Step Back in Time at Iron Springs Pub
Wednesday, August 10, 2005 Oakland Tribune
EONS AGO there was this weird sci-fi film "Ran and Randa" about hippies living in a post-nuclear holocaust world. A graying, long- haired guy and his friends take an ancient wind-up record player salvaged from the ruins, anxiously put on an ancient disc, and start grooving to Jumpin' Jack Flash, still audible beneath the scratches. I thought about that old film minutes after I walked into Iron Springs Pub & Brewery in Fairfax late on a Wednesday afternoon. It was like walking into a time machine. There were guys with long, gray ponytails sitting at the bar, the color scheme had a rainbow hue. But Iron Springs is far from a post-nuclear outpost and it's no'60s throwback. Michael and Anne Dubinsky Altman have transformed the posh Ross Valley Brewing Co. into a comfortable, lively, down- home kind of place. Since opening last fall, it has fast become the pub of choice for a growing segment of western Marin residents.
True, there were three guys in graying ponytails at the bar, but there were lots of others -- two 20-somethings trading Ipod playlists at one table, a young mom and her two kids at another. Somebody's eclectic mix was playing on the pub sound system.
It's 30 miles from my house in the East Bay, but Iron Springs is worth the journey. Mike and Anne are bikers and their house, which is not far from the pub, is at the bottom of the Iron Mountain Trail, a famous route for bikers and the inspiration for the pub. The bottom line is Mike Altman doesn't serve any bad beer. A Long Island, N.Y., native, he worked as a chef for a decade. When he burned out on cooking he moved to Portland, Ore., and wound up rooming next door to the McMennamin Brothers, who were just building their brewpub empire. He volunteered to help wash kegs and ended up as a brewer. From McMennamin's he moved to Mountain Sun in Boulder, Colo., where he began to win awards and medals for his beer. He met Anne, who is a National Park Service Ranger, when he catered an affair in Rocky Mountain National Park. These days, she works at Park Service headquarters in Oakland and commutes home in time to work at Iron Springs for the evening rush. Now that's a love story.
The day I visited, Mike had a dozen beers on tap. Samplers come in flights of six. I especially like Chazz Cat Rye, a blend of rye, wheat and barley, is a beautiful, 5 percent, copper-colored beer with a towering head. The taste is fairly dry with hints of sweetness in a gently, bitter follow. Both Yonder Mountain Stout and Fairfax Porter, made with coffee from Marin Coffee Roasters, were excellent. Casey Jones Imperial IPA was a winner. At 8.25 percent ABV, it was a huge and hoppy beer that was beautifully balanced with plenty of malt to offset the hop bitterness.
The food is as interesting as the beer and prices are moderate: $15 for Achiote Crusted Tenderloin; burger and fries are $8.95. Chef Louie Carillo has a number of Yucatecos (folks from Mexico's Yucatan state) in his kitchen, so besides the sausage plate, free-range chicken breast and meat loaf, there are a number of Mexican dishes with a Yucatan twist. I loved the roasted chicken quesadillas with guacamole and an unusual fresh salsa.
If you can't make it to Fairfax, several of Mike's beers are on tap at Barclay's, 5940 College Ave. in Oakland, and Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley.d his Iron Springs Kent Lake Kolsch-style Ale with its clean, malty nose, slightly sweet taste and tart follow. It's a true session beer, just 4 percent alcohol by volume (your basic Bud is 5 percent).
back to media