Mulberry Station Brewing Company may have some of the best pizza in town, but they never planned on it

Mulberry station brewing Co

“We didn’t mean to make the best pizza in town, honestly!” Roland Allen chuckled in his most convincing tone. “We only ever wanted to start a brewery.” For those of us who’ve had the pleasure of partaking in a slice at Mulberry Street Brewing Company, it would be a hard-fought battle to prove. As the story goes, owners Roland Allen and Allen Gross had no intention for their pizza to be the talk of the town, rather a means to simply allow their customers the opportunity to enjoy more beer. Though it certainly does that, it has turned into a bit of a sensation all the same, and the two are unlikely to be thrilled with the brewery’s story starting this way yet again. Luckily, they have the sense of humor to stomach it.

Roland and Allen met by happenstance through mutual friend Dale Sakschewski. The three traded tales of times past, eventually transitioning to bucket lists. They all had one item in common—owning a brewery. The goal would come as no surprise for Roland, who has a bit of a storied history in the local brewing scene. Originally from Redding, he moved to Chico in 1983 from Corvallis, in an attempt to stave off boredom. In 1986, he was hired as assistant brewmaster at Sierra Nevada and remained there until 1995 when he helped open Butte Creek Brewing Company. He later helped build Feather Falls Brewing and worked there for eight years before meeting Allen.

A United States Marine Corps veteran, Allen had traveled the world before starting his own business in the GPS industry. It proved to be incredibly lucrative and provided him a means to retire at an early age, as well as the funding needed to start another business—like a brewery. When the three eventually met at Roland’s home, it seemed to be kismet.

“We called ourselves the Wort Brothers,” Allen recalled. “We just jumped right in and started looking for a spot around town. We drove by our location a couple times but didn’t think it was available. One afternoon we saw a sign go up, and decided to do a walkthrough. It used to be an old bowling alley, Gala Lanes, and the space couldn’t have been better. It needed a lot of work, but it fit our vision perfectly.”

Not only was the location perfect, but it had a connection unknown to the two until the lease papers were signed. As it turned out, Allen’s Aunt Dottie was in the Diamond Match bowling league at Gala Lanes in the 1960s and was its league secretary. Her league jersey now hangs above the bar in commemoration.

Roland, Allen, Dale, and honorary Wort Brother Steven Locke set out to build their dream brewery and completed construction right before the pandemic struck. They opened their doors and were forced to close them three days later due to the first lockdown. “It’s been a bit of an ongoing joke,” Roland smiled. “All we can do is laugh about it. Everything we plan seems to bite us right out the gate. I suppose it builds character!”

Though the two have faced badly-timed adversity at every step since opening their doors, the brewery and restaurant have quickly gained a cult following, not just for their delicious pizza, but also for their beers, carefully brewed using Roland’s 36 years of experience.

“We make all of our beers right here in this location,” Roland raved. “We have ten-totwelve beers on tap at any time and tend to focus on more traditional style ales and lagers, like pilsners, bocks and märzens to IPAs, wheat beers, and stouts, and everything in between. Two stay consistent, a pilsner and Roland’s Red, while the rest rotate. We’re brewing something new every two months to keep things exciting.” Currently, Mulberry Station is home to a single IPA, double IPA, pale ale, porter, brown ale, Allen’s signature Dark and Chewy Stout, Roland’s signature red ale and redder ale, and coming soon, a venerable 9% doppelbock. The collection is varied enough to ensure all those who choose to imbibe are pleasantly rewarded.

Did we mention the pizza is delicious too? Whether due to the pandemic or a subconscious need to make everything perfect, Roland, Allen, Dale, and Steven Locke, (Roland’s right hand and longtime friend) spent a year learning the art of

dough-making and perfecting the crust. All pizzas are cooked in their woodfire oven using organic produce—except for their sliced pepperoncinis and black olives—and everything is sourced from California, aside from their proprietary blend of Wisconsin cheeses. Their master pizza makers, Mike and Isaac, know their craft well, and the rest of the staff couldn’t be more knowledgeable, creative, or committed. Of course, if pizza isn’t your thing, Mulberry Station also has a wealth of pasta bowls, salads, Italian meatballs, charcuterie plates, and a series of baguettes covered with cheese and veggies.

“Our original business plan to bring everyone in-house to drink our beers and eat our pizza is finally coming to fruition,” Allen said. “It’s taken two years to get to this point, since the plan was replaced with delivery during much of the pandemic. We finally have live entertainment indoors every Saturday, and customers love it. There’s something special about the intersection of beer, pizza, and live music that you can’t find anywhere else.”

Drop by Mulberry Station Brewing Company and try their offerings for yourself, but maybe brighten Roland and Allen’s day by stopping at the bar first. After all, it was never supposed to be about the pizza—or so they say.

Mulberry Station is located at 175 E. 20th Street, Suite 100 on the corner of E. 20th Street and Park Avenue. They’re open Tuesday through Thursday from 3-9pm, Friday and Saturday from 11am-10pm, and Sunday from 11am-9pm. You can find them online at www.MulberryStationBrewery.com and reach them by phone at (530) 809-5616.