Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery
Susanville, California, USA · Est. 1864
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. Lassen County historian Tim Purdy states German immigrant Jacob 'Jake' Smith—whose surname was actually Schmitt—opened his first of several Susanville breweries in fall 1864 and opened another particular brewery on May 27, 1879. Asa Merrill Fairfield's 1916 Pioneer History of Lassen County independently records Jacob Smith's dwelling-house and brewery being destroyed in Susanville's March 17, 1865 fire. Pass 108 therefore preserves a distinct Smith/Schmitt brewer-brewery lineage beginning in 1864, but does not merge it into the later Frank Runge / Joachim Kroeger Susanville Brewery because no transfer or legal continuity has been proven. Final closure and the exact sequence of Smith's multiple brewery sites remain UNKNOWN.
Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://tipurdy.org/the-smith-brewery-opens-again/ 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 Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery
- Who owns Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery?
- Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Susanville, California, USA.
- Is Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery independent?
- Yes. Jacob Smith (Schmitt) 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 Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery still open?
- No. Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. Lassen County historian Tim Purdy states German immigrant Jacob 'Jake' Smith—whose surname was actually Schmitt—opened his first of several Susanville breweries in fall 1864 and opened another particular brewery on May 27, 1879. Asa Merrill Fairfield's 1916 Pioneer History of Lassen County independently records Jacob Smith's dwelling-house and brewery being destroyed in Susanville's March 17, 1865 fire. Pass 108 therefore preserves a distinct Smith/Schmitt brewer-brewery lineage beginning in 1864, but does not merge it into the later Frank Runge / Joachim Kroeger Susanville Brewery because no transfer or legal continuity has been proven. Final closure and the exact sequence of Smith's multiple brewery sites remain UNKNOWN.
- When was Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery founded?
- Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery was founded in 1864 in Susanville, California, USA.
Drinking Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Jacob Smith (Schmitt) Brewery, we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.