Danville Brewing, Danville
Marcus Maita and his Maita Distributing were longtime fixtures in the East Bay beer community, so when he sold his business and began looking for new opportunities, they involved beer, of course. In 2016, Maita and local restaurateur Randy Negi open the Danville Brewing Co. and hired brewer Matt Sager. The latter has been knocking it out of the park ever since. A 20-year brewing veteran, Sager got his degree in brewing from UC Davis, interned at Lagunitas and spent many years at Reno's Great Basin Brewing.
Sager keeps around a dozen beers on at any given time — and sometimes as many as 18. Several of his beers have won medals at the Great American Beer Festival, the World Beer Cup and other festivals. His Chux Double IPA came in second at last year's Bistro Double IPA Fest and took a bronze at GABF in 2017. So it's no surprise, it's a tasty hop blast with old-school tart, bitterness. He also makes a very nice hazy IPA, Eagle Peak, a malty Schwarzbier with lovely chocolate notes, and an easy-drinking 925 Blonde.
Granny's Tipple is probably Sager's most decorated beer. An English-style barleywine is like a fine sherry, strong but delicate and never too bitter. It's a great after-dinner sipper.
The restaurant side of the brewpub is more high end than a typical taproom's might be, with appetizers such as blackened ahi tuna and crispy Brussels sprouts, and a menu of bowls, salads, sandwiches and upscale burgers, including a Money Burger topped with “billion dollar bacon.” There's an oval-shaped sports bar and an almost-separate wing with dining tables that leads to the brewery.
When I was there, it was packed even at midday, so I wasn't surprised to hear that they're looking for a nearby space to expand their brewing operations and keep up with demand.
DETAILS >> The brewery opens at 11:30 a.m. daily at 200 Railroad Ave. in Danville; danvillebrewing.com.