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A Brewery in the Wine Country?

Yes, that's right! The brewery at Downtown Joe's was built in 1988 by Chuck Ankeny: the great grandson of Adolf Hamms of Milwaukee. Mr. Church and brew master Brian Hunt aimed to re-establish the great beer brewing tradition of the City of Napa.

During the early 1800's Napa was home to two large scale breweries. Before the breweries were built, Napa's agricultural community had already committed to growing barley and hops. The Gold Rush created the demand for these beer making ingredients in San Francisco, and the Napa River supplied the transportation route for these materials. With Napa's water front piled high with fresh ingredients, the breweries were built in the 1850's and 60's. The population of Northern California was exploding with the Gold Rush, a navel shipyard in Vallejo, and silver mining in Calistoga. Napa's Agricultural Committee and waterfront was bustling to meet the demand for beer, food and supplies.

The most popular of the beers created in Napa was named Golden Ribbon Beer. The Brewery owned by Edward Churchill was located just across the river and one block south of Downtown Joe's. Mr. Churchill also owned Napa's only bank and 700 acres of vineyard which today is the Robert Mondavi Winery.

The Napa City Brewery was operating on Route 29, supplying the cities of St. Helena, Calistoga, and Santa Rosa via wagon train. One of the original reverse-hand painted beer signs from Napa City Brewery now rests in Downtown Joe’s brew house. It was painted in 1961.

As the Governments of northern California changed from Spanish to Mexican to the USA, the men and women developing this region enjoyed the refreshing brews created in Napa.

Today Downtown Joes operates as a regional micro brewery. Brew master Colin Kaminski combines his passion for science and art to produce beers of high quality and satisfaction. We offer six special recipes year round and always an addition or two to celebrate the season. A tour of our brew House is always available.



About Downtown Joe's
Click for the latest BrewCam picture!
All of our beers are brewed with the highest quality British malts utilizing traditional British methods by our Brewmaster Colin Kaminski.

Our Beers :

Lazy Summer American Wheat' This is our lightest beer. It is brewed with Tettnang and Spalt hops to give it an Eastern European hop aroma. It has about 50% Red Wheat, 50% Marris Otter Pale Malt with a touch of Munich Malt to give it a bready, nutty malt flavor. It fits into the American Wheat Beer Style. It is our best selling beer.
Tail Waggin' Amber Ale Our most popular Ale was named for Ladies that love to drink this beer and dance to the live music here. It is slightly sweet with a floral hop aroma. After 15 years this beer is still a favorite among the ladies and their admirers.
Ace High Pale Ale This Pale Ale has a nice floral bouquet and medium hop bitterness. As welcome as an Ace in your hand, it is often found in our Brewers hand.
Tantric Inida Pale Ale This hoppy IPA is high in alcohol and except for the American hop aroma, is very British in style. This style was originally developed to survive the voyage from England around the Cape of Good Hope and back North to India to keep the British troops happy.
Golden Thistle Very Bitter Ale This very hoppy beer was brewed accidentally, but of the accidents we have made, this one is our favorite! It is named to reflect the intense hoppyness that is like chewing on a thistle. This beer is the Happy Hour favorite to this day.
Worthy's Stout This Dry Irish Stout is nitrogen pushed to build a creamy head. It is great by itself or floating on our IPA.
Special Brews Brewed at Colin's whim we often have a special or two around. You may find a Harvest Ale or a Dix ESB or one of 30 other specials that get brewed once and a while.

Pricing :

1/2 Pint Pint Pitcher
$2.75 $5.00 $14.00
Happy Hour :
  Pint Pitcher
  $3.00 $12.00
Beers to go :
64 oz. Growler Refills Kegs (filled to order)  
$19, $15 at Happy Hour, $10 on Mondays after 4PM! $14, $10 at Happy Hour, $5 on Mondays after 4PM! 5 Gal $70
7.75 Gal $100
15.5 Gal $165
 

Downloads :

You can download a printable Downtown Joe's Beer List now by clicking on the link below.



Downtown Joe's supports The Brewing Network! Click the image below to listen to Beer Radio!

The Brewing Network


The Brewing Network Live at Joe's! Daniela Perl, Chris Gram, Colin Kaminski and Justin Crossley Live on the Brewing Network on the stage of Downtown Joe's.