FORT POINT BEER CO.

It all started with two brothers - Justin and Tyler Catalan - who had a passion for homebrewing and big dreams. The two established a brewery and restaurant - Mill Valley Beerworks - in 2009 but it wasn’t enough. As such, the two founded Fort Point Beer Co in 2014, drawing inspiration from the iconic Fort Point National Historic Site located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Since then, their brewery has gone on to produce award-winning beers that proudly express elements of San Francisco while being extraordinarily tasty!

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Fort Point Beer Co was founded by two brothers, Justin and Tyler Catalana, who started homebrewing in their cosy hometown of Mill Valley, just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Back then, the brothers already had big dreams of opening their own brewery and restaurant, so they started making plans and working towards their goal.

Within a year, the Catalana brothers opened Mill Valley Beerworks, which quickly became a hit amongst locals and visitors alike. Eager for more, the two brothers decided to establish a second brewery, Fort Point Beer Company, hoping to make a mark on San Francisco’s craft brewing tradition.

The brewery’s name was inspired by the iconic Fort Point National Historic Site, which is located just down the street from the brewery. The original Fort Point was built in 1853, and has survived 2 wars and 5 major earthquakes. The Catalana brothers named their brewery after this historic site in hopes that it will be just as tenacious and that they will be able to brew their beers for just as long, if not longer.

Fort Point was born out of the brothers’ love for San Francisco, and was established to express their desire to make craft beer more accessible. In order to reflect the unique story of their beloved City by the Bay in their beers, Fort Point commissioned Manual Creative to create a visually rich brand identity and experience.

The result is a sleek but unique design that is based on the architectural features at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point Historic site. In addition, each beer brand has its own additional elements of city landmarks and Bay Area culture that locals can identify and relate to. From the parrots of Telegraph Hill and the Dutch windmills in Golden Gate Park, to the fog horns of the Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point’s packaging designs provide its own unique take on the beers’ names.

Thanks to its unique approach to beer packaging, Fort Point Beer Co started to gain attention and a small following. The demand for Fort Point’s beers gradually started to skyrocket, so the brewery had to expand its operations and in 2018, it grew to become San Francisco’s largest independent craft brewery!

Fort Point’s flagship beers

Fort Point’s first beer is the KSA - a light and crisp Kölsch-style ale that also happens to be the brewery’s bestseller. The KSA was inspired by Cologne’s classic Kölsch; it uses Munich and Vienna malts for a robust, rich grain flavour, as well as Saphir and Warrior hops to bring balance through a clear finish. The old-school Kölsch style, blended with bright new ingredients, creates a modern San Francisco classic.

Another popular brew of Fort Point is its Hazy India Pale Ale - Lobos. The hazy IPA was named in honour of Lobos Creek - a secluded source that supplies Fort Point’s Presidio brewery with fresh water. Lobos was created after going through 9 unique pilot batches of refinement, and the result is a wildly drinkable IPA with bursts of passionfruit and citrus flavours from the accompanying Strata, Simcoe, and Citra hops.

Fort Point Beer Co today and beyond

Throughout the years, Fort Point has brought home multiple awards, including a Gold medal at the World Beer Cup. Today, Fort Point has 3 locations: the Fort Point Valencia, the Fort Point Ferry Building, and the Presidio Pop Up. Each of its locations offers its visitors tasty Fort Point beers while enjoying the beautiful views of San Francisco Bay.

Since its founding, Fort Point Beer Co has gained much recognition from the locals, and also from craft beer lovers all around the world. Many love its award-winning beers and how the brewery attempts to encapsulate bits and pieces of the City by the Bay in its brews.