Picking up where Indian Valley Brewing left off

For years, the building at 1016 Railroad Ave was Indian Valley Brewing Co. — a small Novato brewery that locals knew and quietly loved. When it came time for a new chapter, the brewhouse didn't go dark. It got a fresh start.

That fresh start is us.

The Keg Stand Brewing Co. picked up where Indian Valley left off in the literal sense: same building, same tanks, same Railroad Ave roots. The fermenters in the back are the same ones that have been making Novato beer for years. The bar where you'll order a pint is the same bar a lot of you have ordered pints from before. The room hasn't moved an inch.

What changed is the obsession.

We brew in small batches on purpose, because small batches let us do one thing the bigger guys can't really do: pour you a beer at its absolute freshest. There's no warehouse time. No distribution truck idling on a loading dock. No bottle-dating you have to squint at. The beer in your glass was made a few feet away, the keg was tapped this week, and that's the whole point.

It's also the reason for the name. "Fresh as hell, brewed in Novato" isn't a tagline we workshopped in a marketing meeting. It's the thing we kept saying out loud while figuring out what we were even doing here.

A few things about the place while we're at it:

It's still a neighborhood brewery. Dog-friendly. Family-friendly. Food trucks out front more days than not. The folks who used to come in for Indian Valley pints — pull up a stool, the same stool's still there.

The homebrew club meets on Mondays. Regulars and total beginners. If you've been homebrewing in your garage and want to talk shop with other people who care, that's the night.

The taps rotate. A lot. We're not trying to maintain a permanent core lineup of twelve beers — we're trying to brew whatever we're excited about that month, brew it well, and pour it before it has time to settle. If you came in last week and want the same beer again, it might still be on. It might also not be. That's part of the deal.

You can find out what's pouring without coming in. The tap list updates automatically from the bar. If you're driving from Petaluma or San Rafael and want to make sure your favorite style is on tonight, check before you leave.

If you found us looking for Indian Valley Brewing — welcome. You're in the right place. The address is unchanged. The phone number is unchanged. The beer is fresher than it's ever been on this block.

Pull up a stool.

— Jake & the Keg Stand crew