Binkelmann Brewery
Grass Valley, California, USA · Est. 1856
Tally's Take
Why this matters
David Binkelmann entered a brewery partnership with John Frank and put up a small frame brewery on North Auburn Street in 1856, replaced by a brick one in 1861. The partnership then produced two breweries rather than one: Frank founded the Washington Brewery in 1858, and by the federal brewer returns of 1878–79 both men appear separately as Grass Valley brewers — listed there as 'D. Benkelman' and John Frank. The archive keeps each spelling as its own document gives it, because normalising one to the other would conceal that these are two sources. The chronology between the Grass Valley Brewery and Binkelmann trade names is unresolved.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1856Frame brewery on North Auburn Street
In partnership with John Frank.
- 1861Replaced by a brick brewery
Per historical marker research.
- 1878In the federal brewer returns
Listed as 'D. Benkelman', a Grass Valley brewer, in 1878–79.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=48718 for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's California master, Pass 187 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in California Pass 187: 1856, 1861, 1878.
Tally's California master, Pass 187 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Binkelmann Brewery
- Is Binkelmann Brewery still open?
- No. Binkelmann Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. Historical marker research says David Binkelmann entered a brewery partnership with John Frank, with a smaller frame brewery on North Auburn Street in 1856; a brick brewery replaced it in 1861. Federal brewer returns list D. Benkelman in Grass Valley in 1878-79. Exact trade-name chronology between Grass Valley Brewery and Binkelmann Brewery remains held.
- When was Binkelmann Brewery founded?
- Binkelmann Brewery was founded in 1856 in Grass Valley, California, USA.
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