Lodi craft breweries, taprooms entice hopheads
Although winemakers may have been the first to capture Lodi’s essence in a bottle, beer makers and aficionados have recently tapped into a strong demand for artisanal alcohol. To the delight of locals and visitors alike, downtown School Street has turned into a veritable classroom for fans of craft brewing.
The Dancing Fox, already a well-regarded winery, bakery and restaurant, expanded its beverage list in recent years to include beers made by winemaker Gregg Lewis’ 30-year-old middle son, Jared.
“He started doing home brewing probably when he was barely legal,” his father recalls. “I encouraged him several years ago that I would get bonded so we could sell his beer at the restaurant, and they’ve become quite popular.”
Point in case: Dancing Fox’s Down the Rabbit Hole Pale Ale made with New Zealand hops.
“As soon as we put it on, it’s gone,” Lewis said. “We try to have five of our own taps, out of 15, at any given time, but they go pretty fast.”
But fans of the evanescent pale ale and other sought-after Dancing Fox beers — among them the Crushed Pilsner and Wishing for Winter Oatmeal Stout — have reason to rejoice: Dancing Fox is installing larger fermenting tanks and in the fall, it will start bottling some of its brews.
“It’s all in preparation for our new addition,” Lewis said. “We’re taking out our parking lot and putting in a new 13,000-square-feet brewery and distillery, which will probably focus on brandies, since that’s alcohol made from fruit and we have a lot of fruit in Lodi. And we’ll never run out of beer again.”
Running out is also unlikely at two other newer School Street spots specializing in craft beers. At Porters Pub, opened in 2014 by Lodi natives Scott and Shae Porter, beer lovers can choose from a frequently rotating selection of nearly 40 brews at the casual sports-themed bar and restaurant, ideal for catching a game on TV.
In 2016, Jeff Daniel and Carrie Gooding realized a dream they’d had as honeymooners five years ago when they opened Brix and Hops, a living room-style lounge that offers 30 artisanal beers on rotating taps as well as seven local wines and a sparkling wine.
“Thirty taps is sometimes overwhelming because most of the time our patrons haven’t heard of most of the beers,” Daniel said. “They have to take time to read the menu, which is double-sided legal size, but the servers we have are great and very knowledgeable. They’ll ask, ‘What do you like or what do you typically go toward,’ and they’ll give them a little sip. I just want guests’ experience to be really positive.”
Five-ounce samplers of beer are also for sale, encouraging patrons to try trendy IPAS as well as more unusual brews such as a pilsner from Santa Cruz’s Uncommon Brewers, made with ginger and wasabi. The latter is “perfect with Thai food,” notes Daniel, adding that guests can order food delivered from nearby Thai Kitchen and other downtown restaurants, to supplement the pretzels and Chex mix on hand.
Next door to Brix and Hops, and sharing much of its diverse clientele, is Scotto’s Wine & Cider, which opened last September.
Winemaker and cider master Paul Scotto, the fifth generation in his family’s wine business, first began making hard cider for distribution back in 2012, under the labels William Tell and Pacific Coast.
Now he has created with his brother Michael Scotto seven cider varieties in cans — currently apple, apple
Pinot Grigio, apple strawberry, cherry, mango, blueberry and a “bone dry” variety with no residual sugar — plus small batches in kegs found only in the School Street tasting room, which sell out quickly.
Recent versions of the smallbatch ciders include a “red, white and blue” (strawberry, peach and blue) for the Fourth of July and apple mango jalapeño.
“I try to have one [unique] on tap at a time, to keep it fresh,” Scotto said. “We have people wanting to come in and see what’s new.”
Of course, no beer lover’s visit to Lodi would be complete without sampling a pint from Lodi Beer Company, which pioneered School Street’s suds scene in 2004.
The Bohemian copper tanks that face the entrance to the bustling brew pub help produce 12 to 16 beers on tap, from the Lodi Lite Lager that’s a local favorite to heartier brews such the Western Pacific IPA, the Tart Cherry Wheat made with Lodi-grown cherries, and the sweet, malty Eisbock.
Owner and original brewmaster Roger Rehmke, who built the brewery and restaurant with wife Sam, turned beermaking over to Roger Scatena a few years ago. Both Rehmkes still focus on keeping the quality of the hand-crafted beer and food high, as one School Street colleague notes.
“Lodi Beer does great beers,” Scotto said, “and I’ve eaten there many, many a time — they do a really good job.”