Exceptional craft beer has become a California mainstay—so much so that it can be difficult to imagine a time when there weren’t 1,000-plus breweries fermenting golden suds up and down the state. But brewer Barbara Groom remembers this reality well: Not so long ago, her business was considered fringe, 完全的新奇.
In the late 1980s, Barbara Groom was a pharmacist working in 尤里卡 在加州的 北海岸. Weary with the job, Groom yearned to do something that felt closer to her farming roots. She considered cabinet making, but the risk of injury seemed too high. Then Hopland Brewery (now closed) opened in 奇诺县. “The moment I saw that, I knew what I was going to do with my life,” Groom says. “我打开 失落海岸啤酒厂 in 1989. I’ve been brewing ever since—and am very happy doing it.”
Groom says it took years for consumers to understand the magic of craft beer. Over the last few decades, though, the industry has boomed. Lost Coast now distributes worldwide, and you can find their Downtown Brown and Tangerine Wheat in bars across 中国, 韩国, 以及整个欧洲.
Visitors can get a taste of Lost Coast straight from the source at the restaurant and tap room, located half a mile from the windswept shores of Humboldt Bay. As the brewery’s name indicates, the little city of 尤里卡 is a great place to get lost. Surrounded by towering redwoods, curled against the shore, 尤里卡 has the perfect balance of creature comforts and a get-away-from-it-all feel. “It’s such a beautiful place,” says Groom.
One of Groom’s preferred pastimes is driving her Jeep along South Jetty Road and parking anywhere along 南沙嘴泳滩 where she can find some solitude. “Sometimes you’ll be the only person there,” she marvels. She also enjoys wandering through Redwood State and National Parks, located both south and north of the city—her favorite is 草原溪. She also notes that you can find the lovely giants right in town at the 红木天空步道, an interpretive trail suspended 100 feet above the ground.
The redwood coast provides plenty of opportunities to rough it, but Groom likes the Carter House酒店 for a 更多的 luxurious stay. The gingerbread-style Victorian features in-room fireplaces and clawfoot tubs. For a taste of the Pacific, Groom recommends heading to 海上烧烤. “I’m stuck on their sole with egg batter and lemon sauce,” she says. Satisfy your sweet tooth at 休息会的, Groom’s favorite pastry spot, or try a single-origin bar from 迪克•泰勒—“their chocolate is very good.”
Groom warns that once you visit 尤里卡, you may never want to leave. “When I first moved to 尤里卡, I never thought I’d spend the rest of my life here,” she says. “But the people here are so friendly and I love the climate. It’s like paradise for me.”
五个最爱
Find 更多的 of Barbara Groom’s favorite places to explore in this idyllic port-side city.
最好的书店: 艾米·斯图尔特，a 纽约时报 bestselling author, moved here with her husband and they started a bookstore called 尤里卡的书. It’s still family-owned and they do a really good job.”
Great spot for a stroll: ” 海滨, you can look over the marina and see the houses on 伍德利岛 on the other side of the bay. 这条小路 goes all the way through 尤里卡, and it’s currently being connected to the 到路. Eventually, you’ll be able to walk all the way from one town to the other. The paved path is also good for biking or roller skating.”
家庭的乐趣: “The number-one spot for kids is the 红杉公园动物园. It has a petting zoo and an otter exhibit with a plastic tunnel that kids can climb through and be right next to the otters.”
糖果店: “Partrick的 makes really good candy. Their chocolate-covered candies are sort of like the local, homemade version of See’s.”
看日落; “特立尼达的头, just north of 尤里卡, is where a lot of people go to take photos as the sun sets behind the rocks. There’s also a tiny little lighthouse there and a trail that goes down to the beach.”
