Weiss' Brewery
Nevada City, California, USA · Est. 1861
Tally's Take
Why this matters
An 1861 notice in the Nevada Democrat names 'Weiss' Brewery' in Nevada City, and Nevada County historical material places Emile Weiss's brewery on the Grass Valley Turnpike, producing around 150 gallons of lager a day from April to September. That seasonal window is the whole story of brewing lager before refrigeration: you made it while it was cold enough and stopped when it wasn't. Federal brewer returns record Weiss at 385 barrels in 1878 and 422 in 1879 — second largest of the town's five. Founding and closing years are both unresolved and left that way.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1861Named in the Nevada Democrat
The earliest explicit reference; the founding year is not established.
- 1878385 barrels
Federal brewer returns for Emile Weiss.
- 1879422 barrels
Second largest of Nevada City's five breweries.
The Beer Library
Beers
Lager Beer
Year-RoundLager
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://archive.nevadacountyhistory.org/search/?Id=8796&PageNum=203. Nevada County historical text says Emile Weiss's brewery manufactured about 150 gallons of lager beer daily from April to September.
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Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=NDN18610423.2.12.1 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 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in California Pass 187: 1861, 1878, 1879.
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 Weiss' Brewery
- Is Weiss' Brewery still open?
- No. Weiss' Brewery has closed. California Pass 187. An 1861 Nevada Democrat notice explicitly refers to 'Weiss' Brewery' in Nevada City. Nevada County historical material later identifies Emile Weiss's brewery on the Grass Valley Turnpike and says it produced about 150 gallons of lager beer daily from April to September; federal brewer returns record Emile Weiss with 385 barrels in 1878 and 422 in 1879. Exact founding and closure years remain held.
- When was Weiss' Brewery founded?
- Weiss' Brewery was founded in 1861 in Nevada City, California, USA.
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