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In the beginning, Anderson Valley Brewing Company was housed in the lower level
of its brewpub,
The Buckhorn Saloon
. Gleaming stainless steel vats brewed and fermented barley and other
specialty grains to create outstanding ales, porters, stouts, and wheat
beers. These brews began as a dream of
Kenneth Allen
to create the smoothest tasting ales available anywhere. After extensive
investigation into quality brewing, the Allens decided how the beers should
taste, and proceeded to design most of the processing vats and tanks used in
their beer making process. They began making and selling beer in 1987.
When the demand for our award winning ales exceeded the capacity of our
10-barrel brewery below the pub, we built our present 30-barrel facility at the
corner of Highways 128 and 253, a mile from the center of Boonville. That was
in 1996, and this brewery saw us through a dramatic period of growth, which
included the introduction of a 12 ounce bottling line and a production level of
15,000 barrels in 1998, twice the amount brewed in 1997.
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Despite the larger space and expanded capacity, the need for an even larger and
more efficient brewhouse was evident to the Allens. In 1998, construction began
on the Bavarian-style brewhouse you see above, with large windows revealing the
gleaming 100- and 85- barrel copper brew kettles within. The kettles,
such as they just don't make anymore, were rescued by Ken Allen from defunct
German breweries during a trip to Europe in 1995. These are the
centerpiece of the state-of-the-art, three-story brewhouse. The new
brewhouse went online in August of 2000 (see our
map of the new brew house
). Tours of Anderson Valley Brewing Company, at 17700 Hwy. 253,
Boonville, California. are offered daily (except holidays), at 1:30 pm and 4:00
pm. Please call 707-895-2337 ahead of time, to arrange your tour.
Eventually the surrounding grounds will be developed to include picnic groves
and horse pastures, making the brewery and property a major tourist destination
in the already attractive Anderson Valley. Wagons, pulled by
enormous Shire horses
, will offer rides, to and from downtown Boonville, as well as making local
beer deliveries.
The Anderson Valley
beers
are handcrafted in the tradition of our ancestors. Only the purest
natural ingredients are used to create these exceptional brews. Pristine water,
rich in bicarbonates and chemical free, is drawn from deep wells on the brewery
grounds. Neither artificial preservatives nor flavor destructive pasteurization
processes are ever employed in the making of our beer. Select malted
grains are milled, then mashed for ninety minutes, to help create the
smoothest, fullest flavored brews possible. The grain extract, now called
wort, our pristine well water and several varieties of the finest Pacific
Northwest hops are then vigorously boiled. Special proprietary yeast is
then added at just the right temperature and degree of oxygenation. After
about 10 days, the fermented wort is chilled and, four days later, cold
filtered in order to remove the haziness from the beer. Throughout our
expansion, we have continued to produce beers with the same quality and
commitment that has made our brewery famous. And best of all, it's easy
to
find the Anderson Valley Beers near you!
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