John Wolff Brewery
Howland Flat, California, USA
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. A searchable Sierra County history preserves a brewery advertisement headed by John Wolff as proprietor and states that he was manufacturing lager beer. Independent historical field documentation identifies the John Wolff & Son Brewery site in Howland Flat. This is treated as a distinct brewery operation from Frank Becker's Howland Flat Brewery because the proprietor/brand identity is separate and the source explicitly describes Wolff manufacturing beer. Exact opening, closure and succession dates remain UNKNOWN.
The Beer Library
Beers
Lager Beer
Year-RoundLager
California Pass 187. Aliases: John Wolf's Lager Beer. Search-indexed Sierra County history preserves John Wolff's advertisement stating he was manufacturing lager beer. American Heritage independently recounts John Wolf's lager beer being consumed at early Sierra snowshoe races. Exact ABV and recipe remain UNKNOWN.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://www.donquigley.net/documents/2403_REF.pdf 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 John Wolff Brewery
- Who owns John Wolff Brewery?
- John Wolff Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Howland Flat, California, USA.
- Is John Wolff Brewery independent?
- Yes. John Wolff 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 John Wolff Brewery still open?
- No. John Wolff Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. A searchable Sierra County history preserves a brewery advertisement headed by John Wolff as proprietor and states that he was manufacturing lager beer. Independent historical field documentation identifies the John Wolff & Son Brewery site in Howland Flat. This is treated as a distinct brewery operation from Frank Becker's Howland Flat Brewery because the proprietor/brand identity is separate and the source explicitly describes Wolff manufacturing beer. Exact opening, closure and succession dates remain UNKNOWN.
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