Loomis Basin Brewing: Exemplifies craft beer boom

INDEPENDENT CRAFT BREWERIES CONTINUED to grow in 2017, and the outlook is bright for the New Year, with over 6,000 breweries nationally. Beer tourism is growing, with the average craft drinker visiting 3.5 breweries near their homes.

Our region is a prime example. Few of our area’s breweries have shined brighter than Loomis Basin Brewing Co., a family owned, award-winning microbrewery in Loomis.

Our magazine has watched the brewery grow since it opened nearly seven years ago—about the same time as Berryessa Brewing and ol’ Republic, two other regional stalwarts. “First and foremost, we’re a community brewery, and we’re constantly reinvesting,” says Kenny in a recent interview with his dad, Jim. “We’re here for the long haul.”

Kenny and Jim started brewing with a few tanks. Kenny and his wife, Linda, worked in the tasting room at 3277 Swetzer Rd. and also distributed their beer—a labor of love. The brewery built a loyal following, with customers hanging out in the beer garden with a cold Vindicator IPA and good eats from local food trucks.

Since then Loomis Basin Brewing Co. has grown steadily. In the next few years, it expects to be producing 3,500 to 4,000 barrels a year. It is now bottling and canning its beer and distributing it all over Northern California, including Raley’s, Nugget Markets and Total Wine & More; restaurants such as Fat’s Land Ocean, Bootleggers and Monkey Cat; and tap houses such as Capitol Beer and Tap Room, and Final Gravity.

In addition to brewing, the Gowan’s have opened LBB Gastropub & Smokehouse at 3640 Taylor Rd. in downtown Loomis, tapping Kenny’s restaurant expertise. The Sacramento Bee restaurant reviewer called LBB Gastropub a “true find” with “best smoked chicken breast I have tasted.”

The menu includes delicious smoked ribs, tri-tip and more, along with imaginative soups and salads. The food is paired with about a dozen of the brewery’s beers on tap, including Vindicator and Alohawk.

LBB Gastropub has become an anchor for the historic downtown, including its new streetscape project (see the article on our web- site SierraCulture.com). Locals and visitors can now walk from the restaurant to High Hand Nursery. “Loomis has made us successful,” says Kenny.