USA, CA: Fairfax Brewing Co. brings new life to former Iron Springs Pub & Brewery space in Fairfax

This week, the opening of Fairfax Brewing Co. by a group of Marin locals brings new life to the former Iron Springs Pub & Brewery space in Fairfax. The full-service gastropub not only revives a 25-year-old brewing facility that dates back to Iron Springs’ predecessor, Ross Valley Brewing Co., but also introduces the town’s first namesake beer brand, Marin Independent Journal reported on September 10.

In true community fashion, the brewpub is supported by the grassroots investment of 38 local ambassadors dedicated to carrying on the built-by-and-for-Marin-families tradition started by Fairfax couple Michael and Anne Altman, who closed Iron Springs and retired in 2021 after a 17-year run. Two versions of Santa Rosa-based HenHouse Brewing Co. followed in the same location but didn’t last.

Alex and Lisa Stricker, co-owners of State Room Brewery and Flatiron in San Rafael, are partners on the project. Alex Stricker, also a partner in San Rafael-based gourmet food delivery service Jessie and Laurent, describes his role as a visionary and collaborator but credits the ambitious rollout to his co-founders, brewmaster Larry Berlin and executive chef and Fairfax native Dan McGarry.

Berlin was the original brewmaster at Ross Valley Brewing Co. and stayed on with Iron Springs for a couple of years. Before coming full circle back to “his favorite town” of Fairfax, his brewing journey took him from Southern California to Chico and points in between, including a stint at Lagunitas Brewing Co. in its early days. Berlin has been at State Room Brewery since its opening in 2016.

McGarry (Duke’s in Huntington Beach and Guy Fieri signature restaurants in Sonoma County) will handle the front and back of house and returns to his hometown with what Strickler describes as a simple, accessible and well-executed menu.

Beer-pairing essentials include a white cheddar cheeseburger; crispy chicken sandwich; three-cheese nachos with house-made chips and pickled jalapeños and veggies; pilsner-battered fish and chips; chicken wings (buffalo, lemon pepper, spicy sweet or sticky Asian); and fries with garlic, herbs and Parmesan.

Dishes like pork lumpia with sweet vinegar chili sauce; Korean short ribs; Thai soba noodle salad; yellowfin tuna poke tacos with avocado mousse, seaweed salad and furikake; and blackened red prawns España with paprika aioli toast add international flair.

The children’s menu features a create-your-own bento box with your choice of main (butter pasta, chicken tenders, slider hot dog), carrots, fries, an apple and a cookie ($15).

Double 8 Dairy ice cream made with buffalo milk comes with optional chocolate, caramel or M&M’s dust on top.

The draft beer lineup includes Pastori Pilsner, Fuego Fuerte Mexican Lager, Railway Rice Lager, Sleeping Lady IPA, Liquid Sunshine Double IPA, Tamalpais Triple, Passionfruit Sour and others. Fans of Repack Red, the first beer brewed on the Ross Valley Brewing Co. system, will be pleased to know it has resurfaced.

The pilsner, Sleeping Lady IPA and Repack Red can currently be purchased in cans at the restaurant, with more varieties to come. Over time, these beers will show up at local restaurants, bars and retail stores.

Wine spritzers, champagne cocktails, mimosas and aperitifs are also on the beverage list along with Berlin’s house-made root beer and orange cream soda plus cold brew and rosé on tap.

The interior has been refreshed with updated design elements. High tables are centered around the bar that is separated by a partition from the seating section, which has a mix of tables and booths and a semi-private dining room for bookings of up to 20 people.

Picnic tables line the sidewalk and the dog-friendly parklet. A bike corral extension is being added.

For entertainment, the game room in the back has vintage Skee-Ball machines and a four-player Pac-Man game. In the bathrooms, a piped-in book recording provides an education on the world history of beer.

“My tagline through this process has been to not make Fairfax cater to us but (us) cater to them,” says Stricker, adding that, in time, the menu, beer styles and interior may change. “We want it to be an extension of people’s living room.”

Fairfax Brewing Co. is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. weekends at 765 Center Blvd. in Fairfax.

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