CLICK HERE if you are having trouble viewing these photos on a mobile device
How’s this for suburban beer news: We’re gonna strongly recommend you make a reservation before going to the new Canyon Club Brewery. A reservation for a brewery…in the hills of Moraga? Yes. Lamorinda’s first brewery has opened at the height of summer, with a menu of gastropub eats and a large biergarten where people like to come with their kids and drink fresh-brewed craft beer in the sunshine. Shocking, right?
Owners Ken Markey and Kevin Hamilton have transformed the former Wachovia Bank into a modern, industrial-style destination. Canyon Club officially opened on Aug. 7 and we stopped by on Aug. 11 to a packed pub. Here’s what it was like:
THE VIBE: Family-friendly. Inside, there’s a long bar with about 15-20 beers on tap — on our visit, a mix of Canyon Club’s sessionables and other local brews — but by now they should be up and brewing on-site. Turquoise pendant lamps dangle above reclaimed wood tables, and there are three or four high-backed green booths in the center of the brewpub. Those are highly coveted. Canyon Club can accommodate more people outside than inside, especially large parties with kids, but many of the benches outside are exposed to the sun. The upper biergarten has a small stage with a few tables in the shade and stumps for kids to frolic around.
THE BEER: Initial house beers are Solid IPA (unfiltered New World style with low bitterness, sold out on our visit), Utah! Gimme Two!, a soft rice lager with little complexity; Burning Ram (well-balanced German Kolsch) and Moraga Common (a full-bodied malty lager). Most offerings are $4 for 5 ounces, $6 for 10 ounces and $8 for 16 ounces). Also look for Silva Brewing, Faction Brewing, Woods Brewing and Urban Roots on draft.
THE FOOD: The menu is small and simple but evolving. On our visit, there were nine items: Five appetizers, including an Artichoke Dip ($8) made with Canyon Club beer and served with CCB spent-grain bread; a Market Salad ($12) of kale, red leaf lettuce, carrots and sweet potatoes; and three sandwiches including a Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwich ($13) with house barbecue sauce and pineapple-jalapeno slaw on a brioche bun.
The best thing we ate was the Fried Chicken Sandwich ($13), crisp free-range chicken with the aforementioned slaw and a spicy aioli on brioche with french fries. It’s big enough to share, as is the Richards grass-fed Prime Burger, served with cheddar or swiss, lettuce, onion, tomato and pickle on brioche. At $15, it’s the most expensive thing on the menu. Ours was tasty, but arrived cold. Be aware that weekends are very busy and you may wait a while for your food.
DON’T MISS: Canyon Club’s wine selection — 13 wines by the glass ($9-$17), including a lively chenin blanc from Oakland’s Dashe Cellars, and 10 by the bottle ($36-$65). The house-brewed root beer ($4) is perfect for the kiddos.
PERFECT FOR… Happy hour, family gatherings, post-swim sips, book club gatherings
DETAILS: Reservations via OpenTable. Open from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday-Monday and Wednesday-Thursday; until midnight Friday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Saturday at 1558 Canyon Road, Moraga; www.canyonclub.works
