Jim’s Story

Jim had a strong appreciation for good brews in the late 70’s when he was stationed for extended service in Bitburg, West Germany. After returning to California, he discovered he was now a “beer snob.” He could no longer drink the Americanized version of beer and the frustration of standing in front of the beer section got the better of him. He needed more.

This led to a Christmas gift in 1990, from his wife Jodee, she gave Jim a brew kit to stop his complaining. He started making beer all on his own, in his wife’s new commercial kitchen. He was quickly sent to the backyard to figure out how to brew outside in the elements. He had friends that helped design a sweet 55-gallon all-grain system. He successfully brewed hundreds of batches of beer and started to consider taking his backyard hobby to the next level. With encouragement and support from family and friends, Jim took a leave of absence from his full-time job with UPS in 1997. He enrolled in the American Brewers Guild Apprentice program and successfully completed the Brewing Sciences and earned his title as Brewmaster.

He was fortunate to work his apprenticeship with Sam Peterson, owner of Sacramento Brewing Company, along with brewer Andy Klein. He quickly found his strengths in the brewing world and helped Sam design and upgrade his brewing system. Jim appreciated the efficiency of a small brewery footprint and later would take that knowledge to a local winery in the foothills that was looking for a brewery site. Jim designed and opened Gold Hill Brewery in Placerville in 1999. In 2004, he was contacted by a young and enthusiastic group to start a start-up brewery called Lockdown Brewing Company. It was all great experience and knowledge that he was taking away with each project.

In 2007, Jim retired from UPS and quickly found a new job with Brian Ford at Auburn Ale House. He found himself ready to get the brewing juices flowing again. While brewing for Brian, he was contacted by a family restaurant in Oroville wanting to add a micro-brewery to the area. He was given yet another opportunity to put his expertise of brewing design together.

As rewarding as it was to be involved in so many breweries over the years, Jim realized that he wanted to open his own. Tapping the expertise of Kenny, his son, with his start up restaurant projects in San Diego and Roseville. He decided to create his own production facility and tasting room in the small town of Loomis, Ca. Loomis Basin Brewery is a culmination of a dream- father and son sharing the love of a good “brew.”

Kenny’s Story

Kenny is the son of Jim Gowan. He was born in Bitburg, West Germany and raised in the Placer County area by Folsom Lake. Kenny was fortunate to be around the early school days of Jim being in the Brewmaster program. Little did he know that his high school Biology would come in handy with his dad’s brewing program. He quickly was picking up the fundamentals of the brewing world. He also had the privilege of working with Sam Peterson and Andy Klein at a very young age. Kenny started his commercial experience in the early 2000’s for Bulldog Brewing Company in Fresno, CA, which was owned by Steelhead Brewing Company. As a 21-year-old Assistant Brewer, Kenny was able to hone is practical knowledge under Jonathon Connelly and Teri Fahrendorf brewing on a 10BBL JV Northwest brewing system (which now resides in Auburn Ale House). After 3 years at the Bulldog Brewery and graduating from Fresno State University, Kenny took a brewing position with San Diego Brewing Co. one of the founding breweries in the San Diego area. Under the guidance of Scott Stamp and Lee Doxtader, Kenny produced an array of Ales for SDBC and Callahan’s Pub. He worked 5 years for SDBC before jumping into the deep end and became Partner/Owner with Jon Mangini and built Basic Urban Kitchen and Bar in San Diego, CA. He had the experience of being part of a re-development project in East Village of San Diego (Ballpark District). After running the day-to-day operations of Basic for 3 years Kenny moved back “home” and consulted and worked on restaurant and brewery projects.

In 2010, Kenny and his father embarked on their own project and consulted, designed, and constructed the brewery from top to bottom. They had the mindset to create local beers for the local customer and create a neighborhood vibe of relaxation. Loomis Basin Brewing Company first brew was in November 2010 and the rest is history.