A Reason to Visit Antioch

I must admit that I have only been to Antioch once before, for a friend’s wedding; I assumed it would be a while, if ever, before I returned.

Schooner’s Master Brewer, Craig Cauwels. Photo by Joel Williams

By Joel Williams
Published: March, 2008 

I just didn’t see any reason that I would come back … until now. You see, located in Antioch, just east of Pittsburg and about 45 miles from San Francisco, is Schooner’s Grille & Brewery.

Schooner’s first hit my radar when I found out that it had won a Silver Medal for its Oatmeal Stout at the 2007 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). I soon found out that there was much more than just a great stout waiting for me at this off-the-beaten-path location. As a matter of fact, Schooner’s has never gone to the GABF (2004-2007) without returning home with a medal, a feat that many breweries would be envious of. The exceptional Oatmeal Stout actually took home the Gold Medal in 2006, and the brewpub’s website lists over 50 awards that have been given to Schooner’s beers over the last seven years.

Master Brewer Craig Cauwels, like many others in the industry, started out as a home brewer while in college, but had a unique career path after that. He studied pre-med undergrad, and although he never ended up going to medical school, Cauwels did obtain a master’s degree in microbiology with significant undergraduate work in engineering—subjects that are essential knowledge in the brewing industry. His impressive credentials landed him a job in the biotech industry performing cutting edge DNA testing, which in turn lead to a top job at a core facility in a research division of Harvard University. After four years on the East Coast, however, the California native got homesick and moved his family back to the Bay Area. At this same time, a college friend, who had gone to the UC Davis Brewing Program and opened Schooner’s, was looking for some help in the brewery. Cauwels accepted the position—along with a significant pay cut—and when his friend eventually stepped down, he became the Master Brewer.

Schooner’s has five house beers on tap all the time with a fairly standard lineup. All of the beers are nice and clean, and very well balanced. The best selling beer is the light and refreshing American Ale which has a touch of sweetness from the flaked corn Cauwels adds to the mash. This beer will definitely appeal to people who prefer the popular American light lagers that currently dominate the industry. The Pale Ale and Red Ale both have more malty and heavier bodies that will appeal to craft beer lovers, while the IPA and Oatmeal Stout are fine examples of some of the more complex beer styles.

Although I enjoyed all of the house beers, to my surprise Cauwels told me about the most exciting new development at Schooner’s, which is the introduction of some new Belgian varieties that he has been working on for some time now. Even though they weren’t available to the public at the time, I was allowed to sample two of the upcoming new concoctions that will be available in the beginning of March.

The first Belgian Style beer is called Vindication, which is made by introducing a wild yeast strain, brettanomyces, to some Oatmeal Stout with chocolate and cherries added, then aging the blend for about 6 months in a 50-year-old oak brandy barrel. During this time, a secondary fermentation occurs and the lactic or sour character (a.k.a. funk) from the yeast blends with the chocolate, cherry and stout flavors creating a wonderful version of this eclectic style that I have always been enamored with. A second Belgian Style, called Krieken Clusterfunk, is made in a similar fashion with the American Ale used as the base beer; only cherries are added, and this variety aged for 9 months. Although both of these beers do have the characteristic Belgian funky sour flavor, neither is too overpowering, which makes these a little more accessible to the average beer drinker who wants to experiment a little. These magnificent creations will only be available in bottles that can be enjoyed at the brewery or taken home. They will also only be around for a limited time, so you may want to act fast and take that trip to Antioch yourself soon. Trust me, it’s worth the effort.