For more than 100 years, the Zanger family has been nurturing a once simple, roadside fruit stand into a must-see destination, and now they’ve set their sights on a new venture: beer. Casa de Fruta sells fruit, snacks and wine to motorists passing through the Pacheco Pass on Highway 152 northeast of Hollister. Now, the Zanger family has teamed up with Dan Gordon of Gordon Biersch to create its own Pilsner beer.
In emails with BenitoLink, Joe Zanger explained how the partnership with Biersch developed. “My son, Gerrod Zanger, began working at Casa de Fruta last year and came to me in July with, ‘Why don’t we have a Casa de Beer?’”
Zanger’s grandfather is the Swiss-German Dr. Henry Zanger, who was affectionately known as Papa. Papa, says Zanger, loved a good Pilsner. Zanger even has physical proof of his grandfather’s preferred drink. “We still have [Papa’s] 1930’s, vintage, metal ice chest with empty bottles of Lucky Lager Pilsner brewed in San Francisco,” he said.
It was Joe Zanger’s other son, Elliot, who thought it would be a good idea to reach out to Gordon Biersch. Zanger says that his son is a “beer industry follower. So we asked him who might be a local brewer that Casa de Fruta could work with.”
The Zanger family sent Gordon Biersch a cold email inquiry, and were thrilled when Dan Gordon emailed back, fondly recalling his “great memories of Casa de Fruta” as a child. “Casa de Fruta is an icon of my youth as well as representing pristine quality in everything they do,” Gordon said.
Since the bottling date on those empty bottles in Dr. Zanger’s ice chest is 1939, the Zangers decided to continue their personal family history and name their new beer, the Casa de Fruta 1940 Pilsner.
Joe says that the 1940 has “a little something going on” that will immediately distinguish it from other Pilsners. “It’s a golden hue lager-style, similar to Mexican beers, but Dan [Gordon] learned to brew from the Germans, who use hops,” resulting in a unique flavor.
The first bottling of the new beer occurred on May 2, and for now, Casa de Fruta 1940 Pilsner is only available at the Casa de Fruta Fruit Stand, Deli, and Chevron Station Food Mart. However, there are plans to offer the beer for sale online, and Bottomley Distributing Company in Milpitas is also carrying the beer. Over time, it will be available to restaurants and other local retail stores in Hollister, Gilroy and beyond.
Click below for the official press release.
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