They made the beer and built the bar. Handy business partners open new Ceres craft brewery
Brewing craft beer takes considerable mettle and, as it turns out, a considerable amount of metal.
The co-owners of the new Five Eye Brewing in Ceres have both in abundance. They proved it by working — and welding — for four years straight to get their new brewery-taproom up and running in an industrial area in the center of the city.
Longtime friends who met working as welders on construction jobs, Alan Atkins and Steve Verver started their craft beer journey like so many others before them — by brewing at home. Verver, who lives in Turlock, was already a brewer when he got Gustine native Atkins into it, too.
“(Steve) loved it already and I came to love it through him, and everything snowballed from there,” Atkins said of his business partner.
Then about five years ago, they got serious about their brewing and began to look for a place and equipment to take their craft to the next level. Around that time, they saw four large brew tanks advertised on an online marketplace.
After they bought the tanks, around 200 to 300 gallons each, Atkins stored them in his garage for about a year as they decided how to proceed. When they first started upgrading to a commercial operation, the men had a third partner with them who also worked in construction as an estimator.
While they’re still friends, the other man dropped out amicably during the process. But the brewery’s name, inspired by their former partner having only one eye, stuck. Five Eye Brewing was born.
Owners built much of Ceres brewery themselves
In the four years it took to go from idea to reality, Atkins and Verver worked on their brewery during their spare time. Both men still work in construction full time, meaning they spent a lot of early mornings, nights and weekends on the project. They also had some help from their friends in construction, one of whom made the brewery’s custom wooden tap handles.
After they found their location in Ceres in May 2020, in an industrial area on Foundry Court west of Highway 99, they took the almost entirely empty shell and transformed it themselves. Their welding skills proved essential, as they repurposed and renovated existing equipment and pieces to fit their needs.
The four tanks they bought to start their brewery became three, as they cut the fourth tank in half and added the pieces to the two larger tanks. The men also built the walk-in cooler, the renovated restroom area, the drink refrigerator, the long cedar bar and much of the other furnishings. And, of course, they plasma cut their own metal eye logo.
The men run a six-barrel brewhouse system that can produce about 186 gallons of beer at a time. That put the freshman brewery about on par with Modesto’s Contentment Brewery, which has a seven-barrel brewhouse. But it’s just over half the size of Ceres’ other brewery, Blaker Brewing, which has a 15-barrel brewhouse.
As they worked on the brewery, the men started to bring their brews to fundraisers and other events. Some of the more colorful names for their beers came from customer suggestions, like Monkey Nuts (their Belgian strong ale with floral banana notes) and Sour Straws (their fruity kettle sour). The rest are drawn from terminology in the construction trade, including Tin Knocker (sheet metal workers), Tilt Back (forklifts) and Shade 10 (welding lenses).
Ceres taproom offers variety of craft beers
Atkins said their goal is to be able to brew anything, to offer as wide a variety as possible to their customers. So you’ll find a light ale (comparable to popular Mexican or American lagers), pale ales, IPAs, sours, stouts and nitros. The brewers said they keep their alcohol content moderate in most of their brews, currently about 4.7% to 7.7% ABV.
Because both men still work their day jobs, the brewery is open only on weekends for now, and Atkins and Verver (and their respective spouses) are its only employees. But they hope to be open longer hours down the road and able to hire full-time staff.
The brewery warehouse space has been made inviting with long, redwood community tables and metal high bars around its edges. The brewery space is cordoned off, but in front of that is space to play corn hole or giant Jenga. There’s also a small lounge area and plenty of TVs for watching those Sunday football games.
The brewery is bringing in local food trucks, including Turlock’s own Super Sope, on weekends. You can buy pints, taster flights and growlers at the brewery.
“We think if we offer a great product that people will come,” Atkins said. “It might take a little bit more to get the ball rolling and get the name out there. But we think we will..”
Five Eye Brewing, at 1920 Foundry Court, Suite B1, in Ceres, is open 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 1 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 209-531-9783 or visit www.fiveeyebrewing.com.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
