Head to San Jose to explore a hidden homebrew hub and a funky fermentation factory.
I recently spent the day in downtown San Jose, scoping out Clandestine Brewing, a homebrew-oriented beer innovator hiding out in the Guadalupe Washington neighborhood, and Fox Tale Fermentation Project, a downtown brewery and kitchen. They’re both creating an array of diverse, interesting beers that you rarely see these days.
Despite the secretive name, Clandestine Brewing deserves to be better known. Founded in 2014 by Rob Conticello, Colin Kelley, Liz Scandizzo and Adrian Kalaveshi, the original location closed just a year later but opened in new digs in 2017.
All four founders are home brewers, and they’re still involved with that community, hosting home-brew events on the third Friday of each month.
Clandestine is, appropriately, somewhat hidden from view behind a hardware store, with a high wooden fence to shelter the shaded beer garden. Inside, there’s a large bar, ample seating and plenty of diversions, including trivia nights, stand-up comedy and “paws and pints” events. There’s an array of snacks for nibbling and food trucks Thursday through Saturday.
At any given time, there are 12 to 16 beers in an impressively wide range of styles on tap, and new, experimental beers are released frequently. Expect to see a Frères Belges, a tasty Belgian blonde; Boycott, an English-style best bitter; Bier Statt Krieg, a refreshing Kölsch-style beer; and Stratagem, an IPA. When I stopped by, I also tried Saison Chocolat, brewed with cocoa nibs with great chocolate and vanilla notes and a touch of herbal character, and Bocklash, a Bavarian-style bock.
Details: Opens at 4 p.m. weekdays and noon on weekends at 980B S. First St. in San Jose, behind the 980 Hardware and Garden Supply; clandestinebrewing.com.
You’ll find Fox Tale just five minutes away. Owners Felipe and Wendy Bravo opened the place in 2022, and you’ll notice there’s no “brewery” in the name. That’s because they do so much more than beer.
Felipe began home brewing in college, before brewing professionally at several Bay Area breweries, including San Carlos’ Devil’s Canyon, San Francisco’s Fort Point and Oakland’s Original Pattern. Wendy is a chef with a decade of experience in holistic nutrition and plant-focused dishes. In addition to the items on the beer and food menu, they also make fermented syrups, hot sauce, sauerkraut, kombucha and more.
This is not your average brewpub. The kitchen menu changes seasonally and includes appetizers like a Firebrand soft seeded pretzel, cultured cashew spread and roasted sweet potatoes. There’s also a long list of fermented items, including kimchis and krauts, a smoky asparagus “chopenade” and pickled Guindilla peppers. The entrees include dishes like polenta and morels, funky nachos and a black trumpet Caesar salad. Most dishes are plant-based with many vegan options and multiple fermented items.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, when the doors are locked, the brewery moves from the cellar to upstairs and Felipe tends to the beer and other fermented goodies. He keeps several beers on year-round, including Drink Cultura, a blue corn lager with a fresh, biscuity corn nose that’s very refreshing; Sonic Bloom, a West Coast IPA with an aromatic hop nose and solid flavors; and Fung Shui, a farmhouse ale made with candy cap mushrooms that bring out the umami mushroom flavors beautifully with earthy and sweet notes.
Other beers are rotated seasonally, like the Bee Sides & Rarities, a Kölsch-style ale made with locally harvested honeycomb. In addition, Felipe brews several sour beers using clean fermentation rather than kettle souring, employing local connections with fruit, vegetables and herbs grown nearby. He also makes in-house non-alcoholic and gluten-free beers.
Their community-first ethos shines throughout the space, which is warm and inviting, and they often host open mic nights and poetry readings and showcase local artists on their walls.
Details: Open from noon to 10 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday and Sunday at 30 E. Santa Clara St., Suite 120 in San Jose; www.foxtalefermentationproject.com.
Other nearby breweries worth visiting include Narrative Fermentations at 101 E. Alma Ave.,Hapa’s Brewing 460 Lincoln Ave. #90 and Floodcraft Brewing at 777 The Alameda.
Know a local brewery or brewpub that’s knocking it out of the park but isn’t getting the recognition it deserves? Drop me a line at BrooksOnBeer@gmail.com and tell me why you love it.
