Eel River Brewing Company (ERB) is a craft brewery in Humboldt County Northern California. Established in 1994, Eel River Brewing Co. is owned and operated by Margaret Frigon and Ted Vivatson. Since 1999, when they released their Organic Amber Ale [1], it has been the first Certified Organic Brewery in the United States.[1]
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ERB's Taproom and Grill in Fortuna is the birthplace of Eel River Brewing Company. There is a small brewing facility on site at the Taproom and Grill where Eel River Brewing Co. produced its beer from 1994 up until the move to Scotia in 2007. Since the brewing facility was moved to Scotia, only small batches of beer are produced at the Eel River Brewing Company Taproom and Grill; however, the Taproom and Grill has continued to be a top dining destination in Humboldt County. The Taproom and Grill has all of ERB's beers on tap as well as specialty brews that can only be found at ERB's Taproom and Grill. The menu boasts a wide range of food from stout-smoked BBQ to salads, sandwiches to seafood featuring local and organic Humboldt County products.[2]
This brewpub is built on the historic site of the Clay Brown Redwood Mill. The focal point of Eel River Brewing Co.'s Taproom and Grill is the 30-foot (9.1 m) long bar made entirely from recovered historic Redwood and Douglas Fir. The establishment, with its 100+ seating, also offers the largest beer garden on California's North Coast complete with a horseshoe pit.
In 2007, Eel River Brewing Co. outgrew their brewing facility at their brewpub in Fortuna and moved to an old redwood mill in Scotia. Eel River Brewing Company's Scotia brewing facility runs on 100% bio-mass renewable energy. In 2009 after only 2 years at the Scotia brewing facility, ERB nearly doubled what they were producing previously at the Fortuna brewing facility.[3] With production in 2009 of over 7,000 barrels, Eel River Brewing Co. currently distributes to more than half of the states in the U.S. as well as Canada and Mexico.
Eel River Brewing Company first made the commitment to sustainability in 1999 by becoming America's first certified Organic brewery. The Scotia brewing facility is powered by 100% bio-mass renewable energy and also has its own waste water pretreatment facility on location. The waste water pretreatment facility filters out waste, which eases the strain that would otherwise be put on the water treatment center in town. Spent grain from the brewing process is used to feed ERB’s local, organic cattle that are in turn sold as organic beef at the Eel River Brewing Company Taproom and Grill in Fortuna. Packaging and promotional items are made from recycled materials and ERB buys these items locally to minimize the effects of transportation. The ERB tap handles are made from reclaimed wood and all paper packaging is made with recycled materials and printed with soy-based inks.