By Odin Rasco
A newly-opened business is looking to bring a novel perspective to Chico’s thriving beer scene by giving lagers some long-deserved limelight.
Driven to share their collective decades of passion for craft beer with the community, twin brothers Chris and Chad Gomez, along with Chad’s wife Stephanie and Chris’ girlfriend Alexis Langdon, have recently opened Beer Lobo Lager House at 800 Broadway.
Chris, already involved in the craft beer scene for the past 20-25 years, saw the chance to open a taphouse as a perfect way to take his interest to the next level.
“It had always been in the back of my mind, to try and throw my hat into the ring,” Chris recalled. “We started to talk about it a bit more, and it started to look like something we could make a reality, so we went all-in on it.”
Chris has been involved in the local beer scene for more than a little while, having been a part of the Chico Beer Enthusiasts – a Facebook group boasting more than 2,000 members – for years.
“I love the community, and the chances to meet people and amazing brewers,” he explained. “It’s by meeting those people that it’s not difficult for us to get great beers from across the county here.”
A unique aspect of Beer Lobo’s business approach comes down to what they plan to have on tap (and the taps themselves, for that matter; more on that later). While hop-happy hipsters have raised IPAs to the top spot in the world of craft brews, the Gomez brothers decided to focus on their love for lager with their new business venture.
“The great thing about lagers is that most people don’t really realize that most of the beers they actually like are lagers,” Chris observed. “The biggest beers, ones like Budweiser and Modelo, for example, are types of lagers. I have a Chicano/Latino background, and a lot of Mexican beers are lagers. German immigrants came over and taught their brewing techniques, so really, German lagers and Mexican lagers aren’t all that different.”
Connected to a range of unique brewers across the country (or even further-flung than that), the Gomez brothers expect to keep a steady rotation of what’s on tap, highlighting some rare beers that customers might have a hard time finding virtually anywhere else. And there will be food to pair those brews with as well. Those looking for a bite into can drop by an order window settled into the side of the taphouse, which will be serving up food by Southern Zen, a barbeque feast with specially-made menus set by owner Kevin Klemm to compliment what Beer Lobo pours.
Consumer trends in recent years have shown more people are looking for lighter beverage options that don’t build a buzz quite so quickly, according to industry leaders in the Brewers Association. Lagers are a perfect pick for those sorts of people, according to Chris, who noted that lagers were typically lighter and had a lower alcohol by volume (ABV) than other craft beer categories.
“There’s still some that do come in with a higher ABV, but you have a lot more choices,” Chris said.
Beer Logo’s team continues to be Inspired by other bars and taprooms where the beer is the star of the night rather than the drinking. The means focusing on a high-quality experience and paying attention to the details other bars might not bother with. A first for any bar in Chico, Beer Lobo utilizes Czech Republic-made LUKR taps, which aerates the beer as it is being poured and ensures a thicker, dense head, while allowing precise control over the pour. The attention to detail doesn’t stop at the taps, however. The decor blends the historic charm of the lager house’s building with modern decor, including gorgeously crafted seats and tables and a striking sculpture of the Beer Lobo logo.
As a celebration of the lager and of Chico’s beer culture in general, Beer Lobo’s location couldn’t be in a better spot – though, at one point, it was about to be. The Gomez brothers and company had secured a lease for a different spot when they happened to drive by and see the location where the tap house now stands was open to lease. The building, fittingly, was once home to Chico’s first brewery – which had focused on making lagers. It’s housed many other businesses in the past, the most recent being Nor Cal Brewing that stayed a short time before relocating to the warehouse district in south Chico. Prior to that, the Winchester Goose made this a go-to spot for craft beer before shutting down and then reopening in its current location just one block away.
With both of the Gomez brothers coming from a punk-rock background (both played in bands for over a decade while living in the Fresno area), their approach to the business reflects that same rebellious spirit. Punk aesthetics and a curated playlist are part of the core Beer Lobo atmosphere, but the punk ethos goes a bit deeper than that, too.
“At our core, that punk/hardcore/elder emo ethos of doing our own thing is what drives us,” Chris explained. “It’s about not caring about what anybody else is doing, and doing what we want to do. We’re not here to beat anybody; we want to add to the tapestry of beer culture here. We’re not here to be better than anybody else, but to be different.”
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