Farmers Brewing Co. Features Full Suite of Rice Beers

PRINCETON, CA – Options for rice beer are growing, but not as fast as young on-farm brewery Farmers Brewing Company is!

Fifth-generation rice farmers Bill and Kristin Weller started home-brewing as a hobby in 2011, but in January 2020, that hobby became a fully operational brewery, and now their beer can be found in restaurants and on store shelves throughout northern California.  The beer selection started small but has grown to include more than 12 beers, some of which are seasonal or limited run.

After less than 18 months in operation, the Wellers found themselves with demand exceeding what they were providing and made plans to expand their on-farm brewery and taproom to Chico, where they’ll have another taproom with a restaurant featuring their brews.

Farmers Brewing Co. is not the first brewery to use rice in their beer, but what makes them unique is that rice is used in every beer the Wellers brew.  “Rice provides a crisp and refreshing flavor to our beers which complements our easy drinking approach to the craft brewery scene,” said Bill.  “We use premium japonica rice as part of all of our beers.  Most of it is grown in the fields right outside the brewery.”  

One of their most popular, year-round, beers is called ‘Farmers Light’ with just 99 calories per can and rice as the main grain used in the brewing process.

“Outside of Farmers Light, we use a variety of other grains to help flavor the beer, like barley, corn, and wheat,” said Bill.  “We grow the wheat ourselves, right behind the brewery alongside the rice.”

Opening a new venture during the COVID-19 pandemic was daunting.  Bill admitted, “It was a little scary at first, but it turns out people held more social functions at home which helped our retail sales.  Then, when things started to open up, folks wanted to get out of the house and socialize, and our large open taproom here in Princeton is a great place to do just that.”

The Wellers also are using their new platform to highlight some of the sustainability benefits around growing rice, including wildlife.  Several of their cans’ labels depict birds, like the ‘530’ that uses a colorful pheasant to attract attention, and the seasonal “Winter Migration” featuring flying waterfowl.

This exposure to a new audience is an easy way to educate consumers about buying, eating, and now drinking, U.S.-grown rice.  The Wellers’ operation could serve as a model for others in the industry looking to incorporate rice into a direct-to-consumer business.