Archive record · Brewery
Mendocino Brewing Company
Ukiah / Hopland, California, California, USA
- Founded
- 1983
- Closed
- 2018
- Archive ID
- TB-RC1VEZXS
- Last checked
- Not yet checked
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From the record
Summary
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.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
The Beer Library
Beers
Red Tail Ale
Year-RoundAmber Ale
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
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
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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19Claim last checked 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 (2018). 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.
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