Lost Coast Brewery

Lost Coast Brewery

Company type	Independent
Industry	Alcoholic beverage
Founded	1989
Founder	Barbara Groom Wendy Pound
Headquarters	Eureka, California, US
Products	Beer
Production output	~75,000 US barrels per year
Owner	Barbara Groom
Website	www.lostcoast.com

Lost Coast Brewery is an independent brewery located in Eureka, California. It produces year-round and seasonal beers and has received various awards from both local and national brewing organizations.

Between 1990 and 2011, the brewery expanded production to 60,000 barrels per year. A larger production facility built in 2014 permits 200,000 to 600,000 barrels annually. ^[1]

History

Lost Coast Brewery's brewpub in Eureka, California.

Lost Coast Brewery was founded by Wendy Pound and Barbara Groom in 1989. It is one of only two female-owned breweries ^[2] in Humboldt County, along with Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville. ^[3]

Pound and Groom developed the idea in 1986 and spent three years on research and development including visits to English and Welsh pubs, home experimentation and refining their techniques. ^[4] In 1989, they bought the Fraternal Order of the Knights of Pythias Pythian Castle and opened the brewery and pub there in 1990. ^[4] The brewery outgrew the original location and moved to a larger building in Eureka in 1994, ^[5] where by 2011, they produced 60,000 barrels of beer, ^[6] making it the 46th largest brewery in the U.S. despite distribution in only 19 states at the time. ^{[7] [8]}

In 2012, the U.S. Brewers Association named Lost Coast Brewery one of the top 50 (by volume) craft and overall breweries, ^[9] and listed it as number 38 on their nationwide ranking. ^[10] Following a decade of nearly 20 percent per annum growth, Lost Coast employed 80 people and announced a $15 million new free-standing facility in Eureka, ^[2] on a 9.3 acres (3.8 ha) site. ^{[6] [11]} The plan allowed them to open a facility producing between 200,000 and 600,000 barrels annually. ^{[6] [12]}

In 2013, Lost Coast Brewery distributed beer to 21 states of U.S and 11 nations. ^[13]

Products

Lost Coast brews both year-round and seasonal beers. ^[6]

• Great White ^{[6] [14]} is an unfiltered, Belgian Witbier. Its base is malted barley and unmalted wheat with citrus and Humboldt county herbs. In 2002 and 2003, Lost Coast's Great White Ale was a silver medalist at the California State Fair. ^[15]
• Tangerine Wheat ^[6] is a wheat beer flavored with lemon. The Los Angeles Times called it a "charming outdoor sipper as the weather warms, and it has real potential as a food beer". ^[16]
• Downtown Brown ^{[6] [14]} was the first beer distributed by Lost Coast Brewery. It's a lightly hopped dark malt ale. In 1993, it won a bronze medal in the American Brown Ale category at the Great American Beer Festival. From 1997 through 2000, Downtown Brown was voted the number one beer in the Time Standard Reader's Choice Awards, and won first place at the 2000 West Coast Beer Fest. In 2002, Downtown Brown received a gold medal at the LA County Fair and another gold in 2003 at the California State Fair. ^[15]
• Alleycat Amber ^{[6] [14]} is a burgundy-orange ale with a sweet aroma, a caramel flavor, and slight bitterness. At the 1997 California Brewer's Fest, the Alleycat Amber won both a gold medal and Best in Show. ^[15] At the California State Fair in 1999 and 2002, Alleycat was the Bronze Medal beer. ^[15]
• 8-Ball Stout ^{[6] [17]} is an ale brewed with malts roasted like coffee beans to give the beer its color and flavor. This stout was a two-time gold medalist at the Los Angeles County Fair in 2004 and 2005. ^[15] It also won silver medals at the California State Fair in 2002 and 2003. ^[15]
• Indica India Pale Ale ^{[6] [18]} is an ale brewed with hops, herbs, and citrus flavors. Indica India Pale Ale was recognized as one of the World's "Must Taste Beers" in the 2003 "All About Beer Magazine". The label design caused religious controversy in 2004. ^{[19] [20]} A lawsuit on the design ^[21] went to the California Supreme Court which decided the label was protected by free speech. ^[19] The design was subsequently modified slightly. The controversy has been discussed by the Parliament of India and resulted in dozens of angry complaints since. ^[19] The beer won a gold medal at the Los Angeles County Fair (2004), at the Humboldt County Fair (2001, 2003, 2006) and second place at the California State Fair (2012). ^[15]
• Fogcutter Double IPA ^{[6] [22]}
• Revenant IPA ^[6]
• Hazy IPA ^[6]
• Watermelon Wheat ^[6]
• Raspberry Brown ^[6] is Lost Coast Brewery's Downtown Brown with an infusion of raspberry and chocolate malt flavor. In 2003, the Raspberry Brown was voted best in California by the United States Beer Tasting Championships. ^[15]
• Winterbraun ^[6] is a seasonal "winter warmer." The ale uses Saaz hops, and chocolate and caramel malts that are added at the end of the brewing process. Winterbraun placed second in the 1998 World Beer Championship. ^[15]
• Other seasonal selections have included Apricot Wheat, Harvest Wheat, Scotch Ale, Strawberry Wheat

References

1. "Brewery". Lost Coast Brewery. June 4, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
2. Richey, David, California Craft Brewing Industry: An Economic Impact Study, California Craft Brewers Association, 2012, pages 18-19, accessed January 16, 2014
3. 6 Female-Owned Breweries In Honor of Int'l Women's Day Archived 2014-01-18 at the Wayback Machine , Brooklyn Brew Shop, March 8, 2012, accessed January 16, 2014
4. Lost Coast Brewery, Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 2014
5. State of the Industry Report: Manufacturing, Humboldt County Planning Department, Humboldt County, California, 2007, accessed January 16, 2014
6. Jay R. Brooks (August 1, 2013). California Breweries North. Stackpole Books. pp. 242–. ISBN   978-0-8117-1158-6.
7. Lost Coast Brewery: Our Story and Beers, Lost Coast Brewery, 2014
8. "Planning Commission OKs Lost Coast Brewery project; additional amendments will go in front of city council". Times-Standard. March 14, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
9. Regional Labor Market Profile Archived 2014-01-17 at the Wayback Machine , California Community Colleges, 2013, accessed January 16, 2014
10. Brewers Association releases top Breweris of 2012, Brewers Association, 2014, accessed January 16, 2014
11. Poor, Kaci, Eureka Council to discuss Lost Coast Brewery project, Eureka Times-Standard, November 18, 2012, accessed January 16, 2014
12. Rodriguez, Lorna, Breaking ground: Lost Coast Brewery construction to begin, Eureka Times-Standard, November 23, 2013, accessed January 16, 2014
13. Lost Coast Brewery Distributors, Lost Coast Brewery, 2013, accessed January 16, 2014
14. Tim Hampson (October 17, 2013). World Beer . DK Publishing. pp.  194–. ISBN   978-1-4654-2263-7.
15. Awards, Lost Coast Brewery, 2014
16. Cusack, Anne (April 15, 2009). "Lost Coast Brewing Tangerine Wheat". Los Angeles Times.
17. Andy Crouch (2010). Great American Craft Beer: A Guide to the Nation's Finest Beers and Breweries . Running Press. pp.  166–. ISBN   978-0-7624-4160-0.
18. Larry Hatch. Brewbase Encyclopedia 2011-2012. TCR Press. pp. 257–.
19. Greenson, Thadeus, Brewery draws religious ire, Eureka Times-Standard, July 21, 2009, accessed January 16, 2014
20. Rajghatta, Chidanand, Beer 'Ganesh' brews storm in US, Times of India, May 18, 2005, accessed January 16, 2014
21. Lost Coast Brewery Sued, Weekly Wrap, North Coast Journal, May 12, 2005, accessed January 16, 2014,
22. Lost Coast Brewing 2009 Limited Release Specialties, The Full Pint, January 7, 2009, accessed January 16, 2014

40°48′10.95″N124°9′53.04″W / 40.8030417°N 124.1647333°W / 40.8030417; -124.1647333

External links

• Official website