Eel River Brewing Company: Home of Organic Beer

What is Eel River Brewing, and why does it matter?

Eel River Brewing Company is a Northern California mainstay, tucked into the bucolic heart of Redwood Country in Humboldt County, part of the region known as the Emerald Triangle, which the brewery borrowed for one of its IPAs. Margaret Frigon and Ted Vivatson founded it in 1994, opening the Fortuna brewpub in 1995, and built it around a commitment to organic, sustainable brewing. Today their son Matt Vivatson runs day-to-day operations, with Ted still mentoring.

The brewery’s footprint has shifted over the years. For a time it brewed in a former redwood mill in Scotia, but in early 2024 it moved production into a new, more efficient facility right next to its Fortuna brewpub, bringing brewing and hospitality back together in one place.

How did Eel River become America’s first organic brewery?

Organic brewing landed on the owners’ radar almost by accident. A friend asked them for a pesticide- and preservative-free “naked” beer, and they obliged, releasing their Amber Ale in 1998 as the brewery’s first 100% organic beer. The response pushed them further, and by 1999 they had made the entire operation organic and earned certification, the first US brewery to do so.

Staying organic takes real commitment. Some beer styles are simply off the table when organic versions of the ingredients are not available, and the founders have said it can cost noticeably more to brew this way than conventional beer. They have kept at it anyway, with every year-round beer in the lineup certified organic, certification handled through the CCOF.

How sustainable is the brewery?

Sustainability is woven through the whole operation, not bolted on. Eel River was the first US brewery to run on 100% biomass renewable energy, and it treats its wastewater on site. Its packaging is recyclable, and even the tap handles in the taproom are made from recycled materials.

The loop closes in the kitchen, too: spent grain from brewing is fed to local cattle, which in turn supply meat for the brewpub. When the brewery built its new Fortuna production facility in 2024, it added further efficiencies, including reduced water use, an appropriate approach for a brewery rooted in the redwoods.

What beers does Eel River make?

The all-organic lineup has grown a lot over the years. The Organic IPA is a crisp, copper-colored, hop-centric beer at about 7.2% ABV, with floral and citrus fruit notes and a smooth balance of caramel malt and dry hops, brewed with a house yeast strain that lends strawberry esters. Eel River considers it an English-style IPA, which means a gentler bitterness than its American counterparts.

The Organic Porter is a dark brown beer that drinks surprisingly light despite a blend of five malts, with smooth, rich notes of coffee and chocolate at about 5.8% ABV. The Organic Amber Ale, the brewery’s first organic creation, is the lightest, a light-gold, roughly 4.8% beer with a slightly bitter, hoppy crispness and caramel flavor.

The Eel River Lineup

What is the Eel River taproom like, and can you visit?

The Fortuna brewpub is the place to get acquainted with the beers. It sits just off Highway 101 on the historic site of the former Clay Brown Redwood Mill, with a long bar built from recovered redwood and Douglas fir and the largest beer garden on California’s North Coast. With production now next door, the pub is once again the heart of the operation.

The kitchen runs a full food menu built around the beer. The Organic IPA is suggested with calamari, a spicy Ragin’ Cajun burger, or even a beer pound cake; the Amber Ale with buffalo wings; and the Porter with blackened fish and locally sourced cheeses. The pub is open seven days a week, making it an easy stop on a trip through the redwoods, and the spot to catch seasonals like the Earth Day double IPA, Earth Thirst.

Frequently Asked Questions About Eel River Brewing

🍺 Eel River Brewing at a Glance

Key facts about the brewery, its beers, and its visit.