List of breweries in California

Jackson Brewing Company complex in San Francisco

This list of breweries in California, both current and defunct, includes both microbreweries and larger industrial scale breweries. Brewing companies range widely in the volume and variety of beer produced, ranging from small breweries to massive multinational conglomerates. Since 1983, California has allowed breweries to sell beer on their premises, giving rise to numerous brewpubs and microbreweries.

Breweries in California produce a wide range of beers in different styles that are marketed locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. In 2012 California's 458 breweries, importers, brewpubs, and company-owned packagers and wholesalers employed over 7,000 people directly, and more than 109,000 others in related jobs such as wholesaling and retailing. ^[1] Including people directly employed in brewing, as well as those who supply California's breweries with everything from ingredients to machinery, the total business and personal tax revenue generated by California's breweries and related industries was more than $5.1 billion. ^[1] Consumer purchases of California's brewery products generated another $1.1 billion in tax revenue. ^[2] In 2012, according to the Brewers Association, California ranked 1st in the number of craft breweries, and 19th per capita with 325. ^[3]

For context, at the end of 2013 there were 2,822 breweries in the United States, including 2,768 craft breweries subdivided into 1,237 brewpubs, 1,412 microbreweries and 119 regional craft breweries. ^[4] In that same year, according to the Beer Institute, the brewing industry employed around 43,000 Americans in brewing and distribution and had a combined economic impact of more than $246 billion. ^[5]

Breweries by county

Alameda County

• 21st Amendment Brewery in San Leandro ^[6]
• Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, the first brewpub licensed in California since Prohibition
• Drake's Brewing Company in San Leandro
• Pyramid Breweries in Berkeley (opened in 1997, closed in 2015) ^[7]
• The Rare Barrel in Berkeley ^[8]
• Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse in Berkeley
• Trumer Brauerei in Berkeley

Butte County

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company headquarters in Chico

• Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico

Contra Costa County

• Calicraft in Walnut Creek ^[9]

Humboldt County

• Eel River Brewing Company in Fortuna
• Lost Coast Brewery in Eureka
• Mad River Brewing Company in Blue Lake
• Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville ^{[10] [11]}

Los Angeles County

• Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in Burbank
• Karl Strauss Brewing Company in Universal City
• Lagunitas Brewing Company in Azusa ^[12]
• MillerCoors brewery in Irwindale ^[13]

Mendocino County

• Anderson Valley Brewing Company in Boonville ^[14]
• Mendocino Brewing Company in Ukiah ^[15]
• North Coast Brewing Company in Fort Bragg ^[15]

Mono County

• Mammoth Brewing Company in Mammoth Lakes

Napa County

• Stone Brewing in Napa ^[16]

Nevada County

• FiftyFifty Brewing Company in Truckee
• Nevada Brewery in Nevada City

Orange County

• Bootlegger's Brewery in Fullerton and Costa Mesa
• The Bruery in Placentia ^{[17] [18]}

Placer County

• Auburn Alehouse in Auburn
• Slice Beer Company in Lincoln ^[19]

Riverside County

• Blind Pig Brewing Company in Temecula (opened 1994, closed 1997) ^[20]
• Karl Strauss Brewing Company brewpub in Temecula

San Diego County

• AleSmith Brewing Company in Miramar, San Diego
• Alpine Beer Company in Alpine
• Aztec Brewing Company in Vista
• Belching Beaver Brewery, multiple locations in San Diego
• Karl Strauss Brewing Company, multiple locations county-wide
• Ballast Point Brewing Company, multiple locations in San Diego
• Green Flash Brewing Company in Mira Mesa, San Diego
• Mikkeller, multiple locations in San Diego
• Mission Brewery in Middletown, San Diego
• Mother Earth Brew Co in Vista
• Pizza Port in Carlsbad and Ocean Beach, San Diego
• Saint Archer Brewing (defunct 2022)
• San Diego Brewing Company (defunct 1942)
• Stone Brewing in Escondido

San Francisco City and County

Anchor Brewing Company

• 21st Amendment Brewery
• Albion Brewery (opened 1870; closed 1919) ^[21]
• Almanac Beer Company
• Anchor Brewing Company
• Beach Chalet Brewery & Restaurant
• Fort Point Beer Company
• Hamm's Brewery (opened 1954, closed 1972)
• Rainier Brewing Company (opened 1933, closed 1953) ^[22]
• San Francisco Brewing Company (opened 1985, closed 2009)
• Speakeasy Ales and Lagers

San Luis Obispo County

• Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Paso Robles

San Mateo County

• Devil's Canyon Brewing Company in San Carlos

Santa Barbara County

• Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company in Buellton ^[23]
• Firestone Walker Brewing Company in Buellton

Santa Clara County

• Gordon Biersch Brewing Company in San Jose
• Mayfield Brewery (opened 1868, closed 1920)

Siskiyou County

• Mt. Shasta Brewing Company in Weed

Solano County

• Anheuser-Busch InBev brewery in Fairfield ^[24]

Sonoma County

• Bear Republic Brewing Company in Healdsburg ^[15]
• Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma
• Moonlight Brewing Company in Santa Rosa
• New Albion Brewing Company in Sonoma (opened 1976, closed 1982)
• Russian River Brewing Company in Santa Rosa ^[15]
• Third Street Aleworks in Santa Rosa

Stanislaus County

• St. Stan's Brewery in Modesto ^[25]

Yolo County

• Sudwerk Privatbrauerei Hubsch in Davis ^{[26] [27]}

See also

• Beer in the United States
• History of California wine
• List of breweries in the United States
• List of microbreweries

References

1. "The Economic Impact of the Beer Industry—State Legislative & Congressional District Data, California". The Beer Institute. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
2. "The Economic Impact of the Beer Industry--2012 Data, California". The Beer Institute. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
3. "Capita per Brewery" (PDF). Brewers Association. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
4. "Brewers Association Announces 2013 Craft Brewer Growth". March 13, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
5. "Beer Serves America". The Beer Institute. Archived from the original on February 3, 2014. Retrieved May 14, 2014.
6. Lucchesi, Paolo (June 8, 2015). "Craft brewer 21st Amendment crosses bay in thirst for expansion". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved July 5, 2015.
7. Williams, Kate (July 21, 2015). "Berkeley's Pyramid Alehouse Abruptly Closes". Berkeleyside. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
8. Somerville, Heather (January 2, 2014). "Berkeley's The Rare Barrel finds sweet spot with sour brews". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved February 10, 2014.
9. "Craft beer boom continues with new Bay Area breweries". The Mercury News. July 29, 2016. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
10. "Six Female-Owned Breweries In Honor of Int'l Women's Day". Brooklyn Brew Shop. March 8, 2012. Archived from the original on January 18, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
11. Brooks, Jay R. (August 1, 2013). California Breweries North. Stackpole Books. ISBN   978-0-8117-1158-6.
12. "Beer news: Lagunitas to open colossal brewery in Azusa". Los Angeles Times. June 30, 2015. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved March 20, 2017.
13. "Brewing Locations". MillerCoors. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
14. Anderson, Glenda (May 23, 2010). "Buyer assures little will change at Boonville's 23-year-old Anderson Valley Brewery". The Press Democrat . Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2016.
15. O'Rourke, Tim (November 20, 2013). "Your guide to Northern California Craft Beer Country". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
16. Lander, Jess (January 2019). "Stone Brewing and More: Best Napa Breweries to Visit Right Now". Sonoma Magazine. Santa Rosa, CA. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
17. DeBenedetti, Christian (December 2010). "California's Great Craft Beers". Departures .
18. Tarquinio, J. Alex (November 25, 2009). "Beer Connoisseurs Defy Hurdles To Start Breweries". The New York Times .
19. cite news |url=https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/beer/article231742658.html
20. Hernández, Brandon (Summer 2010). "Blind Pig Brewing Closes". The Beer Connoisseur. Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
21. "San Francisco's Hidden Spaces". 7x7 Bay Area. June 1, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
22. "The History of Rainier Beer - part 2". Brewery Gems. 2010. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
23. "Figueroa Mountain Medals at GABF". brewbound.com. Bevnet. September 28, 2015. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
24. Eskenazi, Joe (January 28, 2015). "Green Beer: With a Wind-Powered Brewery and Local Distribution, Will Budweiser Become Hippies' Brew of Choice?". SF Weekly. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
25. Rowland, Marijke (July 8, 2017). "You're about to be able to pour yourself a St. Stan's brew again, hallelujah". Modesto Bee. Modesto, CA. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
26. Weitzel, Wendy (August 18, 2013). "Sudwerk's next generation: So much brewing in Davis". Davis Enterprise .
27. Robertson, Blair Anthony (May 18, 2014). "Davis-brewery Sudwerk thirsty to redefine itself and its craft lagers". The Sacramento Bee .

Further reading

• Brooks, Jay R. (December 16, 2013). "Brooks on Beer: 23 new NorCal breweries this year". San Jose Mercury News . Retrieved January 31, 2014.
• Levin, Sam (September 5, 2013). "California Beer Bill Would Permit Growler Refills at Breweries". East Bay Express . Retrieved January 31, 2014.

External links

• Media related to Breweries in California at Wikimedia Commons
• California breweries directory at RateBeer.com