Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you and your current job?
Fal Allen, brewmaster for Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville CA
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
We started Anderson Valley Brewing 30 years ago because we wanted to drink more flavorful and traditional beers and there were not many out in the market. We originally brewed British style ales and have since expanded our portfolio to include beer styles from around the world including innovations of our own – we continue to make high-quality beers of character and distinction to this day.
Can you give us a tour of your beer scene?
Anderson Valley Brewing in a small hamlet in Northern California. We are the lone brewery in our area, the next closest brewery is over 25 miles away. Our beer scene is surrounded by the wine country and our roots are very agrarian. We are lucky in that Northern California is home to the first craft breweries in the Americas (New Albion, Anchor Brewing, Sierra Nevada). Northern California is where many of the early pioneers are still making great beers and there is no shortage of noteworthy newer breweries like Russian River, Heretic or Moonlight.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?
Pay close attention to the details, keep it super clean, brew balanced beers of character and distinction, be prepared to work hard.
facebook.com/pages/Anderson-Valley-Brewing-Company
instagram.com/andersonvalleybrewing