Mendocino Brewery
Mendocino, California, USA · Est. 1867
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. Kelley House Museum research identifies Mendocino's first brewery as established in 1867 by Austrian immigrant Mathias Brinzing on the bluffs north of Mendocino. Museum research says it advertised beer by 1874, passed through Brinzing/Sarowski family ownership, and later saw Martin Brinzing return to brew there after the brewery had closed. A 2025 Kelley House brewing exhibit identifies Mendocino Brewery as one of four 19th-century coastal breweries and says local immigrant brewers produced lagers for hotels, saloons and lumber workers. Exact final closure and every ownership transition remain UNKNOWN.
The Beer Library
Beers
Lager
Year-RoundLager
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.kelleyhousemuseum.org/on-tap-at-the-kelley-house-the-history-of-brewing-on-the-mendocino-coast-by-robert-dominy/. Kelley House Museum's 2025 brewing-history exhibit says the 19th-century immigrant breweries on the Mendocino Coast exclusively brewed lagers. This row preserves the documented style for Mendocino Brewery without inventing a formal brand name or ABV.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://www.kelleyhousemuseum.org/scandals-brewing-by-kaylin-harr-kelley-house-museum-summer-intern/ 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 Mendocino Brewery
- Is Mendocino Brewery still open?
- No. Mendocino Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. Kelley House Museum research identifies Mendocino's first brewery as established in 1867 by Austrian immigrant Mathias Brinzing on the bluffs north of Mendocino. Museum research says it advertised beer by 1874, passed through Brinzing/Sarowski family ownership, and later saw Martin Brinzing return to brew there after the brewery had closed. A 2025 Kelley House brewing exhibit identifies Mendocino Brewery as one of four 19th-century coastal breweries and says local immigrant brewers produced lagers for hotels, saloons and lumber workers. Exact final closure and every ownership transition remain UNKNOWN.
- When was Mendocino Brewery founded?
- Mendocino Brewery was founded in 1867 in Mendocino, California, USA.
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