As you drive on Main Street downtown it’s hard not to notice work being done on the building located at 1017 Whitley. New windows have been placed in front and plenty of work has been done inside in preparation for the opening of the Lake Bottom Brewery and Distillery. The brewery is looking to open its doors early next year. Owner Fred Figueroa Sr. and his crew have been putting in countless hours of work to provide Corcoran with a cool place to hang out.
The new soon to be heart of Whitley Avenue has been bustling with activity for a while creating excitement amongst local residents. The establishment is being billed as a restaurant, bar and distillery and as a place where residents can come and enjoy themselves, bring the family and relax.
Lake Bottom is a craft brewery and distillery that will serve craft beers such as IPAs, pale ale, wheat and lagers as well as craft spirits including whiskey, vodka, moonshine, gin and bourbon.
Fred Sr. has been interested in craft beers since 1983 and his interest grew over the years and was passed on to his sons, Fred Jr. and Jacob.
In fact, Fred Jr. had been distilling for close to five years and he will take over as Master Distiller for Lake Bottom having graduated from Distiller’s University. Fred Jr. said the 400 column still at Lake Bottom can yield 600 gallons every two weeks. That would be mostly vodka and gin as the Whiskey needs to be aged, he added. He also has plans to offer several flavors of moonshine such as Peach Cobbler and Apple Pie.
Jacob will take over as head brewer and will have help with the craft beers. He said the brewery portion of Lake Bottom can yield 1200 gallons of beer every two weeks. In addition to that beer, Lake Bottom will also have 25 beers on tap—they plan on making their own Ginger Beer, for their own recipe of the Moscow Mule, and Root Beer.
If beer isn’t your thing they will also make their own soda pop and will have wines available.
The restaurant portion of Lake Bottom will be run by Executive Chef David Valles. Valles is from Corcoran and graduated from Corcoran High in 2003. He attended culinary school at the Institute of Technology in Clovis and was recently working at Oswald, a well-known establishment in Santa Cruz as a sous chef. Valles has some “fresh” ideas for the Lake Bottom menu.
“Everything will be fresh and made in-house,” Valles noted.
He also plans to visit local farmers for his produce. The menu will also be seasonal and will change as produce is in season. Valles plans to serve soups, specialty burgers and fun food. He will try to incorporate the craft beers into his recipes such as beer mustard, beer cheese and a beer-infused tortilla. Lake Bottom is also making plans to partner with Curti Dairy and serve their homemade Gelato.
Lake Bottom’s décor will also wow patrons as they step inside. Figueroa Sr., his sons and their crew have done a complete overhaul of the building—the place was gutted and they started brand new. They worked hard to expose brick which was covered by inches of plaster. The building has a new roof and windows, 25 tons of cooling and heating systems and they have done a seismic construction upgrade. Old preserved wood from the ceiling which was covered by a drop ceiling has also been repurposed as walls and the end result is—rustic and welcoming.
“People will be able to come here—have a good time—have a good experience,” said Jacob.
His father echoed that sentiment and said it will be a “family oriented establishment”.
Figueroa Sr. also says they have plans to hold music nights and tasting events in the future “once we get the doors open”. He added that in the beginning hours will vary and a typical weekday the brewery will be open 11 a.m.10 p.m. while weekend hours may run from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. They will be open every day to start and see what works best, Figueroa Sr. noted.
Lake Bottom is a craft brewery and distillery that will serve craft beers such as IPAs, pale ale, wheat and lagers as well as craft spirits including whiskey, vodka, moonshine, gin and bourbon.
Fred Sr. has been interested in craft beers since 1983 and his interest grew over the years and was passed on to his sons, Fred Jr. and Jacob.
In fact, Fred Jr. had been distilling for close to five years and he will take over as Master Distiller for Lake Bottom having graduated from Distiller’s University. Fred Jr. said the 400 column still at Lake Bottom can yield 600 gallons every two weeks. That would be mostly vodka and gin as the Whiskey needs to be aged, he added. He also has plans to offer several flavors of moonshine such as Peach Cobbler and Apple Pie.
Jacob will take over as head brewer and will have help with the craft beers. He said the brewery portion of Lake Bottom can yield 1200 gallons of beer every two weeks. In addition to that beer, Lake Bottom will also have 25 beers on tap—they plan on making their own Ginger Beer, for their own recipe of the Moscow Mule, and Root Beer.
If beer isn’t your thing they will also make their own soda pop and will have wines available.
The restaurant portion of Lake Bottom will be run by Executive Chef David Valles. Valles is from Corcoran and graduated from Corcoran High in 2003. He attended culinary school at the Institute of Technology in Clovis and was recently working at Oswald, a well-known establishment in Santa Cruz as a sous chef. Valles has some “fresh” ideas for the Lake Bottom menu.
“Everything will be fresh and made in-house,” Valles noted.
He also plans to visit local farmers for his produce. The menu will also be seasonal and will change as produce is in season. Valles plans to serve soups, specialty burgers and fun food. He will try to incorporate the craft beers into his recipes such as beer mustard, beer cheese and a beer-infused tortilla. Lake Bottom is also making plans to partner with Curti Dairy and serve their homemade Gelato.
Lake Bottom’s décor will also wow patrons as they step inside. Figueroa Sr., his sons and their crew have done a complete overhaul of the building—the place was gutted and they started brand new. They worked hard to expose brick which was covered by inches of plaster. The building has a new roof and windows, 25 tons of cooling and heating systems and they have done a seismic construction upgrade. Old preserved wood from the ceiling which was covered by a drop ceiling has also been repurposed as walls and the end result is—rustic and welcoming.
“People will be able to come here—have a good time—have a good experience,” said Jacob.
His father echoed that sentiment and said it will be a “family oriented establishment”.
Figueroa Sr. also says they have plans to hold music nights and tasting events in the future “once we get the doors open”. He added that in the beginning hours will vary and a typical weekday the brewery will be open 11 a.m.10 p.m. while weekend hours may run from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. They will be open every day to start and see what works best, Figueroa Sr. noted.
