Scenes from Lazy Duck Brewing, San Jose’s Newest Brewery
I recently visited Lazy Duck Brewing, San Jose’s newest brewery (1723 Rogers Ave., Suite E) and the source of quite the buzz among local beer enthusiasts.
I visited during their ‘Stout Sunday – Breakfast Bowls’ event on July 29, which was the last day of this year’s Silicon Valley Beer Week. Lazy Duck Brewing opened three months prior in late April.
Lazy Duck co-founder Mike Rayzman pouring a variety of stouts.
Lazy Duck Brewing Ghost Cart Pale Ale.
There’s a strong local connection for Lazy Duck Brewing founders Jon Chin, Nick Fodor and Mike Rayzman.
Jon attended Milpitas and Piedmont Hills High Schools while Nick went to Paly and Mike to Gunn. Though Nick and Mike knew of one another in high school, it wasn’t until their days at UC Davis that they became better friends. UC Davis is also where they met and befriended Jon.
Lazy Duck has other investors who are also close friends with the same UC Davis connection.
The Halford’s Derek Kempinsky and Out of the Barrel’s Evan Jaques checking out Lazy Duck as well.
The Lazy Duck folks are as nice as they come; when I tried to start up a friendly rivalry debate between Paly and Gunn, Nick and Mike politely demurred. But get them talking about their beers and beer in general, and you can see their passions light up.
I headed back to Lazy Duck Brewing the following week to try a couple of their sour beers. Their sour offerings seemed to be generating the loudest buzz for the brewery.
Local beer enthusiast Michael Su was also there; it was great catching up with him.
Also enjoying Lazy Duck beers were Amanda and Bradley; great catching up with them as well.
I returned again several weeks later to, once again, taste Lazy Duck’s latest and greatest.
- Ghost Kart Pale Ale
- Citra Hop Quack Sour Ale
- Pineapple Coconut Quack Sour Ale
- Blueberry Quack Sour Ale
Jay, Doug, Joe, me and Andrea…
and the amazing four-legged Bonus.
Some great pics courtesy of our younger boy.
- Strawberry Quack Sour Ale
Lazy Duck Brewing is open three days per week, Friday through Sunday, and they do a good job in updating their Instagram account with a picture of their latest beer menu board.
Their brewery and taproom is a bare-bones operation, yet to a growing number of local beer fans, Lazy Duck Brewing has vaulted to the top of the local beer scene thanks to the quality, creativity and variety of their offerings, especially their stouts and sours. I can certainly see – and taste – why.
A belated congrats to Lazy Duck Brewing on your opening and for such an auspicious start!
Cheers! Prost! Gunbae!
~Andy