Editor

A sail set on a mast a notch above the rest, moonrakers pushed possibilities for speed-seeking clipper ship sailors in the trade wars of the 1800s and the brewery of the same name that just landed in Cameron Park is also making its push — in the ever-burgeoning craft beer scene.

Moonraker Brewing Company’s first brewhouse opened in Auburn in April 2016 with Northern California beer connoisseurs quickly creating a buzz for a brewery serving a style of beer relatively unavailable in the region at the time — the New England IPA. Also known as a hazy or juicy IPA, hops are added later in the brewing process, which brings out the floral and fruity aromas of the hops as opposed to the bitterness characteristic of a West Coast IPA. Rolled oats and flaked wheat give a hazy IPA its characteristic opaque appearance and full body.

Solely self-distributed, Moonraker customers would wait in lines that wrapped around the brewery on can release dates. Folks came from all over Northern California to purchase $16-$20 four-packs of 16-ounce cans by the case before they sold out.

Moonraker brew really made waves in 2017 when at a renowned Bay Area IPA festival it bested Russian River Brewing Company’s holy grail of a triple IPA — Pliny the Younger. That brew was called Extremis.

Homebrewing hobbyists Karen and Dan Powell are the husband-wife team behind Moonraker. Karen was a nurse and Dan a solar company CEO before they went all-in in the craft beer industry. Karen told the Mountain Democrat she and Dan used to sail together when they first met; that became the inspiration for the brewery’s name.

A hazy brew named Yojo, which craft beer information resource RateBeer.com awarded Best New Beer, was their first hazy beer and it’s still one of the most popular. Yojo is a reference to Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick.” In the years that followed Moonraker produced dozens of different ales, including barrel-aged ales and sours, as well as flavored hard seltzers. Each with its own unique name — Space Nectar, Bubble Dust, Electric Lettuce — and eye-catching labels designed by Moonraker’s own Chris McCreary and Dan Powell.

Dan’s favorite beer is Outrigger, a sailing theme iteration in an American IPA that took gold in the 2022 Best of Craft Beer Awards among 482 breweries.

“We are forever changing to stay the same,” Dan said. “New labels, new beers. People need to be constantly entertained and it is our job to do it.”

The Powells knew they wanted to open a second location in the region where people “feel like they came to a destination, an outdoor environment, without having a long drive to get there,” Karen explained.

They looked high and low, eventually choosing a 16-acre wooded parcel in Cameron Park in March 2020. Dubbed the Moonraker Millhouse, the roughly 20,000-square-foot brewhouse opened on Robin Lane in May 2023.

Karen and Dan have a strong commitment to sustainability and reducing Moonraker’s carbon footprint. The Auburn location has more than 1,100 solar panels powering the taproom as well as brewing operations, including an electric boiler.

Commitment to sustainability carries on in Cameron Park; it’s one of the few breweries in the state to use a CO2 recapture system that reduces the brewhouse CO2 requirement by 80%. There is also a water recapture system and plans to put in covered solar parking to cover the electrical load.

The property also includes a private venue for weddings or smaller events.

Inside and under covered patios customers find a variety of seating options — chairs, benches, couches, tables plus dozens of picnic tables outside. Design and decor is fresh and modern with Karen doing plenty of the shopping herself.

“We are hands-on business owners,” Karen said. “It is important to stay involved to ensure the business is operating or continues to operate at a high level.”

Moonraker has plenty of dog-friendly space and Karen and Dan can often be seen hanging out with their grandkids as well as furkids Ranger the Great Pyrenees and Fiona the teacup poodle.

Carefully selected ingredients, meticulous brewing techniques, state-of-the-art canning tech and self distribution are among Moonraker Brewing Company’s methods that have earned industry accolades and sent hop heads scrambling for a sip.

In the 2022 U.S. Beer Open Championship, one of the largest brewing competitions in the country, judges awarded gold medals to Moonraker in three styles — International Style Pale Ale, New England/Hazy India Pale Ale and Barrel Aged Sour.

Moonraker was also named seventh best brewery overall — the only California brewery to make the top 10 out of 622 breweries to enter the U.S. Beer Open.

In the World Beer Cup, called “the olympics of beer competitions,” Moonraker saw gold in 2023 in the Juicy or Hazy Imperial India Pale Ale category with The Great Coneholio, a brew name that gives a nod to hop anatomy and ‘90s MTV cartoon “Beavis and Butt-Head.”

Head Brewer Brad Johnson took a break from brewing operations to share with the Mountain Democrat secrets behind the success. It starts with ingredients such as new artisanal malts and hop varieties hand-selected by the Moonraker team in the fields of the Pacific Northwest. Johnson, once a homebrewer who turned pro working at Track 7 Brewing Co. and studying brewing science at UC Davis, said he has “fine tuned” a closely monitored fermentation process that can be a significant factor in the flavor of each brew.

“You have to be passionate about what you are brewing,” Johnson said.

Hops concentrated in a cryogenic process and hop and cannabis terpenes make up the recipe bill for some of the more unique offerings, most of which aren’t like anything found on most grocery store shelves.

All that attention to detail in brewing might be lost if not for follow-through all the way to a customer’s pint glass.

Some of the brews, notably the IPAs, are best consumed within 30 days, according to Johnson. Producing about 5,000 barrels a year creates a demand for Moonraker beers he said “keeps everything fresh.”

And that’s also why Moonraker beers aren’t seen on just any store’s shelf or restaurant’s tap lineup. Moonraker distributors require the product be kept cold to keep it fresh.

In the kitchen is Head Chef Buzzy Harris and sous chef Tyler Wingate, making menu offerings from scratch. “That’s what makes us different,” said Harris, an Oak Ridge High School graduate. He recalled taking a cooking class at Oak Ridge where a chef from Ella Dining Room in Sacramento gave a presentation that inspired him to pursue a career in culinary arts.

And he did — Harris gained experience at Ella, Selland’s Market-Café, Milestone Restaurant and now Moonraker, where up to 600 seats await service.

Kitchen staff serve up an evolving menu of salads, tacos, pizzas, sandwiches and more to be washed down with a fresh pour of Moonraker brew — served in a 21.5-ounce Willi Becher glass that allows beertenders to serve customers a full, 16-ounce pour with what Karen described as the proper amount of foam on top.

Pizzas are baked in minutes in an American-made and Italian-inspired Marra Forni oven and topped to order. A signature touch on Moonraker’s pizzas is a cheese blend that includes an aged cheddar.

Brew-themed touches to the menu include a brownie baked with stout ale and dusted with malted barley and French fries seasoned with a mix of pulverized hop pellets, salt and parsley. Wingate had the idea to use some of the sweet wort (unfermented beer) out of the brewhouse in a salad dressing.

“What are the expectations people have coming to a brewery? We want to exceed that,” Harris said. “We want people to come back.”

Moonraker is open seven days a week and on Fridays and Saturdays local bands set up and play on the outdoor stage. For more information visit moonrakerbrewing.com or call (530) 745-6816, option 2.

Editor

So grateful that the owners chose El Dorado County for their latest venture! Go check it out-you will be impressed.

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