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Kevin Lovett from Wolf House Brewing is our in-studio guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Kevin was master brewer for Cloverdale Ale Co when he bought Wolf House in October 2019. He was going to open two places at once. He is inspired by Jack London, who was a Glen Ellen resident. Some other beers are also named after Jack London stories. The beer they are drinking is called Burning Daylight, which is the title of a Jack London short story. Dutch Courage is another one. We hear about how they managed to open the brewery and restaurant and then finally the music venue. This achievement has fulfilled his original goals.
The Freshtival is coming up this Saturday, June 25, 2022.
Check out the Freshtival page at the Hen House site for all the info. Lots of food, beer and music, including some gluten free choices, something for everybody. No beer will be older than seven days. Get tickets on Eventbrite. Kevin has brewed a special Hazy beer for the Freshtival that is flavored with some familiar and some new hops.
Kevin’s dad Michael Lovett was a co-founder with Don Barkley of the iconic Mendocino Brewing Co., makers of the renowned Red Tail Ale, which everyone misses. They worked at New Albion under Jack McCauliffe, the first new brewery to open after Prohibition and an originator in what became a movement. When New Albion closed, Don and Michael got the equipment to use for Mendocino Brewing. Kevin worked at his father’s brewery when he was growing up and then he worked for others including Napa Smith and Brian Hunt’s Moonlight Brewing. He became very good at building breweries and is grateful for the mentoring and the opportunities he found in brewing.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
The Wolf House Brewing taproom is located at 131 E. 1st Street in Cloverdale. There are locals and others who come from pretty far away because “the word is getting out.”
Burning Daylight is his Pilsner. He thinks it’s the best beer he has made. They also have a beer called Therapy Session. Pilsners are hard to make and he credits Brian Hunt for teaching him about Lagers and Pilsners and he always has each strain of yeast available.
They have a 9-barrel system so he brews 3 times a month or so. They plan to raise their capacity so they can get into more places. Kevin and his sister and brother-in-law, a chef, are partners in the brewery. They have a full menu including something called a Cloverdale Twinkie, which is a jumbo Jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried.
Wolf House Brewing has a pedigree behind it due to Kevin Lovett’s personal history and experience. He grew up at the Hopland brewery taphouse. His first job was bussing tables in about 1995 so he got to be a part of it before it all changed. When he came back in 2005 it was an empty lot and now Ron Lindenbusch has turned it into a destination again. Wolf House and Hopland Tap would be a good two-fer for a day trip. They have a lot of live music, including lots of kinds of Rock (the old joke, “Music? We got both kinds! Country AND Western!”)
Kevin Lovett will pour his Hazy beer at the Freshtival but he won’t give it a name until he tastes it.