Brewsters welcome addition to Petaluma food, beer scene

As Sonoma County’s newest outdoor dining venue, Brewsters Beer Garden has exploded into Petaluma’s consciousness as more than just a pleasant place to eat. Exactly as planned, Brewsters has quickly become the go-to destination for those looking to relax, visit with friends and family, and enjoy a great selection of local beer, wine and cocktails, alongside a top-notch menu of southern-inspired, locally-driven cuisine.

Beer gardens first appeared in Munich, Germany in the 1800s. Unlike your average restaurant patio, a beer garden is more communal in nature, and is meant for lounging, relaxing and visiting with your neighbors. Tables are usually shared, families are encouraged, and entertainment typically includes music and games.

From the moment that co-owners Mike Goebel and Chris Beerman started planning and designing Brewsters, their focus was on creating a space that would last the test of time, while paying due respect to the spirit of Petaluma, which is all about family, friends, good food and drink and community involvement.

An initial encouraging sign were the signs that lined Brewsters’ street-side fence, even before they broke ground. The owners elicited local help in designing and building their space, turning to the well-respected firms of MAD Architects, Steven J Lafranchi & Assoc for engineering and Diego Quality Construction.

Goebel is married to a Diego, making him a de facto local. I met with co-owner/chef Beerman at his popular San Francisco restaurant late last year and learned that he is no ordinary chef, and he was not planning to be part of any ordinary restaurant project. He strives for perfection, while keeping his menu comfy and approachable.

I sampled several of his dishes, from fried chicken to ramen noodles and all were flavorful and filling. And his inclusion of an excellent port on his wine menu certainly put a twinkle in my eye.

Beerman started working in restaurants as an early teen in his home state of North Carolina. His grandfather owned fried chicken restaurants, which clearly had its influence on Beerman as his is some of the best fried chicken I have tasted.

Eventually, Beerman attended Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, where he studied culinary arts. As a skater, surfer and snowboarder, Beerman was drawn towards the West after school, where he spent six years honing his cooking skills in Boulder and Breckenridge, Colo., before moving with a large group of friends to San Francisco.

He worked at several restaurants, most notably Boulevard from 2006 to 2010, before branching out on his own, first with a neighborhood-inspired bento box pop-up, followed by his wildly successful Citizen’s Band restaurant.

Goebel grew up in Centralia, Wash., a town with a downtown similar to Petaluma’s. He worked as a bartender while attended San Francisco State University on a soccer scholarship. After graduating, he opened several popular neighborhood bars throughout San Francisco, including Bloodhound, The Double Dutch, Churchill, The Ambassador and Mamacita. Once he started a family, Goebel was drawn to the North Bay in order to be closer to family.

Goebel’s Bloodhound bar was across the street from Beerman’s Citizen’s Band restaurant, which is how the partners first met and became close friends. They often discussed doing a project together, but it was not until Goebel’s family purchased the Mahoney Building, where Buffalo Billiards is located, and the neighboring parking lot that the creative juices really started to flow. Goebel approached Beerman with the idea of Brewsters Beer Garden.

River-facing

The name “Brewsters” actually has nothing to do with their incredible selection of beer, and is itself another sign that Beerman and Goebel are no fly-by-night operators. They took the time to research the property, and found out that their space sits in an area of downtown that was historically designated as “Brewsters Edition” on the city’s old maps.

The first unusual, yet endearing thing one notices upon arriving at Brewsters is that the main entrance is on Water Street, not Petaluma Boulevard. Furthermore, the space is oriented towards the river. Originally, Goebel envisioned the beer garden would face the historic stone wall that abuts Petaluma Boulevard, which dates back to George McNear’s Oriental Flour & Feed Mill and Lyman Byce’s Petaluma Incubator Company. But upon reflection, Goebel decided that it would be more appropriate for the beer garden to face the river, and the massive grain silo, which is a vivid reminder that Petaluma is still an agrarian community.

For those who grew up in Petaluma, using Water Street is counter-intuitive. However, it works well, and definitely makes Brewsters an original, hopefully starting a trend of more restaurants and businesses facing the river.

Once inside, guests will notice how massive and solid Brewsters is, yet completely inviting. The building itself if constructed of metal I-beams and the tables and benches are massive wood sculptures unto themselves, harvested by Petaluma’s Heritage Salvage from an old Army barracks in Oakland.

“Although new and modern, we want people to know that we are here to last,” Goebel said. The outdoor seating area is split up into several different sections, with a Bocce ball court, a kids play area, a music stage and a satellite bar for future tap-takeovers.

John Ton of Petaluma Sign Company did a masterful job of giving the brick wall at the street level a more than realistic aged looked, which adds loads of character to what would otherwise be a rather boring red brick wall. Ton also created the Bocce Ball scoreboard as well as most of the other signs throughout Brewsters.

Another piece of artwork, and a positive indication that Brewsters seems to know how to fit into Petaluma, is the incredible metal and wood tree sculpture that engulfs the top of the staircase where the back entrance meets Petaluma Boulevard. This piece of artwork fits the space well, complimenting the wooded Penry Park across the street, and was created by Glen Ellen’s Bryan Tedrick, famed for his Burning Man sculptures.

Local sourcing

Brewsters relies on a who’s who of local vendors, further solidifying their philosophy that to be truly local, you have to spread the wealth locally whenever possible. Brewsters uses Ace and Rags to Stitches for their apparel, Lace House Linens for linens, and Fishman Supply for all other non-food related essentials.

“Petaluma is at an epicenter of great food,” said Beerman, whose menu sources from such local greats as Stemple Creek Ranch, Marin Sun Farms, Green Star, Feed Sonoma and Live Oak Farms. “We listen, we care and we want to cultivate menus that cater to more than one type of clientele. Our menu is barbecue-inspired, but produce-driven. We are inspired by fire and smoke, and although we will always have the staples, we will change the menu with the season and with the weather.”

We were invited to one of several soft opening nights, prior to Brewsters opening to the public. We sampled a limited food and drink menu, and the atmosphere was festive, to say the least. I could already tell from the excited crowd that Brewsters was going to be a huge hit.

Our second visit, just days after the grand opening, confirmed my intuition. We arriving 15 minutes before opening, in order to grab a table for the dozen Petaluma Supper Club members that would be joining us, and there was already a crowd waiting, many with kids in tow. I knew the kitchen would get slammed so I warned everyone to order quickly. Those that listened received their food quickly, while the rest had to wait quite a while for the first rush to pass. But every plate that arrived was top-notch, which says a lot for a kitchen that it turning out hundreds of meals per hour.

Eat, drink, be merry

I had heard from several readers that they had tried Beerman’s brisket and ribs and that they were some of the best they had ever had. Because I had tasted Beerman’s food before, I knew Brewsters would be great, but was still surprised with just how solid the menu is. Beerman is dedicated to his craft, and along with everything else we tried, his brisket and ribs are top notch.

Over our next several visits, we saw a marked improvement in service, which was understandably overwhelmed when Brewsters first opened. Food delivery is now so fast that I often think the server may have the wrong table.

We have sampled a good portion of the menu, and are pleased to see new items every time we visit. Gone are the days when a menu went unchanged for years on end. Sure, there is a lot to be said for go-to favorites, but with a chef as good as Beerman, I want to try anything new that he has to offer, while always knowing there are certain regular menu items that will always be there as a back-up.

We have tried most of the menu and have yet to run into an appetizer, entrée, side or dessert we did not crave the very next day. Obviously, the brisket ($16 for a half-pound), ribs ($15 - $39), and fried chicken ($22) are already crowd favorites, but everything else we tried was excellent, including the half smoked chicken ($20), whole chopped hog ($14-$28), pan seared king salmon ($24), pork chop ($28), and burger ($14-$16.)

We have yet to try the Osso Buco ($32) or the lobster spaghetti ($28), but are sure to shortly. Their pork belly small plate is a bargain at $12, especially considering that it is smoked for 12 hours before being laid on a bed of roasted Sierra beauty apples, potato hash and spicy greens.

The veggie in our crew was so enthralled with the cauliflower steak ($10), that she even talked me into trying it, and it was phenomenal. There is also a veggie burger ($11) along with sides of creamy slaw ($5), collards ($6), Brussels sprouts ($6), beets with horseradish ($6), fries and aioli ($6), house-made pickles ($4), mac and cheese ($8), and butternut squash ($6), all of which should are great additions to any meal, and along with a few seasonal salads and soups, should keep even the most ardent veggie in your crowd happy.

Being a southern boy, it is no surprise that Beerman knows how to handle dessert. We have tried several but we keep coming back to the pecan pie, which is one of the best I have ever tasted.

And last, but certainly not least, is the drink menu. Along with a full bar, Brewsters pours a wide range of beers from tap handles topped with various kitchen utensils. Front and center is Brewsters own IPA, which is contract brewed by Petaluma Hills Brewing Company.

Two other Petaluma Hills beers on tap are the Dated 1858, a ruby IPA, and my favorite beer of all time, “Porterluma.” Representing Petaluma proudly, Brewsters also offers beer from Lagunitas, 101 North and Hen House, along with an array of other local brews, as well as popular craft beers from afar. And yes, you can get Coors, Miller and Pabst in cans or bottles, if that is your thing.

The owners are always present with an open ear and open eye to make sure that their guests are happy with what they offering. With a flair for authentic barbecue, a menu that sources local produce and regional beer, and an iconic location and view, Brewsters will play an integral role in not only reviving the downtown district north of Washington Street, but will offer Petaluma a whole new culinary option when looking for a way to relax and enjoy the bounty of our area.