Triple Rock Background Information
Triple Rock Brewery photos over the years: https://www.triplerock.com/photos
Industry and local people who may be available for comment
(Please contact john@triplerock.com for their contact info)
· Shaun O’Sullivan (Former Triple Rock Brewer and Founder & Brewmaster of 21st Amendment Brewery)
· Teri Fahrendorf (Former Triple Rock Brewmaster, founder of the Pink Boots Society)
· Christian Kazakoff (Former Triple Rock Brewmaster and present Canyon Club Brewmaster)
· Tom McCormick (Former Executive Director of the California Craft Brewers Association
· Adam Lamoreaux (Founder Linden Street Brewery & Old Kan Brewery)
· Jim Woods (Founder of Woods Beer & Wine)
· Collin McDonnell (Founder of HenHouse Brewing Co.)
· John Caner (Just retired Executive Director of the Downtown Berkeley Association)
· Judy Ashworth (Former Publican of the Lyons Brewery Depot in Sunol &/Dublin)
· Mark Silva (Founder of the realbeerpage.com and probrewer.com)
· Bill Owens (Founder of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery in Hayward, the 2nd brewpub in California)
Bios:
John Martin –
John Martin is one of America’s original craft brewers and a pioneer of the California craft beer movement. In 1986, at age 25, John and Reid Martin opened Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse, one of the first five brewery-pubs in the United States and the third established in California. They split their roles, with Reid being Triple Rock’s first Brewmaster, while John managed the pub and restaurant. Since then, John has continued to be a principal in Triple Rock while establishing several other craft beer businesses along the way, including Twenty Tank Brewery in San Francisco (1990–2000), Jupiter in Berkeley (1993–present), and the Bear’s Lair Pub at UC Berkeley (2001–2011).
In 2008, John and his partner, Roy Kirkorian, acquired Drake’s Brewing Company in San Leandro, which was founded in 1989 by one of Triple Rock’s original assistant brewers. Over the past 18 years, they have grown Drake’s from a small but respected local brewery into a regional craft beer favorite, with distribution throughout California and the West. They have also expanded the Drake’s brand with three additional brewery and restaurant destinations: Drake’s Barrel House in San Leandro (2011), Drake’s Dealership in Uptown Oakland (2015), and Drake’s: The Barn in West Sacramento (2018). In February 2026, Drake’s Brewing Co. and Figueroa Brewing Co. of Buellton announced a strategic joint venture for the production of their wholesale craft beer brands.
John has played an important role in shaping California’s craft brewing industry. In 1989, he was one of the founding members of the California Craft Brewers Association (CCBA), alongside Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing, Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and Michael Laybourn of Mendocino Brewing Co. He has remained actively involved with the association for more than 35 years, serving 20 years on the CCBA Board, and as the association’s longest-tenured President in the early 2000s.
John is a founding member of the Downtown Berkeley Association and recently completed nine years of service on the Board of the East Bay Regional Parks Foundation.
An East Bay native, born in Oakland, John’s roots in Oakland, Berkeley, and the greater Bay Area have remained central to his career. With four decades in the craft beer industry, he has not only built successful brewpubs and breweries, but also had a hand in creating the culture, community, and independent spirit that have come to define California craft beer.
Reid Martin –
Reid Martin is a third-generation Berkeleyan, entrepreneur and co-founder of Triple Rock Brewery & Alehouse. A 1979 graduate of UC Berkeley’s business school and an experienced homebrewer, Reid and his brother, John, were inspired to enter the brewpub business after visiting the newly opened Hopland Brewery in 1983.
To prepare for the venture, Reid expanded his brewing expertise through UC Davis Extension courses and worked with Michael Lewis, head of the UC Davis brewing program, to design Triple Rock’s brewery. When Triple Rock opened in 1986, Reid became its first brewer. He developed the brewpub’s three original beers, Pinnacle Pale Ale, Red Rock Ale and Black Rock Porter, and continued to focus primarily on the brewing side of the business.
In 1988, two years after Triple Rock opened, Reid expanded to Seattle and founded Big Time Brewery, the city’s first brewpub. He sold Big Time in 2014 and it remains in operation today.
Deeply connected to Berkeley and the Triple Rock community, Reid always thought Triple Rock would be part of his life forever. But as times and tastes have changed, he believes this is the right moment to step back and devote more time to personal projects and interests.