Mendocino Brewing Company
Ukiah / Hopland, California, USA · Est. 1983
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. Stanford documents the Hopland Brewery established by Mendocino Brewing in 1983 as California's first post-Prohibition brewpub. Production later moved/expanded to Ukiah and ceased in 2018. Preserve as historical entity distinct from later Red Tail brand revivals.
The Beer Library
Beers
Red Tail Ale
Year-RoundAmber Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: Red Tail Amber Ale. Company press release calls Red Tail an original California craft beer first brewed in 1983; contemporary Wired coverage gives 6.1% ABV.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Eye of the Hawk
Year-RoundStrong / Imperial Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: Eye of the Hawk Imperial Ale. Company press release confirms flagship name; contemporary Wired coverage gives 8% ABV and says it followed Red Tail.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Blue Heron Pale Ale
Year-RoundPale Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mendocino-brewing-company-launches-new-look-for-their-craft-beers-273921391.html. 2014 company release identifies Blue Heron Pale Ale as part of Mendocino Brewing's legendary product line; ABV left UNKNOWN from primary source.
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://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/case-studies/mendocino-brewing-company 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 Brewing Company
- Is Mendocino Brewing Company still open?
- No. Mendocino Brewing Company has closed. California Pass 187. Stanford documents the Hopland Brewery established by Mendocino Brewing in 1983 as California's first post-Prohibition brewpub. Production later moved/expanded to Ukiah and ceased in 2018. Preserve as historical entity distinct from later Red Tail brand revivals.
- When was Mendocino Brewing Company founded?
- Mendocino Brewing Company was founded in 1983 in Ukiah / Hopland, California, USA.
Drinking Mendocino Brewing Company? 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 Mendocino Brewing Company, 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.