Petaluma Brewery
Petaluma, California, USA · Est. 1855
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. 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.
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 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 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. California Pass 187. 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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