Humboldt Brewery
Eureka, California, USA · Est. 1854
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. Humboldt County Historical Society research identifies Daniel F. Gilbert's Humboldt Brewery as established in Eureka in fall 1854, with a September Humboldt Times advertisement announcing lager, ale and porter. The brand passed through multiple owners and brewery sites over the next five decades. Primary Humboldt County recorded bills of sale independently document a Humboldt Brewery at Wabash Avenue and G Street in 1886. In 1904 John Haltinner and Axel Johnson sold the Humboldt brand, which was renamed Humboldt Brewing Company; the older Humboldt Brewery lineage is therefore ended at the brand/business transition rather than merged into the later Broadway industrial plant.
The Beer Library
Beers
Lager
Year-RoundLager
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/aug/3/humboldt-history/. Humboldt County Historical Society research cites a September 1854 Humboldt Times advertisement announcing lager production at Daniel F. Gilbert's Humboldt Brewery. No formal brand name or ABV is stated.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Ale
Year-RoundAle
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/aug/3/humboldt-history/. The same September 1854 historical advertisement is reported as offering ale from Humboldt Brewery. No formal brand name or ABV is stated.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Porter
Year-RoundPorter
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/aug/3/humboldt-history/. The same September 1854 historical advertisement is reported as offering porter from Humboldt Brewery. No formal brand name or ABV is stated.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/aug/3/humboldt-history/ 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
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 Humboldt Brewery
- Who owns Humboldt Brewery?
- Humboldt Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Eureka, California, USA.
- Is Humboldt Brewery independent?
- Yes. Humboldt Brewery is recorded as independent, with no parent company. Independence is recorded as the brewery states it; where a stake is a minority holding or joint venture, this archive leaves it unmapped rather than calling it ownership.
- Is Humboldt Brewery still open?
- No. Humboldt Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. Humboldt County Historical Society research identifies Daniel F. Gilbert's Humboldt Brewery as established in Eureka in fall 1854, with a September Humboldt Times advertisement announcing lager, ale and porter. The brand passed through multiple owners and brewery sites over the next five decades. Primary Humboldt County recorded bills of sale independently document a Humboldt Brewery at Wabash Avenue and G Street in 1886. In 1904 John Haltinner and Axel Johnson sold the Humboldt brand, which was renamed Humboldt Brewing Company; the older Humboldt Brewery lineage is therefore ended at the brand/business transition rather than merged into the later Broadway industrial plant.
- When was Humboldt Brewery founded?
- Humboldt Brewery was founded in 1854 in Eureka, California, USA.
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