10 acres to pay enough to raise a family on, until I finally figured out I could turn mandarins into beer,” he says.
Four years and 24 permits later, Dueling Dogs is ready for its debut. Despite a grueling process dripping with sweat equity, Earl still sees a benefit in being the third farm brewery to market.“ Having additional breweries in the area gives us a draw power,” he says.“ But we’ re different enough that we’ re going to have our own draw.”
In addition to a lineup of craft beers brewed by Earl, an amateur homebrewer who studied at UC Davis under scientist Dr. Charles Bamforth( who specializes in malting and brewing, Dueling Dogs will also offer ciders and meads made by Adriana.“ When we first started this project, we were one of a handful of craft breweries in the United States that were going for a dual wine and beer license, and we ran across a lot of roadblocks because they didn’ t know how to deal with us,” says Earl.“ One of the roadblocks we encountered is that you must separate the wine from the beer.” Sure enough, metal barriers separate beer-drinking spaces from cider- and mead-drinking spaces, while makeshift signs in the tasting room direct customers to separate lines.
Earl wants to brew seasonal beers around a core rotation that includes Choco Rocco, a chocolate vanilla stout named after the family dog, and a mandarin wit made with their own oranges. In addition to some straightforward ciders and meads, Adriana plans to make a session mead and a spiced holiday cider. An orchard filled with stone fruits, apples, pomegranates and more will also make cameos in the Dueling Dogs line of beverages. There are plans for a farm stand, a kid zone and even a brew for dogs, but right now, the Stephens just want their doors open.“ I can’ t wait, it’ s been a long time coming,” says Adriana.
Indeed, it’ s a resurgence that has been centuries in the making. •
Daniel Barnes is a freelance writer, film critic, beer enthusiast and member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. His work has appeared in the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento News & Review, East Bay Express, Philadelphia Weekly and San Antonio Current.
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