become a popular destination for Humboldt County beer enthusiasts and tourists alike. But, says beer pourer Chris Galleron on a bustling Sunday afternoon, locals still frequently visit the tasting room for the first […]
Beer
Posted inSpecial Sections
Farm to Glass
“You’re making this hard for me,” says a regular who’s sidled up to the standing-only bar that divides the small tasting room from the tap house at the Humboldt Regeneration Brewery. He came to get a growler filled, but with 28 unique beers on tap, and a small littering of empty tasters in front of […]
Posted inStories
Golden Age
To walk through the grand polished-wood and etched-glass doors of the Minor Theatre is to straddle the past and the future. Staircases descend into the small, warmly appointed lobby, filled with ornate items from a bygone era: historic photos, a grandfather clock and a typewriter on which customers peck out cheery thoughts and poems. The […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Siren Call of Beer
Soft gold and deep blue lights illuminate the impressive line-up of stemware behind the bar at Siren’s Song Tavern in Old Town Eureka — something for every beer, ale, stout and sour on the menu. After quietly opening four years ago, the place has steadily built a solid reputation for craft beer and cider, eclectic […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Potent Potions
The heady pleasure of sipping a well-executed artisan cocktail cannot be overstated. Even perusing The Griffin’s drink list chock-full of herbal simple syrups and local craft liquors and essential oils is enough to lift your spirits. Locals will recognize the friendly faces of owners Cordelia Ray and Vanessa Griffin crafting drinks behind the bar. Both […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Dive Right In
Once upon a time, to refer to a drinking establishment as a “dive” was to insult it, to declare its dark corners unwelcoming places populated by seedy people who’d as soon stab you as clink a pint. And then the ’90s happened. Grunge went beyond a music genre — it was a lifestyle best acted […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Pints on the Patio
Summer stretches well into fall in terms of fine, mellow weather in Humboldt. Revel in the sunshine and eat with your sunglasses on. Bittersweet Honestly, we are struggling to find the bitter here. This tag-team venture with Slice of Humboldt Pie and The Local Cider Bar is a very sweet deal. Stake out a couple […]
Posted inNews
Strange, Happy Brews
Justin Whitaker’s booth, in the lobby, had first grabs at all of us rushing into the Eureka Theater for StrangeBrew Beer Fest 2014 last Saturday night. It helped that he was strategically placed across from Cypress Grove’s cheese table. “Everybody’s going for The Lush,” said Whitaker, who home brews with his wife, Eryn. Truth, though: Everybody […]
Posted inNews
Tour the Brew: Lost Coast’s New Facility
Congressman Jarad Huffman was in town last weekend for a fundraiser and tours that included one of the brand new, up and running, $27 million Lost Coast Brewery facility on the very south end of Eureka. The huge new building (which has not been without its controversy) will replace the brewery’s current production line, and […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Raise Your Glass
The National Brewers Association, having finally sobered up from trying all the craft beer in the land, has released its top 50 craft breweries in the country. Lost Coast Brewery made 37. (Pause for moment of local pride and hearty belch.) Check out the full list on the Huffington Post.
Posted inEat + Drink
Old Ale, New Tricks
The Local Beer Bar is celebrating its second birthday on Saturday by releasing an anniversary ale whipped up with Eel River Brewery — a vanilla eisbier aptly named Stop, Collaborate and Listen (price TBA). Why? Because it’s iced, iced, baby. What? We were all thinking it. And in one of the most scandalous abuses of […]
Posted inEat + Drink
Bittersweet
Sure, everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, but that doesn’t mean everyone loves the food. Corned beef and cabbage is fine comfort food, briny and piping hot with soft potatoes, and my family didn’t wait for March to cook it. But the heart-slowing food of ancestors who got up in the dark and worked until […]