Meet the Makers

Beer and Cider · San Francisco, California

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers

A San Francisco craft beer original, home of Prohibition Ale and Big Daddy IPA.

Founded
1997
Founded by
Steve Bruce, Forest Gray
Based in
San Francisco, California

Making it since

1997

Their story

Speakeasy Ales & Lagers was founded in 1997 by Steve Bruce and Forest Gray in San Francisco's Hunters Point neighborhood. Its Prohibition-era theme and beers like Prohibition Ale, an amber that won gold at the 2013 Great American Beer Festival, and Big Daddy IPA made it a fixture of Bay Area bars.

After a costly 2015 expansion, the brewery stopped operations in March 2017 and went into receivership. A couple of months later it was bought by Ces Butner, a former Oakland beer distributor, who brought the brand back.

In 2023, Speakeasy merged with Fresno's Full Circle Brewing, forming what the companies describe as the largest Black-owned brewing company in the United States. Co-founder Steve Bruce stayed on to lead Bay Area sales.

How it's made

Speakeasy built its reputation on assertive, hop-forward ales alongside balanced classics like its amber Prohibition Ale and Metropolis lager. The beers were brewed for years at the company's Hunters Point brewery, which added a taproom in 2013. Since the 2023 merger, the Speakeasy brands share an operation with Full Circle Brewing.

I am excited for the passing of the baton to the next generation of Black entrepreneurs in the craft beer space.
Ces Butner, CEO, to Brewbound (2023)

Why we carry them

Big Daddy IPA is a piece of San Francisco beer history, and we are glad it is still pouring. Grab Prohibition Ale if you want something malty and smooth.

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