On our recent trip to the northern California Coast, we had the privilege of visiting the Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka, California. The place was hopping, even on a midweek night, and it took us a while to get seated. While we were waiting for our table, we watched the boy play several games of pinball in the back.

Decisions, Decisions

Prior to the visit, I had only tried a couple of the offerings from Lost Coast. Knowing that we wouldn’t be able to try all the beers on the menu that night, we opted for the sampler. Ten 4oz glasses of all the beers available! Like other breweries we’ve visited, there were some great beers that really stood out, and a few that were fun to try but made you grateful you only got a 4oz sampler!

The Sampler

Here’s a rundown of the beers we sampled:

I enjoyed an 8 Ball Stout at home back in the winter months, and it was great to revisit this wonderful brew. A full flavored creamy chocolaty brown elixir, with a smooth balance of sweet and bitter. Perfect for when the temperatures start dropping, but also enjoyable during other times of the year.

My other favorite of the night was Great White. I had not tried this beer previously, so I was pretty excited at this new find! Great White is brewed with wheat and barley, and is a bit cloudy like other beers brewed in this style; however, Great White is more full bodied than other wheat beers, and has a complexity to it.  It has hints of citrus, coriander, and a “secret blend of Humboldt herbs”.  Great White is a fine summer beer!

Rear Entrance of the LCB

LCB had a lineup of wheat beers, the Lost Coast Wheat, Apricot Wheat, and the Tangerine Wheat. The Lost Coast and Tangerine were quite refreshing, and also topped the list on Kristy’s favorites. We both agreed that the Apricot Wheat tasted a bit mediciney though.

In the medium category were the Allycat Amber, Downtown Brown, and Raspberry Brown. I don’t have a whole lot to say about these beers. Not because I didn’t think they were good, but because they’re just not what I’m into right now. The Amber and Brown were good examples of this style, and are worth buying a sixer of if this is your style. The Downtown Brown is a bit more full bodied than a New Castle. It’s also noticeably fresher than a New Castle, as New Castles seem to be hit and miss with the long distribution chain (at least that’s my hypothesis…). The Raspberry Brown was too fruity/mediciny for my tastes, and was one of my least favorites of the night.

LCB Artwork

Finally, the Pale Ales. Pale Ales are my favorite right now, and I was excited to try these two. Both were surprising. The Indica IPA (Indica is Latin for India, but also a subspecies of Cannabis sativa that I’m told grows in the area…) was wildly hoppy! Hops are a natural preservative, and were added in abundance to beer when sailors of long ago made the long sea journeys from Great Britain to India around the horn of Africa. The India Pale Ale style definitely lives on in Indica! I love hops, and this one is near going over the top. It’s a fun one to drink and contemplate.

The standard Pale Ale was surprising to me, because I didn’t enjoy it at all. In fact it was the beer I enjoyed the least out of the whole ten sampled! I’m not sure why either. But of course I did drink it all!

LCB Artwork

Another fun reason to visit the LCB is for all the artwork! The building itself is a throwback to Eureka’s earlier times, and has a great historic feel. Once inside, you are treated to many beautiful, but bizarre pieces of artwork, ranging from the many colorful labels of LCB beer bottles to crazy sculptures over head. There was even a giant black widow spider hooked up to a rope and pulley that lowered as patrons entered the brewery from the front entrance!

Have any of you enjoyed LCB brews? Tell me what you think about them!

Did you know that the Lost Coast Brewery has a cycling team? I didn’t either! Link HERE.