Mad River Brewing Company founder Bob Smith dreamed of opening a small brewery in Humboldt County, California, that would specialize in craft beers. During the late 1970’s, Bob was a member of the original “Humbrewers Guild” - a group of local Humboldt County home brewers, and he became acquainted with Ken Grossman who sold brewing supplies in Chico. Ken shared his plans of building a brewery called Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, and Bob was determined to open a similar company in Humboldt County. Years later in 1989, Sierra Nevada had outgrown its starting brewery, and with a larger facility under construction, sold their original equipment to Bob Smith. With a group of investors to help the brewery get started, Bob established the Mad River Brewing Company later that year.

The company released their flagship brew, Steelhead Extra Pale Ale in early 1991 and the response was remarkable, as the brewery sold twice as much beer as projected in its first full year. Demand has continued to increase and Mad River now features a number of award-winning ales renowned for their unique flavor profile and consistent quality.

Now into their third decade, Mad River still uses Sierra Nevada’s first brewing system and maintains their commitment to producing the finest ales, combining the most traditional brewing methods with an environmentally sound approach.