Pine Star is the quintessential brewery and beer garden. It's a place to meet old friends while making new ones, where some of your best laughs, celebrations and heart-to-heart conversations will be made. Pine Star is a place for everyone.
Pine Star's culinary & brewing teams bring years of experience to the Sierra Nevada foothills. Our onsite brewery rotates fresh, handcrafted beers on tap. We offer classic and signature cocktails, mouth-watering savory food that is delivered with the hospitality that Loomis is well known for. Our ambiance is warm and comfortable, making our guests feel welcomed.
Community will be at the center of everything we do at Pine Star. We hope to always support our local organizations with a steadfast commitment to giving back.
Local History - Gold Rush Town
The picture shown above is the old blacksmith shop in historic downtown Loomis where Pine Star's brewing facility is currently located.
George C. Boller was the blacksmith in Loomis for three decades. Born in 1855, George Boller lived in Loomis for over 50 years until he died in 1948 at the age of 93. He came to the little town of Pino back in 1882 (now called Loomis) and set up shop. He had a town well and a stone trough for all to use. This was very important to the town, as it provided all the drinking water for the people and their horses. Mr. Boller always left a water dipper on the side of his blacksmith shop for everyone to use.
The town of Loomis used to be called Pine Grove back in the 1850s when it was a mining town. The early settlers arrived looking for gold along the rivers of the Sierra Nevada foothills. The Central Pacific Railroad arrived shortly after to provide transportation for local fruit grown in the area.
Town Reborn
Flash forward to the year 2022 and downtown Loomis is thriving and experiencing a renaissance. Sidewalks and parking lots have been constructed and the streets have been repaved. New businesses have arrived and Pine Star is excited to be part of the renaissance.
Meet The Team
Brian Sumner
Executive Chef
Chef Brian Sumner grew up in Menlo Park, CA and started his culinary career 37 years ago in the Bay Area. He worked at various restaurants on the Peninsula before moving to the Lake Tahoe area in 1996.
Brian has cooked for The Lone Eagle Grille, Spindleshanks and was the banquet chef at The Chateau in Incline Village, Nevada.
He was most recently the Executive Chef at Zephyr Lodge at Northstar California Resort.
He enjoys mountain biking and model rairoading on his days off
Eric Ryan
Brewmaster
Eric Ryan lives in Granite Bay, CA and graduated from UC Berkeley.
Eric has been brewing beer forever and spent many years brewing for Ruhstaller before most people discovered craft beer.
While at Ruhstaller, he helped plant over 20 varieties of hops in Dixon to help honor the Sacramento region's legacy as a prominent hop growing region.
Eric made the first beer tap handle from scratch (see photo) with his wood working/metal tools for Pine Star. He constantly amazes us with all of his hidden talents. We hope that you enjoy his amazing beers!
Brian Nelson
Brian comes from a family of brewers.
His Great-Grandparents, the Von Böegershausens, owned a small brewery in Germany for many decades.
His Uncle, Martin Kelly, was the President & CEO of Pyramid Brewing Company & Vice President of Miller Brewing Company.
Brian's Great Uncle Robert C. Gadsby was Vice President of Anheuser-Busch, Inc. until his death in the late 1960s. He reported directly to August Anheuser "Gussie" Busch Jr. for over 29 years and started his career as an assistant brewer at Anheuser-Busch after receiving his brewing degree from Siebel Institute of Technology.
Moving forward, Brian hopes to make Pine Star a success and serve his local community in Loomis and the greater Sacramento areas.