Who owns Petaluma Brewery?

Petaluma Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Petaluma, California, USA.

Is Petaluma Brewery independent?

Yes. Petaluma 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.

When was Petaluma Brewery founded?

Petaluma Brewery was founded in 1855 in Petaluma, California, USA.

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Archive record · Brewery

Petaluma Brewery

Name: Petaluma Brewery
Address: Petaluma, California, USA

Petaluma, California, California, USA

ClosedOwnership unknownMicrobrewery

Founded: 1855
Closed: Year unknown
Archive ID: TB-61ZFYX0N
Last checked: Not yet checked

Who owns this brewery?

Independent

Independent ownership is recorded. No parent company is held in the archive.

From the record

Summary

Petaluma Museum Association historical research identifies Petaluma Brewery as Sonoma County's first brewery, established in 1855 by Christlich and Erbe, and continuing to at least 1888 with J.H.L. Gerkins as final owner. Petaluma Historian independently identifies Fredrick Christlich as the 1855 founder and later Herman Schierhold as an operator. Exact closure date and complete site/ownership chronology remain UNKNOWN.

A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.

Show your working

Sources

recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://www.petalumamuseum.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Summer-Fall-2021-Newsletter-for-the-web.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 reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-19
Claim 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 Petaluma Brewery

Who owns Petaluma Brewery?: Petaluma Brewery is independently owned — there is no parent company above it on record. It is based in Petaluma, California, USA.
Is Petaluma Brewery independent?: Yes. Petaluma 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 Petaluma Brewery still open?: No. Petaluma Brewery has closed. The archive has not established the year it stopped. Petaluma Museum Association historical research identifies Petaluma Brewery as Sonoma County's first brewery, established in 1855 by Christlich and Erbe, and continuing to at least 1888 with J.H.L. Gerkins as final owner. Petaluma Historian independently identifies Fredrick Christlich as the 1855 founder and later Herman Schierhold as an operator. Exact closure date and complete site/ownership chronology remain UNKNOWN.
When was Petaluma Brewery founded?: Petaluma Brewery was founded in 1855 in Petaluma, California, USA.

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