Drake’s Brewing To Form West Coast Craft Joint Venture With Figueroa Mountain

February 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Drake’s Brewing of San Leandro, California, announced that they are partnering with Central Coast California brewery, Figueroa Mountain Brewing, which is headquartered in Buellton, to form a joint venture called “West Coast Craft” (WCC). Drake’s Brewing CEO John Martin and Figueroa Mountain Brewing CEO Jaime Dietenhofer are referring to the new entity as a strategic partnership and as a new beer and beverage collaboration. The “joint venture is designed to support long-term brand sustainability, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen independent craft beer across the state.” According to the Brewers Association definition and Circana data (which collects data on beer sales), the combined brands will establish WCC as one of the top three independent craft beer producers in California.

I spoke to Drake’s co-owner John Martin last night, and he emphasized this was a way to help both breweries do better in an increasingly challenging and difficult market. The two companies will remain independent but will share resources, brewing facilities, and their expertise and experience. Expect to see more Figueroa Mountain beer in the Bay Area and likewise be able to find more Drake’s and Bear Republic beer in Central and Southern California.

Here’s more from the press release:

“Establishing a strong and compelling brand partnership was important to both Jaime and me, so discerning the right fit to ensure quality, consistency, and the continued focus of serving our longstanding communities was critical in our decision to work together” said John Martin, Co-Owner and CEO of Drake’s Brewing Company. “Combining Drake’s strong distribution partners in Northern California with Figueroa Mountain’s reach in Southern California and the Central Coast made sense, with the added opportunity to grow each other’s brands outside of their original strongholds.”
Jaime Dietenhofer, CEO of Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, added, “beyond bringing together top-notch California regional brands, we were delighted to find immediate alignment on company culture, dedication to quality, and a shared approach to measured, deliberate brand growth. This partnership positions both companies for long-term success while staying true to what made us successful in the first place.”
Under the WCC partnership, all brands will remain independent when it comes to marketing, branding, and innovation. There is no change in ownership of Drake’s Brewing or Figueroa Mountain Brewing, and all beers will continue to be brewed to the same recipes, quality standards, and specifications consumers expect.
Leveraging efficiency and capacity, production will be shifted between breweries for best fit. Figueroa Mountain’s Buellton facility will handle most core brand production, while Drake’s San Leandro brewery will focus on innovation, including limited releases and alternative beverages, along with NorCal draft production and some contract brewing. All Drake’s & Figueroa Mountain retail locations and community-focused activities will remain unchanged and continue to be owned and managed by their respective breweries.
“Our brewing teams have worked closely together to ensure seamless continuity,” said Roy Kirkorian, Co-Owner of Drake’s Brewing Company. “This is an operational shift, not a brand shift. The beer in your glass remains the beer you love.”

The lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the trend of many people drinking less overall, have pushed a number of craft breweries to close recently. New data recently released indicates that for the second straight year, more breweries closed than opened across the U.S.

It’s great to see breweries getting creative and finding ways to keep making great beer.

About the two companies.

Drake’s Brewing originally was founded as Lind Brewing in 1989 by Roger Lind. He sold the brewery to a local coffee company in 1998 and they changed the name to Drake’s, which had been a name used for many of the beers. In 2008, John Martin and Roy Kirkorian bought the brewery. Martin, along with his brother Reid Martin, also started Triple Rock Brewery in Berkeley, one of the earliest brewpubs in the country when it opened in 1986. After taking the reins, Martin and Kirkorian opened Drake’s Barrel House in 2011, its brewery tasting room and a few years later, in 2016, opened Drake’s Dealership, a beer garden and restaurant in downtown Oakland at the site of a former Dodge automobile dealership. In 2018, they opened another satellite location in West Sacramento known as The Barn. In 2023, they also acquired Bear Republic Brewing.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing was founded in 2010 by father and son Jim and Jaime Dietenhofer in Buellton, California. Known for its award-winning beers, Figueroa Mountain brews true-to-style ales and lagers, with a portfolio that includes flagship beers Hoppy Poppy IPA, Lizard’s Mouth Imperial IPA, Point Conception IPA, and the Danish Red Lager. The brewery has won 35 GABF medals since they opened and holds the record with 15 consecutive years of winning a GABF medal. Figueroa Mountain currently has four locations, in Buellton, Santa Barbara, Los Olivos, and Westlake Village. Buellton is the home of their main manufacturing. Jim Dietenhofer passed away in 2019, and his son Jaime Dietenhofer continues to run the family-owned company as CEO.

Beer Birthday: Grant Johnston

February 19, 2026 By Jay Brooks 7 Comments

Today is the 72nd birthday of Grant Johnston. Grant was the original brewer at Marin Brewing when it opened in 1989, and spent a number of years at Black Diamond Brewing in Concord, California. Grant was very influential in the early days of Bay Area brewing, and he’s an incredibly talented brewer. A few years ago he moved to the midwest, and for a time he could be found working a few days a week at the Argus Brewery in Chicago. But more recently, he’s retired and happily making bread at home. A couple of years back, I was in Belgium at the Cantillon Brewery when in walked Grant, quite by chance, so you never know when you’re going to run into him. Join me in wishing Grant a very happy birthday.

First Beer In FV @ Marin Brewing 3:20:89 — Brendan Moylan and Grant shortly before Marin Brewing opened in 1989.

Wild Rice Ale @ Marin's 25th — Grant and Arne Johnston brewing his Wild Rice Ale for Marin’s 25th Anniversary.

bistro-judge-4 — Grant (on the right) judging the 2006 Double IPA Festival in the cellar of The Bistro, with Tom Dalldorf, Vicky, our hard-working beer steward in the middle, and the Toronado’s Dave Keene in profile on the left.

GABF Judges 1992 — Grant, bottom left, among the GABF judges for the 10th anniversary of the festival in 1992.

Beer Birthday: Brendan Moylan

February 16, 2026 By Jay Brooks 4 Comments

Today is Brendan Moylan’s 65th birthday. Brendan owns his eponymous Moylan’s Brewing and until very recently, Marin Brewing, which he closed a few years ago. He was a very active part of both the local and beer community, and each year used to put on the Breastfest to benefit breast cancer awareness. Join me in wishing Brendan a very happy birthday.

Brendan and in me in front of Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia during Philly Beer Week in 2010.

Brendan at the Falling Rock during GABF 2007.

Brendan and his wife at the Breastfest that Marin Brewing sponsors in 2010.

Beer Birthday: Bruce Joseph

February 13, 2026 By Jay Brooks 16 Comments

Bruce Joseph, who had been at Anchor Brewery for many, many years turns 70 today. There’s a big picture of him when he was very young in the stairwell at the brewery that I saw every time I was there. He’d been doing the distilling for Anchor’s whiskey and gin for a long while now and played bass with the Hysters (Anchor’s big band) and also used to be with the Rolling Boil Blues Band (the Celebrator beer band that was all industry musicians). When distilling and brewing operations split during the last change of ownership, Bruce remained with the distilling side, renamed Hotaling & Co. Distilling. As of today, he’s retired and will become “Master Distiller Emeritus and distillery consultant.” If there’s a nicer person in the beer industry, I’ve yet to meet him. Join me in wishing Bruce a very happy birthday.

A self-portrait of Bruce and me at the Anchor Christmas Party in 2006.

With Melissa Myers at the Falling Rock during GABF 2007.

The photo that used to be in Anchor’s stairwell.

On stage at the Northern California Rhythm & Blues Festival several years ago.

With Garrett Oliver at an industry event during GABF years ago.

Bistro Double IPA Winners 2026

February 7, 2026 By Jay Brooks Leave a Comment

Earlier today, the 26th annual, silver anniversary, Double IPA Festival was held at the Bistro in Hayward, California. I got there early for judging again this year, and spent the morning holed up in the basement, where we judged Double IPAs for most of the morning, before choosing our top three favorites.

In the cellar of The Bistro this morning.

It was a cool day in Hayward, with some warming help from the sun as the day wore on.

At 2:00 pm., owners Vic and Cynthia Kralj announced the winners:

Double IPAs

1st Place: Headway, by Moonraker Brewing, from Auburn, California.
2nd Place: Smokestack Lightning West, by Flatland Brewing, from Elk Grove, California
3rd Place: Hoptomic Demon Core, by Morgan Territory Brewing, in Tracy, California

People’s Choice Awards

Super Secret Sauce, by Shred Beer Co., from Rocklin, California.

Beer Birthday: Peter Catizone

February 3, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the 67th birthday of Peter Catizone, longtime brewmaster at Faultline Brewing, in Sunnyvale, California. He’s been brewing nearly thirty years in Silicon Valley. He started at Boulder Creek Brewing, where he brewed for ten years, before started at Faultline in 2003, over two decades ago. He’s been making great beer — nothing fancy — in traditional styles all that time, perfecting his craft, an unsung hero. More recently, he’s moved to brewing at Steel Bonnet Brewing in Scotts Valley. Join me in wishing Peter a very happy birthday.

Me and Peter during a visit. to the brewery in 2022.

Beer Birthday: Scott Ungermann

January 20, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today is the 60th birthday — The Big 6-O — of Scott Ungermann, who until a couple of years ago was the Production Director at Anchor Brewing. When I first met Scott, he was the Brewmaster at the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Fairfield, a position he held for almost six years, plus brewing stints at other AB facilities for over thirteen years. When I was working on my Northern California Breweries book, he gave me and my son Porter a great tour of the facility and I discovered we had several mutual friends since he was a 1995 graduate of U.C. Davis. Scott’s a very passionate brewer, and I was thrilled to run into him at the annual Anchor Christmas party a few years ago, discovering that he’d joined the team at Anchor. After Anchor, he struck out on his own to do a bit of freelance brewing, but since last year is back at his alma mater teaching brewery at UC Davis. Join me in wishing Scott a very happy birthday.

P1050830 — Scott showing my son Porter the brewhouse in Fairfield.

Scott-Ungermann — A promotional photo from Scott’s ABI days.

Scott being interviewed in 2010 for a segment on KCRA Channel 3 NBC television in Sacramento.

Beer Birthday: Fal Allen

January 2, 2026 By Jay Brooks

Today might be the birthday of Fal Allen. I say might, because he keeps telling me that he’s not exactly sure when his birthday is — apparently the result of having hippie parents — and he had kept changing it on his Facebook page, though now he’s removed it entirely. Fal returned to his goats and to Anderson Valley Brewing several years ago, having lived in Singapore for four years, where he built and ran a craft brewery for Archipelago Brewery, a division of Asia Pacific Breweries. He blogged about his exploits there on his Brewing in Singapore blog, but since returning stateside, he’s been blogging at The Goat Rodeo, and we were certainly happy to have him back stateside. But more recently, he’s moved back to his native Hawai’i and is brewing on Kauai at Napali Brewing Co. Join me today, tomorrow or perhaps the next day in wishing the ageless Fal a very happy birthday.

Fal and me in Chico a couple of years ago.

Fal showing oiff a new Anderson Valley beer, Kan Kicky Wheat, in 2015.

Also at OBF, with Daniel Bradford, then of All About Beer Magazine, and Dave Buehler from Elysian Brewing in Seattle.

With a bevy of brewers touring Stone Brewing during CBC in 2008, that’s Fal at the far right.

fal-al-5 — While still GM at Anderson Valley, launching Brother David at the Toronado in San Francisco. Clockwise from left: Fal, Mark Cabrera, David Gatlin, me and Dave Keene, the beer’s namesake and Toronado owner.

Fal-1 — Fal during a recent hop harvest. No wonder that batch of Anderson Valley tasted so “fal-ish.”

Beer Birthday: Daniel Del Grande

December 28, 2025 By Jay Brooks

bison
Today is the 57th birthday of Daniel Del Grande, former brewer and co-owner of Bison Brewing, which as far as I can tell is now closed. I’ve known Dan a lot of years, since shortly after he bought Berkeley’s Bison Brewery in 1997. He’d been leading the charge for organic beer and made some of the best organic beers anywhere. More recently he’s been working with Concept Clean Energy. He also teaches at the American Brewers Guild, and spoke at my SSU class, as well. Join me in wishing Dan a very happy birthday.

Dan Del Grande from Bison Brewing — Dan at the 99 Bottles of Beer Symposium at the Hearst Museum in 2009.

Sean Paxton & Daniel Del Grande — Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef, with Dan at Rodger Davis’ 40th birthday party.

George Allen, Dan Del Grande & Mark Cabrera from Bison Brewing — George Allen, Dan and Mark Cabrera at GABF 2009.

gabf06-thu-06 — Ralph Olson from HopUnion with Dan and Peter Hoey, when he was still with Bison Brewing, in 2006, the year Bison won a Gold medal for their Organic Farmhouse Ale.