Ale Polish

A flurry of activity is reaching a crescendo at Ojai Brew Pub: There is still lots to be accomplished if a public unveiling is going to be held May 3.

While the varnish on the oak wood bar continues to set, the inaugural batches of handcrafted beers have fermented and are ready to be tapped. The kitchen and wait staffs are training in cluttered quarters, and chef Reggie Ferguson is putting the final tweaks to his menu of “eclectic American pub foods.”

When the last tabletop is wiped clean--and order prevails--customers will be introduced to the area’s only operating brew pub and restaurant. That distinction will be held for only a short time. Anacapa Brewing Co., a restaurant-brewery in downtown Ventura, is also nearing completion and hopes to open later in May. Ojai Brew Pub, located in the Fitzgerald Plaza on Ojai Avenue, is being launched by husband and wife Alex and Sally Kopf, and Paul McCaw.

It was Alex Kopf and McCaw who first saw themselves in cahoots crafting ales and lagers for a living. Both worked as environmental engineers for the same consulting company and both were eager for a change of venue. Their passion for home brewing became their professional focus.

“We have been working hard on the project pretty much full time for the last year and a half,” McCaw said.

The team of partners has remade the former Gael’s Cafe Restaurant. The space offers a bilevel room for dining and lounging, plus an adjoining area dedicated for bar seating with views of the new brewing system. Add in a few tables for outdoor sidewalk dining and there will be seating for about 110.

Kopf and McCaw will do all the brewing themselves. While both are seasoned home brewers who have garnered competition awards, Kopf has completed an intensive apprenticeship certification program offered through UC Davis. The pair will open with four brews: Chief Peak Pale Ale; Bad Cat Brown Ale; El Jefe Hefeweizen, an unfiltered German-style wheat beer; and Red Potato Caboose, an amber-style ale.

The beer menu will revolve with regularity.

“If we find we’ve got a couple of favorites we’ll keep those on,” McCaw said. “Otherwise you’ll see a variety of styles of beer rolling through here.”

The new brewery, its large stainless steel tanks viewable to passersby, has the capacity to ferment five beers at a time. Eventually the Ojai Brew Pub will pour nine beers, which will include a couple of “guest taps” featuring the wares of other regional microbreweries.

All the beers are meant to complement Ferguson’s cuisine.

The 30-year-old hails from Texas, where he held sous and head chef positions. Ferguson knows a lot about high-end cowboy cuisine, and he was lured away from his prior position at Sake Lounge, a sushi restaurant in Houston. He was among many from all over who applied to an Internet job posting for the head chef position in Ojai.

Once on board, the Kopfs and McCaw shared their thoughts on what they would like to see on the menu and let Ferguson use that as a jumping-off point.

The cuisine will show influences from the Southwest, Mexico, Cajun and of course Texas. Hand rolls of yet-to-be determined variety are being considered as well. Seasonal local produce and fish will be featured prominently.

A short revolving entree list will open with jerk chicken pasta, steak, fish of the day and a couple other items. The menu expands from there with specialty sandwiches, pizzas and salads. Some pub-style standards feature Ferguson’s personal twist: buffalo wings, beer-battered fish and chips, onion rings and crispy beer-marinated calamari. Prices are moderate all around. There will be wines and a full bar.

It’s not all food and drink, however. As evident by an artsy piano installation--hanging on the wall above a small, slightly elevated performance space--Ojai Brew Pub is about music too.

Sally Kopf’s general manager duties will include booking musical talent. She is connected with the local music scene, and fans can expect a steady offering of quality talent. The versatile folk-rock specialist Jonathan McEuen will perform first on May 6. Kopf will also curate revolving art displays.

Note: McCaw said the opening date is fluid and could be delayed a day or two. When it does open, the Ojai Brew Pub will keep long hours. It will be open seven days a week and will close late each night.

DETAILS

Ojai Brew Pub is in Fitzgerald Plaza, 423 E. Ojai Ave. Hours: will open at 11 a.m. each day. On weekends, open till 1:30 a.m. Dinner entrees served 5 to 9 p.m.; other menu service available all hours. Call 646-8837.

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Briefly: The ever-popular Conejo Valley Days Chili Cook-off returns Sunday to Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks. The regional event, sanctioned by the International Chili Society, attracts cooks from all over California and beyond who vie for a chance to move on to the state championship.

More than 70 contestants will prepare a batch of competition chili on site for a panel of judges to scrutinize. Each cook will also be required to bring to the event two gallons of People’s Choice Award chili for general sampling. Each sample will cost 50 cents or 15 taste tickets for $5.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $5 general; children 12 and under are free. Proceeds benefit Thousand Oaks Rotary-sponsored charities. The park is at Janss Road and Moorpark Freeway. Call 371-8730 for more information.

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Winning Wordsmith: A South African restaurateur with an apparent flair for the poetic has become the new owner of the Surfside Cafe in Carpinteria.

Outgoing proprietors Larry Broughton and John Alonge on Friday announced Marc Gorin as the winner of their restaurant giveaway essay contest. In 400 words or less, contestants were asked to explain why “I’ve always had this idea about owning my own restaurant in a California beach town . . . “

The partners, who will now pursue other interests, marketed the contest on the Internet. Entries came in from more than 20 states and a handful of other countries.

Gorin, a franchising director for a steakhouse chain in South Africa, submitted his entry in the form of a poem.

“It was very creative and articulated a passion about running the cafe and being involved in the community,” Broughton said.

Rodney Bosch writes about the restaurant scene in Ventura County and outlying points. He can be reached at 653-7572, fax 653-7576 or by e-mail at: rodney.bosch@latimes.com.