San Rafael Brewery
San Rafael, California, USA · Est. 1871
Tally's Take
Why this matters
California Pass 187. Marin historical sources document San Rafael Brewery in the late 19th/early 20th century; a 1907 Marin County Tocsin ad in the Marin History Museum collection advertises its Perfect Steam Beer. Historical accounts place founding around 1871 and brewing ended with Prohibition in 1920.
The Beer Library
Beers
Perfect Steam Beer
Year-RoundSteam Beer / California Common
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://marinhistory.org/blog/post-34/. Marin History Museum reproduces a 1907 Marin County Tocsin advertisement for San Rafael Brewery's Perfect Steam Beer.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://marinhistory.org/blog/post-34/ 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 San Rafael Brewery
- Is San Rafael Brewery still open?
- No. San Rafael Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. Marin historical sources document San Rafael Brewery in the late 19th/early 20th century; a 1907 Marin County Tocsin ad in the Marin History Museum collection advertises its Perfect Steam Beer. Historical accounts place founding around 1871 and brewing ended with Prohibition in 1920.
- When was San Rafael Brewery founded?
- San Rafael Brewery was founded in 1871 in San Rafael, California, USA.
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