Wednesday 1st of July 2009 11:09:27 PM

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Caldera Brewing is in a concrete industrial building hidden behind a Best Western hotel just off I-5 in the outskirts of Ashland. Twice per week they’re open to the public for bulk dock sales - cash only and only kegs or cases of cans. We were able to peek in to see the brewery. It’s a very tall ceilinged room with clerestory windows and where you can see the mash tun, brew kettle, hot liquor tank, and a number of fermenters. Other rooms lead off the loading dock, including an amazing tool room (presumably it takes a lot of manual work to keep equipment up and running properly) and storage.

We also got to visit a large refrigerated storage room with the brite tanks, big cardboard cartons of hops, and assorted pallets of kegs. On one side there were 12 tap handles attached via flexible tubing to kegs sitting right below them on the floor. This side of the room was the informal (and cold!) tasting room.

This is an intriguing brewery making good beers and it’s worth timing your visit to this area to be there at a time when they’re open for a visit. The IPA wasn’t on when we visited, but we already know it to be good. We sampled a passion fruit beer, a stout, and a beer made with ginger.

Friday 17th of August 2007 09:58:47 PM

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Open for dock sales during normal business hours but I did not see a tasting area and no one offered a tour. I was referred to a Shop'n Kart store just down the street for individual six packs. There are current 7 styles listed at the dock but only the Pale Ale and the IPA are available in cans. I was able to taste the Amber at a local restaurant; it was tasty and true to style.
Edit: Having waited for the 6-packs to chill, I was able to sample them both. They were excellent. The Pale Ale had a bit more hop emphasis than I expected (much more than the Amber draft) which I found very pleasing. Wish I had opted for a couple of cases rather than 6-packs.