LAKEPORT, Calif. – After months of construction and preparation, brothers Alex and Tim O'Meara are set to open their new brewery and restaurant this weekend.
O'Meara Bros. Brewing Co., located at 901 Bevins St., will celebrate its grand opening beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 6.
Final preparations were still under way on Monday, as Tim O'Meara discussed the opening against the sound backdrop of power tools.
“It seems like construction will never end,” he said.
However, the tools at work on Monday were being used to install lights over the business' signage.
“That's literally the last thing,” he said.
The O'Mearas describe their new venture as a fusion of microbrewery and restaurant, featuring several beers brewed on site and a specially designed menu of “pub grub.”
Alex, 30, and Tim, 27, grew up in Upper Lake and later moved to the Bay Area to pursue careers.
Tim O'Meara has been a homebrewer for years while his brother has been in business. In recent years they returned home and decided to go into business together.
“We've been interested in running a business like this for our whole lives,” Tim O'Meara said.
He said he and his brother put their heads together and said, “This is the right time.”
The brothers started developing their new venture about three years ago, and eight months ago began working to prepare their brewery and restaurant at their Bevins Street location, he said.
Bevins Street, according to O'Meara, offers easy access off the freeway, is open and accessible, and has better parking that downtown.
The location, in a recently constructed building, also suited them for size, he said.
Then, there are plans to locate a new county courthouse just around the corner on Lakeport Boulevard, which he said was the clincher as far as deciding on the location.
The brothers' beers have won local awards for homebrewing and certified beer judges have come in and given them great reviews, O'Meara said.
“We're getting great, positive feedback,” he said. “Everybody is so ready for this.”
The brewery and restaurant will serve up five specially crafted ales – including one seasonal brew on rotation – plus local wines, he said.
Fresh craft ales on tap will be German Hefeweizen, American Blonde Ale, IPA and what they call “Irish American Stout,” among others.
They're sourcing as much of their product as they can locally, including some of the hops, which O'Meara said are grown by friends who are small hops producers.
They also are using hops sourced from Oregon and Washington. “We plan to be sourcing locally as much as possible in the future,” he said, adding that currently the malt grain can't be sourced from anywhere closer than the Central Valley.
The brothers have been working for the last few months with their chef, Roy Iversen, to develop their menu and recipes.
“We'll do things that are a little different,” O'Meara said.
Featured menu items include deep-fried macaroni and cheese, a stuffed mushroom sandwich and the “Irish egg roll,” which O'Meara said is corned beef and cabbage placed in an egg roll wrap and lightly fried, accompanied by a variety of dipping sauces.
In addition to beer and food, the new establishment will feature local bands.
During Saturday's grand opening, they'll feature the Gnarly Pints, which plays Irish rock and acoustic, starting at 3 p.m., with local rockers The Kentucky Jugglers taking the stage at 7 p.m.
O'Meara Bros. Brewing Co. is located at 901 Bevins St. in Lakeport; telephone 707-262-1234; Web, www.omearabros.com ; Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/omearabros ; and Twitter, https://twitter.com/obrosbrew .
Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays, closed on Mondays.
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