EEL RIVER BREWING COMPANY ANNOUNCES ORGANIC BEER
Life and Times / June 6, 2000

Eel River Brewing Company announced last week that California will soon have its very own organic beer. Due to hit the market on June 1, Eel River Brewing Certified Organic Amber Ale will be the first certified organic beer produced by a micro-brewery owned and operated in the state of California.

Eel River Brewing Company, based in the small town of Fortuna, is one of the most award-winning breweries in California. According to owners Ted and Margaret Vivatson, they may have another award winner on their hands. “This beer is fantastic. It’s light, mellow and it tastes great.  We are excited about providing this beer to the marketplace. There has been a demand for certified organic product that we will be able to meet. People want this beer both because of taste and its healthy attributes.”

The brewery surprised everyone taking national honors with a Gold Medal received at the Great American Beer Festival in 1998 for their Climax California Classic Lager. Eel River Brewing Company took this coveted award away from the larger breweries who had previously won it for many years.

Ted and Margaret credit their success to the time they take to individually manage each batch of beer. The brewery was established in 1995 and features a full line of micro-brews.