New San Jose craft beer honors defunct Frontier Village
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- As California Craft Beer Week kicks off a new micro brew is flying off store shelves in San Jose.
The beer -- Frontier Village Hazy IPA -- honors a fondly remembered, Old West-style theme park that entertained Bay Area families from 1961 to 1980.
It's the latest creation of Narrative Fermentations, one of San Jose's newest micro breweries.
"We just wanted to give the locals something that puts a smile on their face with that throwback nostalgia," said Jon Berkland, Narrative Fermentations co-founder.
The story of how the beer came to be starts in the home of retired San Jose cop and history buff Tim Stephens.
Tim has one of the largest collections of Frontier Village memorabilia that can be found anywhere, from a hand-drawn pencil map of the park to souvenir oars from the canoe ride.
He's got one of the fake wooden rifles that were in the turrets of the park's fort-like entrance and a real old western revolver that a town "marshal" used while in costume.
"This gentleman's name was Ron, he was the first marshal of Frontier Village. After he passed, his wife said he wanted me to have the gun," Stephens said.
There are old badges and too many souvenirs to name.
Now there's the beer.
Narrative Fermentations heard about Tim's collection and were the inspired to create the brew.
"It brings back a lot of good memories for people. People remember going to the park and having fun. It was a safe place, there were lots of things to do. That's the important part of the nostalgia. The memories people have and the way it made them feel," Stephens said.
Today, there are just empty fields where Frontier Village once stood.
As for the beer, word is spreading fast and its limited run -- like the park it's named for -- might soon run out. Still, at least for now, Frontier Village is once again the toast of the town.