Marvel at the magic and meet Kris Koenig of Golden Beaver Distillery. Take this tour with us and learn the

The Master Class of Handcrafted Spirits

golden beaver distillery

COURTESY GOLDEN BEAVER DISTILLERY WRITTEN BY TIM MILHORN | PHOTOS BY DIANE NICOLE PHOTOGRAPHY & Now, about that name. Initially, Golden Beaver Distillery came about when owner Kris Koenig and his wife, Marianne, drove through Saratoga, Wyoming and discovered Beaver Liquor, home of the “best dam prices around.” After musing on what a great name it would be for whiskey, the Koenigs continued on their trip. Not surprisingly, the name stuck in the back of Kris’s mind and fully germinated some time later when the idea of distilling spirits became a reality.

Having an interest in the outdoors, animal life, and the preservation of the environment, the Koenigs eventually chose the North American Golden Beaver as a fitting representation of their business. Their website explains—“Golden Beavers once filled the rivers, streams, and wetlands of Northern California until the 1840’s when over-trapping led to their extinction. The beavers' demise affected the annual Pacific salmon runs and reduced the creation of wetlands used by migratory waterfowl of the Pacific Flyway.” Subsequently, the Golden Beaver Distillery is committed to preserving the native habitat of the beaver, and a portion of their revenue goes to the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center Water Institute located in Sonoma County. The center has been working for two decades to preserve beaver habitat in California.

Golden Beaver Distillery not only helps fund important projects such as the Occidental Ecology Center, they also take local ecology passionately and are wholly committed to pursuing knowledge and practices that can lead to a more environmentally friendly and responsible company. The entire green concept is taken under consideration in the production of their spirits at the facility just off Cohasset Road. All the water used, that is not put into their products, is recycled. The water that cleans the equipment is sent to help hydrate animals at their local suppliers’ farms, and the spent mash goes to the farm as feed for livestock. The distillery uses clean burning propane instead of natural gas, which is a greenhouse gas proven harmful to the environment.

The Koenigs also believe in creating a product that leaves the smallest carbon footprint possible. This common goal is shared by founding partners Tom Koenig, Frank and Kasia Lewis, and Kris and

Marianne. Rounding out the production crew is distiller and son Nils Koenig, assistant distillers Andrew MorganHernandez and Ivan Rodriguez, and company controller Valerie Miller. Behind their craft cocktail bar are Miguel Frutos and Mikayla VanLaan and their cook is Marqui Smith. Subsequently, Kris has plenty to keep him busy these days. He has a wide-ranging and varied background helping him set the pace and possesses the necessary creativity needed to develop the spirits, distilling, bottling, and marketing needed to grow and manage Golden Beaver Distillery.

Kris first came to Chico in the mid-1980's when he got out of the US Coast Guard after serving as a diver and quartermaster. He then worked at Sport Dive Operations Florida and in the Caribbean ended up at Skin Diver Magazine as the Pacific Basin representative. Kris returned to Chico to raise his family near his parents. Many may remember Kris from launching the Kiwanis Chico Community Observatory. Kris’ knowledge of astronomy landed him a role as a writer and producer on a PBS Telecourse that he was honored with a LA Area Emmy for Writing and one for Production, launching his film career. He went on to produce several PBS specials and documentaries with his partner Anita Ingrao. His last PBS special was “The Story of Vision,” narrated by Sir Elton John. Tragically, his filmmaking partner, Anita, passed away during the production. Nils stepped in and helped his dad finish the film. “I didn’t enjoy making films after that,” said Kris. “So I turned to distilling.”

“Couple years after Anita passed I met my wife, Marianne,” Kris goes on, “She might have given me a whiskey still for Christmas.” Kris jokingly recalls, “And I might have started distilling, but home distilling is illegal.” He did attend several distillers courses at Moonshine University in Kentucky to develop his skills at distilling. His brother, Tom, came over one day and tasted some of the distillates Kris had produced. Right then and there, they decided to start a distillery. About the same time, they met Frank and Kasia, and the Golden Beaver Distillery was born.

Obviously, operating a business on the current scale takes some serious capital and even more serious equipment. The

center of the process remains the stills. And boy, howdy, are they beautiful. The first still was purchased from a company called Liberty Pole Spirits in Washington, PA. “They had named the still ‘Harold,’ after the owner’s wife’s father,” said Kris. “I made a promise we would keep Harold’s name on the still.” True to his word, if you take a tour, you can see the name prominently displayed. Kris relays the story of still number-two, “We acquired Maude in November of last year, and when she came in here, of course, we already had Harold. So there can only logically be one name, right?” They paid a great tribute to the 1971 cult film “Harold and Maude,” an eccentric piece about a love affair between a young man and an older woman. The newfound couple is alive and well, distilling their hearts out. Next in line is Eileen, so called because she has a slight lean to her approximately 14-foot frame. Collectively, the trio of stills are vital to the multi-distillation process that helps refine and develop the various spirits. In the end, the belle of the ball very well may be Tina, the Tennessee Thumper, developed by Rick Gibson of Moonshiner fame. It is a multiple-retort still, that's a series of Mason jars, which infuses flavor into alcohol. In this particular case, the result becomes the famous Golden Beaver Moonshine. You have to see for yourself the still and its eight-step glass-jar process, as it progressively infuses the alcohol.

Of course, the latest flavor is pumpkin spice, which is hugely popular right now. Though the taste of pumpkin spice is not for everyone, you've just got to give this moonshine a taste. Unlike other types of pumpkin spice that hit you over the head with a blast of flavor, Golden Beaver’s possesses just a hint of spice to give the moonshine a subtle flavor. It’s even surprisingly good right out of the jar.

So, what is the distillation process? A simplified version includes the following steps: You take a starch, (in this case, rice sourced from Far West Mills here in the valley), mill it into a flour, add it to water and cook. The cooking exposes all the starch in the rice where enzymes are used to convert it to sugar. At this point, yeast is introduced that consumes the sugar and secret alcohol into the mix. This liquid is then distilled and refined into a more pure product by going through Harold and then Maude for the double-distillation process. The spirits, An additional goal of the distillery is to develop the standard for American-style rice whiskey. Although rice was predominantly used by Asian countries to make beer and spirits, it was never readily available to the US until after WWII. Northern California was a prime location for rice fields in the 1950’s and ‘60’s. It was here that planting rice by plane was invented, right over in Willows, by Nolta Flying Service. Rice is obviously readily available locally, and Kris sees a future in the distillery's volume of rice whiskeys and bourbon not only to sell locally but export to other countries. “While brewers use rice to make beer, distillers have been almost xenophobic about using it,” said Kris. “Whiskey made here has usually been corn or whatever grains were left over after the harvest season. If a farmer had excess grain, and he wanted to turn it into cash, he made whiskey and sold it.”

So, for Kris, the first step in this process is the distribution to local stores and bars. An important event in the distribution of Golden Beaver products has occurred in San Francisco, where Lazlo’s Bar, an upscale Foreign Cinema Restaurant and one of SF’s Top 100 eateries, selected High Lakes Vodka as their well vodka. This is an imperative ‘foot in the door’ for Golden Beaver products to make their way up and down the valley, into the entire Bay Area and beyond.

How can you help this happen? Go out to the distillery and try some of their award winning products. Just out are the aforementioned Pumpkin Spiced Beaver Likker. The most recent entry into the distillery is grappa, an Italian-based liquor made with local grape pomace, distilled and aged for one year in a used cabernet barrel. The result is Richardson Springs Grappa, an 80-proof concoction that is smooth going down and is great for sipping. Also great for sipping is the “can’t miss” cocktails from the Craft Bar’s mixologists. Consider the BLT, that is, Beaver Likker and Tonic. In addition, on-site bottle sale is available, including the multiple award-winning spirits Butte Creek Bourbon, Chico Creek Rye, Honey Run Honey Flavored Whiskey (sales of which generated $40,000 in donations to the rebuilding of the Honey Run Bridge), Pacific Flyway Whiskey, High Lakes Vodka, and Food is also served Thursday through Sunday in their special outdoor venue, under the tent, where you can count on beautiful sunsets behind the Coast Range. In the case of inclement weather, the inside distillery bar is a welcoming atmosphere. The current menu features warming soups, chowders, and stews served in bread bowls. Beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages are also served. And then the music, starting on Thursday nights, DJ Vinyl R.J. Laffins spins the discs of your favorites from the ‘70’s through the ‘90’s. The weekends are filled with live music for sipping and listening, or to come out and get your dance on. Some recent bands include The Red Dirt Bullies, The Coveralls, Stumpjumpers, Celtic Creek, and Reece Thompson.

During the week, tours are available to see the distillery in person and meet Harold and Maude, Eileen, and Tina. Call (530) 965-7281 to book one. For further information, visit the website at GoldenBeaverDistillery.com To get to the distillery, just follow Cohasset Road to the first curve and make a right. You simply cannot miss the Golden Beaver Distillery billboard giving you the directions!

What Others Think

Ascot Awards Platinum Beaver Likker Moonshine

Honey Spirits Competition Gold Honey Run Honey Flavored Whiskey

NY International Spirits Competition California Moonshine Distillery of the Year 2021

San Francisco International Wine and Spirit Competition Bronze

American Distilling Institution Bronze

American Craft Spirits Association Bronze Beaver Likker Moonshine