If you spend enough time in Richmond, the salt air starts to feel like a permanent part of your skin. It’s an honest, heavy landscape defined by the low hum of the shipping lanes and the rhythmic clatter of the refineries. It’s a place where things are built to handle a lot.

Inside the East Brother taproom, that same grit is present, but it’s been refined into something polished: the Red Lager.

In a craft beer world that’s currently obsessed with "fast" trends and fruit-infused gimmicks, the Red Lager is an outlier. It’s the kind of beer that doesn't feel the need to shout to be heard. Founders Rob Lightner and Chris Coomber didn’t build this place to chase the flavor of the week. They built it on the "1% Rule", the idea that if you respect the tools and sharpen the process by just a hair every single day, you end up with something that can actually last.

The Richmond Prelude

To understand the beer, you have to understand the work. Richmond is a city of "Pride and Purpose." This is the town that famously cranked out Liberty Ships during WWII with a level of structural integrity that shouldn't have been possible under that kind of pressure. There’s a specific dignity in that history, the dignity of a tool that doesn’t break and a machine that runs the same on year ten as it did on day one.

When Rob and Chris founded East Brother, they weren't looking to "disrupt" anything. They were looking to anchor it. They wanted to brew the beer you reach for when the shift is over, and the real talk starts. The Red Lager is the "Workhorse" because it’s the bedrock. It’s a Vienna-style Amber Lager that matches the bronze hue of a sunset over the San Pablo Bay and the industrial copper of a well-maintained brew kit.

The 1% Rule: Precision as a Trade

Ask any brewer and they’ll tell you: lagers are the ultimate truth-tellers. You can't hide a mistake behind a mountain of hops or a gallon of fruit puree. If you mess up, the glass will tell on you.

At East Brother, the Red Lager is a study in what we call "Quiet Precision." We don’t mess with the recipe; we sharpen the environment. We treat water chemistry like an electrician treats a circuit, obsessing over mineral balances to get that soft, European profile. We treat fermentation like a carpenter treats a joint, making sure the yeast finishes exactly where it should so the beer is biscuity and toasted, but never heavy.

It’s about "attenuation", the technical term for making sure the beer finishes dry enough to keep you coming back for another sip. We use traditional Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops because they’ve worked for centuries. It’s the antithesis of "fast" beer. It’s a process that respects time, ensuring the pint you’re holding right now is as reliable as the one you’ll have three years from now.

A Safe Harbor for the Palate

We see it all the time in the taproom. Someone walks in after a long week, their palate exhausted by the high-acid, high-sugar "hype" beers that are everywhere right now. They order a Red Lager. You can actually see their shoulders drop about two inches.

That’s the "Safe Harbor" effect.

"Built to Last" isn't just a marketing slogan; it’s a commitment to being the steady point in someone’s week. Just like the East Brother Lighthouse has stood as a beacon since 1874, this beer is meant to be a constant. It’s brewed with the same discipline that built the ships in the shipyard next door, and it’s served with the pride of a crew that knows you don't need a gimmick when you’ve got the goods.

As we bring East Brother to the mountain air of Tam and the fog of the City, the Red Lager remains our North Star. It’s proof that in a world of "new," there’s nothing quite as powerful as "right."

East Brother’s Red Lager is a Vienna-style Amber Lager, known for its toasted malt profile, clean finish, and approachable flavor.
All East Brother beers are brewed in Richmond, California, in a 12,000-square-foot facility inspired by the working heritage of the Bay Area.
Unlike trend-forward beers, our Red Lager is brewed with traditional Hallertau Mittelfrueh hops and undergoes a slow lagering process. It’s designed for balance, consistency, and drinkability.
You can find it at major Northern California retailers like Safeway, Whole Foods, and Raley’s, or enjoy it fresh at our Richmond taproom.