| Moylan, a life-long
Bay Area resident, brought to Novato more than 18 years of brewing
experience which began with his first home-brew kit and culminated
in a brand new brewery constructed of his own design from the ground
up. "One January after college
I went out and bought the Christmas gift I really wanted: a beer
brewing kit, and one thing led to another," Moylan said. "I got
a degree in accounting and decided I didn't want to go into accounting.
I started working for a beer importing company, then one day I
wallked into Buffalo Bill's brewpub in Hayward and my eyes got
big and I knew it was what I wanted to do."
After taking extension classes on brew
techniques at UC Davis, Moylan became a partner in Marin Brewing
Company, which opened in April of 1989.
Moylan moved his family from San Francisco
to Novato seven years ago because he wanted to raise his two children
in the city's small town atmosphere.
Four years ago, he decided the time was
right to expand on his own brewing ideas. "My adopted home town
was the natural choice for a brewery," he said.
Enter Novato's only brewpub, a $3.5 million
projed that has already established a strong following among North
Marin's beer connoisseurs. Moylan brought with him Paddy Giffin,
an assistant brewer at Marin Brewing Company, who serves as the
operation's head brewmaster.
By constructirig the brewpub in an empty
lot from his own vision, Moylan was able to increase efficiency
and productivity, while still leaving room for expansion as the
establishment's popularity grows.
And if industry trends are any indication,
it will do just that.
Moylan said when he co-founded Marin Brewing
Company back in '89, there were about 100 brewpubs across the
country. Today, there' are more than 800.
"Prohibition in this country ended our
brewing tradition," he explained. "Budweiser and a few others
moved in fast and captured many of the larger markets. Now we're
entering into a new phase of beer brewing. I think you'll see
it continue to grow."
Moylan's new building features a 57-foot
bar and dart room complete with a fireplace and small library
dedicated to literature on, you guessed it, beer brewing.
According to Moylan, the location at Rowland
Plaza provides good freeway visibility and helps attract a greater
number of customers from the nearby movie theater and corporate
offices.
"It just all seemed to fit,"he said. "I
decided to go for this spot and build my own building because
I knew I wouldn't have to second guess myself. "I could have put
in pool tables and turned it into just a bar, but I prefer it
this way because it's a more family-style setting where people
feel comfortable. It's a nice marriage of food and beer."
While Moylan's attracts many customers
who enjoy the family atmosphere, there are also plans to expand
its bottled beer selection and increase marketing in Marin County
and beyond.
Two of Moylan's most popular beers are
already available in "finer liquor stores," Moylan said: India
Pale Ale and Irish
Red Ale commemorative editions.
Six more beer flavors are planned for
release in March, he added.
Moylan operates the bar with his wife,
Eileen, and a staff of 50.
Eric Reimer, general manager of Moyan's,
said it's both fun and exciting to work in an up-and-coming brewpub.
Reimer describes moylans in this way:
"We are a family restaurant where it's
okay to bring the kids. You can come here to hang out with your
friends or meet new friends. You can play darts or just watch
some sports on our television sets. We like it a little noisy
here, so you'll find the music a little loud. We are a place to
hang: a brewpub." |
