Who owns HERETIC BEER?

HERETIC BEER is owned by

CALICRAFT BREWING CO

First Brewed

2011

Origin

California, United States

Heretic Brewing Company was created in 2011 by Jamil Zainasheff and Liz Zainasheff in Pittsburg, California. Jamil had been an avid homebrewer prior, having started the hobby in 1999 when a neighbor of his gave him a homebrew to sample. The brewery quickly gained a following among craft lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2013, the brewery outgrew its space, and the Zainasheff’s moved to a new facility in Fairfield, on which they had a 4 year lease. The city was chosen after Jamil reached out to several cities inquiring about moving there; Fairfield was one of the few that responded. In 2017, they expanded into spirits production as well, producing vodka, gin, moonshine, rum, and whisky.

In 2021, the Zainasheffs sold Heretic to Craft Beverage Cooperative, a subsidiary of Montage Partners, a private equity firm based out of Arizona, which also owns Moab Brewery out of Utah. According to Jamil, he had some health issues he was facing, and “it was a chance to move towards retirement.” Jamil Zainasheff stayed on as a consultant, but left the following year. He tweeted, ““The new owners of @HereticBrew have terminated my employment to ‘save money.’ I no longer have any involvement with what they produce or how the business is run.”

In 2024, Montage sold Heretic Brewing to Calicraft Brewing in nearby Walnut Creek.