History of Jack McAuliffe and New Albion Brewing

Early Life

John R. “Jack” McAuliffe was born on May 11, 1945, in Caracas, Venezuela, to John McAuliffe, a translator of German documents for the FBI during World War II, and his wife. The family moved frequently due to his father’s career with the U.S. Department of State, living in Honduras, Colombia, and eventually Fairfax, Virginia, where Jack spent much of his childhood. As a teenager, he developed an interest in welding, volunteering with a local welder, which honed his mechanical skills—skills that would later prove instrumental in building his brewery.

Founding New Albion Brewing Company

In 1975, Jack McAuliffe found a suitable rental property—a former agricultural warehouse outside Sonoma, California—and quit his engineering job to pursue his dream. With approximately $5,000 and the help of business partners Suzy Stern (née Suzanne Denison) and Jane Zimmerman, who each contributed $1,500, he founded the New Albion Brewing Company in October 1976. The name “New Albion” paid homage to Sir Francis Drake’s term for the San Francisco Bay Area and a historic San Francisco brewery, Albion Brewery. McAuliffe, Stern, and Zimmerman worked together to transform the warehouse into a functional brewery, with McAuliffe designing and building much of the equipment himself.

Using salvaged materials, including 55-gallon Coca-Cola syrup drums, a World War II-era bottle washer, and a 1910 semi-automatic labeler, McAuliffe constructed a gravity-fed, 7.5-barrel brewing system. The brewery produced three core beers: a pale ale, a porter, and a stout, all bottle-conditioned for five weeks rather than pasteurized, a technique that preserved flavor and set them apart from mass-market beers. The pale ale, brewed with American Cascade hops and a two-row malt blend, was particularly innovative, introducing bright, citrusy flavors that became a hallmark of American craft beer.

New Albion brewed its first batch in 1977, becoming the first modern microbrewery in the United States since Prohibition. Despite its small scale—producing about 450 barrels annually at its peak—the brewery quickly gained attention. Publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Brewers Digest visited, spreading word of McAuliffe’s pioneering efforts. Local Sonoma restaurants embraced the beers, and the brewery’s reputation grew among beer enthusiasts.

Challenges and Closure

Despite its critical success, New Albion faced significant challenges. The craft beer market was virtually nonexistent in the late 1970s, and McAuliffe struggled with a lack of small-scale brewing equipment, limited financing, and resistance from retailers and distributors accustomed to mass-produced lagers. Consumers often found the robust flavors of New Albion’s beers unfamiliar. The brewery’s small size and inability to scale production hindered profitability.

McAuliffe sought to expand and open a brewpub, which required navigating restrictive California laws that prohibited on-premises alcohol sales. Alongside Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing, he lobbied California assemblyman Tom Bates, contributing to the passage of Assembly Bill 3610 in 1983, which legalized brewpubs. However, New Albion’s financial struggles proved insurmountable. In November 1982, after six years, the brewery brewed its final batch and closed, leaving Jack McAuliffe and his partners, particularly Stern, in debt.

Post-New Albion and Retreat from Brewing

Disheartened by New Albion’s failure, McAuliffe left the brewing industry, taking a job at Mendocino Brewing Company (formerly Hopland Brewery) briefly before returning to engineering. He moved to Las Vegas and later San Antonio, Texas, living a low-profile life and avoiding the burgeoning craft beer scene. For years, he remained an elusive figure, known to many in the industry only through legend.

Meanwhile, New Albion’s legacy grew. The brewery’s equipment was acquired by Mendocino Brewing, and former employee Don Barkley became its head brewer. McAuliffe’s innovative use of Cascade hops and his blueprint for small-scale brewing inspired a generation of brewers, including Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams), Gordon Bowker of Redhook Ale Brewery, and homebrewer Charlie Papazian, founder of the Brewers Association.

Revival and Recognition

In 2005, historian Maureen Ogle tracked down McAuliffe for her book Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer, bringing renewed attention to his contributions. In 2010, Sierra Nevada invited McAuliffe to collaborate on “Jack & Ken’s Ale,” a barleywine commemorating the brewery’s 30th anniversary, marking his tentative return to the industry. In 2011, he attended the Craft Brewers Conference in San Francisco, receiving a standing ovation and reconnecting with the community he had inspired.

In 2012, Jim Koch, who had acquired the New Albion trademark in the 1990s to protect it, proposed reviving New Albion Ale. McAuliffe traveled to Boston to brew the original recipe, using the same yeast strain preserved at the University of California, Davis, since 1977. The beer, a deep golden pale ale with Cascade hops, was released in 2013 by Boston Beer Company, with all profits donated to McAuliffe. The revival was a success, reintroducing New Albion to a new generation and cementing McAuliffe’s legacy.

McAuliffe transferred the New Albion trademark to his daughter, Renee M. DeLuca, who learned of her father’s identity in 2000. DeLuca, based in Cleveland, Ohio, relaunched New Albion, partnering with BrewDog USA to produce beers, including a non-alcoholic stout and a traditional pale ale. In 2014, she launched a crowdfunding campaign to continue production, offering rewards like New Albion merchandise and a chance to meet McAuliffe.

Impact on the Craft Beer Industry

Jack McAuliffe’s New Albion Brewing Company is widely regarded as the catalyst for the American craft beer revolution. Despite its short lifespan, the brewery demonstrated that small-scale, flavor-driven brewing was viable, challenging the dominance of macrobreweries. McAuliffe’s innovations, particularly his use of Cascade hops, defined the American pale ale and influenced the development of India pale ales (IPAs), now staples of craft brewing.

New Albion’s influence is evident in the success of breweries like Sierra Nevada, Samuel Adams, and Redhook, whose founders cite McAuliffe as an inspiration. The brewery’s model of using repurposed equipment and local ingredients became a blueprint for countless microbreweries. By 1980, there were only eight craft breweries in the U.S.; by 1994, there were 537, and by 2012, nearly 2,000, a growth trajectory sparked by New Albion.

McAuliffe’s advocacy for brewpub legislation also had lasting impact, enabling small breweries to sell directly to consumers and fostering the growth of tasting rooms and brewpubs. His emphasis on quality, craftsmanship, and innovation set a standard for the industry, earning him the title “the father of craft beer.”

Later Life and Legacy

As of 2025, McAuliffe, now 80, lives in retirement in Northwest Arkansas. He occasionally participates in brewing events, such as the 2012 Great American Beer Festival, where New Albion Ale was showcased. His contributions have been recognized with awards, including induction into the California Beer Hall of Fame alongside Fritz Maytag. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has collected artifacts from New Albion, preserving McAuliffe’s legacy for future generations.

New Albion remains a symbol of the craft beer movement’s origins, with its signage displayed at Russian River Brewing Company and its recipes inspiring modern brewers. The Jack McAuliffe’s story is one of resilience, innovation, and quiet influence, transforming American beer culture and leaving an indelible mark on an industry that continues to thrive.

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