Canyon Club Brewery just opened its second restaurant and brewery in Danville, bringing the same warm, friendly, beer garden vibe that began in Moraga just a few towns over. On a recent Wednesday night, the place was buzzing with an after-work crowd filling most of the outdoor seats, its patrons toasty around the fire pits and heat lamps.

Here’s a first look:

THE VIBE >> Part backyard picnic, part after-work happy hour, the spacious outdoor patio looks out towards the parking lot, where dark wood buildings make the relatively busy plaza feel like it’s nestled in the woods.

THE LOOK >> While the Moraga beer garden, which opened in 2019, enjoys a much larger outdoor area, owner Kevin Hamilton flipped the script for the Danville location, which seats 120 outside but adds another 190 indoors.

Finding a venue that fit Canyon Club’s natural theme took awhile — until he found a location he describes as “an old barn” on Sycamore Valley Road. It’s part of the rustic-feeling Danville Livery shopping plaza.

“It was like a needle in a haystack,” says Hamilton. “It sang to us. We walked in and were like, ‘This place feels like us.’ It’s old school, with wood beam ceilings. You’d never build that today. It feels very old-timey.”

The big, open interior shows off the raw wood, while potted plants hanging from a floating catwalk above the bar add greenery and maintain the natural look. There are some brewery tanks within sight and the smell of fresh beer in the air, but the light-and-breezy vibe and wide-open front door make it feel like you’re walking into a friend’s house.

Outdoors, friends sit around the fire, sipping beer and grabbing a bite, while co-workers look over documents while sipping a cold one. The ambiance is exactly what Hamilton hoped for, he says, when he set out to create a “third place” for locals to gather.

THE FOOD >> With a bigger kitchen in the Danville location, Hamilton eyed a bigger menu, too, adding pickled eggs ($5), thick slices of millionaire’s bacon ($9) and stout-braised short ribs ($34) to the taproom offerings. The most popular menu items are the wagyu burger ($22), fried chicken sandwich ($21) and fish and chips ($26).

Hamilton went through 15 variations on the fish and chips theme, ultimately landing on the current version, which uses a Canyon Club beer batter and flaky cod that doesn’t separate from the batter when you bite into it. Fried to perfect, the dish is spectacular, its exterior so light and crispy, you’ll be eating even the little pieces left on the plate. The creamy, housemade sauce is just the right amount of tangy, and the whole thing comes with coleslaw and fries.

“I had this vision I had to bring to life,” Hamilton says. “We get fresh fish delivered six days a week. I’ve even had guests from New England who said, ‘This is the best fish and chips I’ve had on the West Coast.’”

THE SIPS >> The brewery’s most popular sips are the IPAs and the Kolsch, but Hamilton believes the brewery’s true speciality is its European-style beers, including the Beta Tested, a 5.1% ABV Czech-style pilsner, dry hopped with European Saaz and Huell Melon. The Belgian blonde Buddy System is a spicy 6.4%, and the German-style helles checks in at 5.8%.

The sweetness often associated with blonde ales felt more subtle with the Buddy System, like a dry, white wine, and the floral notes made it the perfect drink for a warm day. We’d especially recommend it for those who may not be regular beer drinkers.

MORE >> The Danville location is currently open for dinner only, but will open for brunch and lunch once the weather warms. Live music will be coming soon.

DETAILS >> Open from 4 to 10 p.m. daily at 204 Sycamore Valley Rd. in Danville; canyonclub.com.