Microbrew and Wine Too!
Jack Russell Brewery opened in the mid-1990′s and became a destination for people to come enjoy hand crafted microbrews in a relaxed, park like setting nestled in beautiful, Apple Hill (Camino, CA). Modeled after an English Farm Brewery, Jack Russell sits upon 11 rolling acres of blueberries, raspberries and a small hop field. The Brewery has changed hands over the years a few times: it is now owned by David Coody, a microbrewery pioneer in the Placerville area.
David opened Hangtown Brewery on Placerville Drive in the 1990′s which became a local hotspot. Known in the region for his Strong Blonde Ale, David enjoyed years of success at Hangtown Brewery before selling it, after which it became Placerville Brewing Company, which is still in operation in Placerville, across the street from the El Dorado County Fairgrounds.
David then began another venture in Placerville, opening one of the first canneries in the booming microbrew world. Dave’s Ale Works was probably a bit ahead of it’s time and closed not long after opening.
David acquired Jack Russell Brewery in November of 2009, and after several months of complications and licensing issues, was able to re-open the Brewery in the summer of 2010, with a line of people waiting to be served just hours after the license was approved. David brings his experience and award winning brewing to Jack Russell and has immediately began making improvements to the Brewery.
Through the years, the beers at Jack Russell Brewery were ‘Brewed in the English Tradition” which meant, among other things, not filtered. While filtering offers some disadvantages, like removing some flavor aspects of beer, it offers many advantages. First, and foremost is appearance, with filtered beers being translucent and free of haze. Filtered beer also allows for longer shelf life, makes bottled beer free of sediment, and takes the brewing cycle time down from about a month to 14-17 days. For the consumer, this change means fresher tasting, wonderfully clear beer.
David also began bringing in food and other vendors during the busy months of 2010, especially during the fall and apple season. This afforded the patrons with food choices while they sampled beers. Look for this trend to continue, with food vendors being onsite in the spring and continuing into the fall.
Another change (or addition) forthcoming is a winery on site. The as yet to be named winery will specialize in cider, meads (honey wine), and other derivatives of meads and some wines. Mead is one of the oldest known fermented beverages and is a wonderful and refreshing alternative to white wines.
David hopes the additional offerings will attract and expose Jack Russell to even larger crowds. Expect the winery to operational by fall of 2011, if not sooner.
