Gordon Biersch

Gordon Biersch Brewery is an American brewery founded by Dan Gordon and Dean Biersch. Gordon, a graduate from the five-year brewing engineering program at Weihenstephan, Germany, and Biersch opened their first brewery restaurant in Palo Alto, California, in July 1988. In 1999, the restaurants were sold to what ultimately became CraftWorks Restaurants & Breweries.

In November 1995, the two founders and their original investors, wanting to expand their then $20 million business, accepted a $11.2 million investment from the Fertitta family of Las Vegas. Lorenzo Fertitta became the controlling owner. As of June 2014, Gordon Biersch brews beer for Costco and Trader Joe's under contract. The Gordon Biersch brewery and bottling plant is located in Japantown in San Jose, California. In 2016, Gordon Biersch released a dry-hopped red ale called "Chum," in honor of the San Jose Sharks.