Friday 3rd of July 2009 07:02:29 PM

link
Coming here is obligatory given that this is Sierra Nevada, but it’s also truly worthwhile as you will find excellent beer, good food, and a good atmosphere. The beer selection is amazing. All the beers are made by Sierra Nevada and include the usual lineup but also quite a few specials that you can’t get anywhere else.

The space has a tall ceiling and a skylight and it’s large, plush and nicely decorated. On the right is the bar section but the bulk of the space is reserved for dining. An open kitchen with a wood-fired pizza oven is in the back. Floors are quarry tile in the bar and carpeting in the dining section.

The bar and bar chairs are made from dark wood. The bar surface is copper and the bar back is an imposing structure made from the same dark wood and decorated with stained glass (motifs are hops, river scenes, and the name of brewery).

And there’s a fantastic large outdoor seating area on the left side that really takes advantage of the hot dry weather here. A large arbor covered in wisteria as well as other assorted vines and plants make this a lovely garden setting.

The food is good too. It is definitely a cut above the standard brewpub fare - better ingredients, more innovative combinations, etc. We had a delicious chorizo wood-fired pizza on our latest visit.

Friday 22nd of May 2009 12:16:58 AM

link
This was quite a pleasant surprise when I visited. I've never been a big S.N. fan (except for Bigfoot and Celebration Ale) so I wasn't expecting much when I stepped in.

What greeted me was a lively, open, inviting restaurant with more taps than I could believe (we get S.N. Pale Ale back home, and not much else).

We dove in grabbed dinner and the biggest sampler platter I've ever see and had a great evening. Their specialty IPAs were far better than most of their other offerings (and much better than my expectations) but their wheat beer was incredibly well done, too. It was a shame that their finest beer (a "harvest" IPA called Southern Hemisphere, made entirely with import hops - go Green Bullets!) was only available on tap.

The service was very enjoyable and knowledgeable. And the best part, at the end of the evening I couldn't believe how low the bill was. I didn't expect dinner and drinks for two in CALIFORNIA to cost less than $30!

Great job Sierra Nevada! If ever I'm in Chico again I will come back.

Saturday 25th of October 2008 11:17:16 PM

link
We arrived early for lunch and it’s a good thing we did because the taproom filled up quickly and parking lot was full by the time we left. The restaurant includes a fair amount of table seating and a long bar/tall table area separated by only a half wall. A comfortable vine covered patio is opposite the bar. There were sixteen house brews on the tap list of which eleven were seasonal and specialty brews. I worked my way through many of special brews by drinking half pints, but didn’t appreciate the 25% markup compared to pints. The menu was excellent with a great selection of appetizers, salads, sandwiches and full entrees. After lunch, we walked down to the gift shop and went on a self guided tour. The only disappointment here was that that none of the unusual specialty brews were available in bottles.