ONLY THE BEST: Eel River Brewery Serves Organic Beer, Homegrown Beef and Scrumptious Cheesecakes
Times-Standard / March 12, 2003

 FORTUNA – Longtime Humboldt County residents may remember Fortuna’s historic Clay Brown redwood mill near the banks of the Eel River. And for those too young to remember this, what has become of the old mill is now something everyone can saver.

The Eel River Brewing Company was established on the site of the mill in 1995 by Ted and Margaret Vivatson who have been serving fine food and award-winning beer to a growing group of loyal customers ever since.

The Vivatsons have lived in Humboldt County for 23 years. Prior to opening the brewery, Ted was a land surveyor for the U.S. Forest Service and the County of Humboldt.  Meanwhile, he was a passionate home brewer.

“We started the brewery and basically built it ourselves from the ground up,” Ted said. “The beer garden, where we’re sitting, my wife and I built it, we designed everything. What we saw in the future was brewing award-winning beers, but also trying to put the best product that we could in front of the customers. We changed gears about three years ago and became California’s first certified organic brewery and it has been crazy since then.”

The Eel River Brewing Company’s Certified Organic Amber Ale was California’s first certified organic ale. Aptly described as “unique in flavor and purity, this medium-bodied beer has a happy bouquet and a distinctive rich taste with a caramel-like sweetness that is balanced with a liberal dose of certified organic Pacific Gems and Hallerton Hops, imported from New Zealand.”

Among their beer selection is the very popular California Blonde Ale, touted as having “an exceptionally crisp palate and surprisingly light hop finish.” This brew is always available on tap, along with the Certified Amber Ale, Certified Organic IPA, Certified Organic Porter, Extra Pale Ale, Ravens Eye Stout, Ravensbrau IPA and Hazelnut Porter. Other beers are available seasonally, such as the Double Exaltation, a winter beer, and the Ravensbrau Porter, Climax Amber Ale, Climax California Classic, Climax Pale Ale, American Wheat, Apricot Wheat and Redwood Burl Stout. Margaret’s favorite beer is Climax California Classic, a lager that is only available twice yearly in the summer, because it takes longer to ferment.

The Vivatsons have 31 employees, including four brewers—Jacob Pressy, the head brewer; Bruce Gehrke, Larry Lesterud and Mike Smith.

“A lot of our employees we’ve had since the beginning,” Ted said.

He grew up raising cattle in Danville, a passion that continues today with his practice of raising the brewery’s supply of Angus beef in Hydesville and Carlotta.  That beef is used for the brewery’s hamburgers and steaks. “The Pub Meister” is a hamburger described in the menu as “a hefty half-pound of lean ground beef…seasoned, grilled and served on a big, fresh, fluffy wheat bun.” It is topped with lettuce, tomato and onion and served with a choice of soup, salad or fries.  Customers can also substitute a quarter pound of lean ground turkey for the hamburger or Eel River Brewery’s special marinated chicken breast.

Eel River Brewing Company’s beef is raised under an organic philosophy, according to Ted, meaning the cattle are not given any hormones or antibiotics, they aren’t kept in crowded feed lots and they are grass fed with spent grain from the brewery.

“There’s no waste and it’s very economical, plus it’s the some of the best beef you’ll ever taste,” Ted said.

The brewery’s menu is quite extensive and definitely not average pub food, although there are a variety of hamburgers, fries, fish and chips and beer-battered onion rings to fulfill that appetite as well.

Additional lunch and dinner choices include the chicken burrito made with marinated chicken, a Bien Padre flour tortilla, beans, rice, salsa, sour cream and guacamole, all topped with enchilada sauce and Loleta Cheese. The California Shrimp Salad is made with fresh greens, bay shrimp, Loleta garlic Jack and Cheddar cheeses, sprouts, tomato and avocado, served with garlic bread.

Vegetarian selections include the Veggie Sandwich Supreme made with cream cheese, tomato, red onion, cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, black olives, bell peppers, dill pickles, avocado, Loleta garlic Jack and Cheddar cheeses on a Dutch Crunch roll, brushed with a sundried tomato and artichoke mayonnaise and served with a salad or fries. Another choice is the Mex-Tofu Burger from the Tofu Shop. 

Dinner specials vary and include steak dinners such as the recipe featured at the end of the article (and the picture above) for Black Angus T-Bone Steak with Organic Porter Demi Glaze. Regional and seasonal meals such as Cajun food or seafood dishes are the norm.

“I’ve got one cook who is from Louisiana. He said ‘Ted, do you mind if I make some barbecued shrimp and some red beans and rice?’ I said sure, go ahead, that’s your special, go ahead and lay it out. So, everybody is proud of the little things they can do and everybody brings something to the table. All the cooks have their forte of what they’re good at,” Ted said.

Finally, there are the brewery’s desserts, well worth the trip just on their own. Manager Debbie Chisum makes all the desserts from scratch and is well-known for her cheesecakes.

The cheesecakes are topped with a variety of fruits, from apricots to cherries and seasonally fresh raspberries or blueberries. Chisum likes to experiment, so guests will most likely be treated to new choices each time they visit.