NorthBay biz September 2019

The number of breweries that opened in the U.S. in the past 20 years has skyrocketed as the popularity of craft beer has grown. As 0f 2018 therefore were 7,450, and another 2,500 are expected to open in the next two years. Before the National Prohibition Act of 1919, breweries dotted the landscape, but the tradition of making speciality beers faded and verged on extinction. Today, there’s a renaissance, and it began in Sonoma.

In 1976, Jack McAuliffe started New Albion Brewing Co. on the outskirts of town. Six years later the brewery closed for lack of funding. Ahead of his time, McAuliffe is known as the father of craft beer in the U.S. He influenced many of the beer-brewing pioneers that followed, particularly those in Northern California. READ MORE.