Tall Guy Brewing: Fort Bragg’s De Facto Community Center

Meeting Patrick Broderick, the brewmaster and owner of Tall Guy Brewing, is a lot like meeting a gigantic seven-year-old with tousled sandy hair and twinkling eyes. He ambles amiably through his taproom and, although well into his middle years, he still seems full of wonder, curiosity, and youthful energy. His first beer-flavored memories are the smells of homebrews his father cooked up in the family kitchen. “Brewing smells like nothing else,” Patrick reflects.

Tall Guy isn’t just about beer. It has become a de facto community center for Fort Bragg. More like an English or Irish pub than a bar, kids are welcome. Looking around, families are playing board games while seated on small couches and comfy armchairs. Clumps of guys are shoulder to shoulder on long benches talking sports (or whatever it is that guys talk about), while kids explore the small carpeted area which includes a sign that reads, “Please keep dogs off the black turf.”

A visit to Tall Guy is a lot like watching Fort Bragg on parade, and what a fabulous little scrappy town it is. To keep the atmosphere lively, different days of the week are set aside for different entertainments, and the music always sounds great thanks to a first rate sound system. Every Monday, the Mendocino Coast Jazz Society meets and plays, Wednesdays are devoted to acoustic music, Aaron Ford hosts an open mic on Thursdays, and on Fridays, D.J. Wally’s Karaoke holds court. To round off the week, every Saturday features a different band. (For the full calendar, see “What’s Hoppenin’“ on the website, link below.)

D.J. Wally’s Karaoke deserves a special mention as it is a truly democratic operation. Kids are just as welcome as adults to belly up to the mike. On a recent Friday, a 10-year-old with long blonde hair, a baseball cap, and sports togs sang a very credible version of Billy Joel’s “Vienna Waits for You” to a wildly appreciative audience. Next up was a Goth girl in black fishnets with hot pants and eyelashes so thick and fluttery they looked like captive black butterflies. She belted out a seductive love song to the fan club she came in with a bunch of giggling Goth girls. Apparently, Wally can find absolutely any song you care to select by scanning the internet. There are plans to add a trivia night to the line-up soon. Anything goes, and that’s how Patrick likes it. “I was surprised by how really important entertainment is,” he shares.

July marks Tall Guy’s first anniversary, though the business plan first came together in 2022. The original concept for the venture included a barn brewery concept with an out of town location, but that idea fell through. Patrick is very grateful that the downtown location materialized, as it has worked out pretty perfectly. Despite substantial renovation costs converting the old Sears store at the corner of Franklin and Laurel into a tap room, Tall Guy has made money since day one, thanks to the draft beer, a guaranteed moneymaker once it finds an audience. By offering minimal food (hot dogs and pretzels only), while encouraging people to bring their own food from home or to order take-out locally, the whole restaurant expense and administration package is sidestepped. This simplification keeps the focus on the beer, which is how Patrick likes it. Customers report that they think it is a wonderful spot, with really good beer and a great vibe.

Tall Guy beers are classic; you won’t find exotic brews on tap. Hazy Mama is his best seller, and there are no fanciful options made from local ingredients (seaweed beer? redwood bark beer?). They try to match their hops to the beer style, using German hops for German style beer, for example. Tall Guy differs from the competition and most other breweries by subculturing their own yeast and using different yeasts in different beers. With a degree in microbiology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master Brewer Certificate from U.C. Davis, the science side of things is well within Patrick’s reach. Add to that his 30 years of experience working at North Coast Brewing Company under brewmaster and owner, Mark Ruedrich, and it is clear that beer-making is the easy part of his business. Patrick shares that Mark has always been his mentor and that there is no awkwardness between them now that they are “competitors” both feel there is plenty of room for three breweries in Fort Bragg. (The third brewery is Overtime Brewing at the north end of town.)

For those of us who have had big dreams but stayed on someone else’s payroll as the years went by, Patrick’s story is an inspiration. He’s lived in Fort Bragg since 1992, and he loves the ocean and the fog rolling in, adding, “It feels like home.” After 30 years, he finally brought his vision to life — it really never is too late. In the process, he has helped revitalize the economy of Fort Bragg by inserting a vibrant and successful new business right into the heart of downtown. It seems Fort Bragg is just the right size and mix to support this kind of undertaking. The locals love it and the visitors love it. What’s not to love? Sitting in an airy space with so much elbow room, friends can, and do!, use this as a home away from home. The huge windows bring the sidewalk action in so you can appreciate quirky Fort Bragg as it struts its stuff inches from your beer-drinking stool. Cheers!

(This article first appeared in Word of Mouth magazine. www.wordofmouth.com. Terry Sites lives in Yorkville with 4 cats and 1 husband. A graduate of Ringling Brothers Bamum and Bailey Clown College. She writes a weekly column for the Anderson Valley Advertiser. Photos courtesy of Tall Guy Brewing.)