Turlock’s Dust Bowl Brewing Company is set to celebrate its 15th Anniversary this month with a slate of promotions and events.
Established in May 2009 when it first brewed its flagship Hops of Wrath IPA, founder and owner Brett Tate reflected on his company eclipsing the decade and a half milestone.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve been at this for fifteen years,” Tate said. “So much has changed for our brewery as well as the Central Valley craft beer industry since we first started brewing in ’09. I was literally a door-to-door salesman visiting local bars, dropping off our bottled samples of Hops of Wrath IPA, trying to establish our brand and secure sales one tap at a time. It was a hard sell in the beginning. There was no craft beer scene in our area at the time, so introducing an IPA was challenging. Most local beer fans hadn’t started to explore hoppy beers or craft beer in general.”
In honor of the anniversary, Dust Bowl is releasing the Triple Dry Hopped Therapist, a limited-edition Imperial IPA with 10.4% ABV and 100+ IBUs. Anniversary Week will include daily taproom specials from May 13-16 all revolving around “15.” Festivities will wrap up with taproom parties, live music and giveaways at all taproom locations on May 16 kicking off at 5 p.m.
“We want to thank our hometown of Turlock, all the communities surrounding our taprooms and all the beer fans who purchase our products. Without you, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Come by and celebrate with us at your closest taproom on May 16th,” Tate added.
Dust Bowl’s first taproom opened in downtown Turlock in 2011, an event that business partner Brett Honore described as a “huge turning point.”
“We had 12 taps, so people started to understand that craft beer had so much more to offer than just IPAs. Craft beer really has something to offer every type of beer drinker. The taproom model allowed us to engage and educate the consumer, which is a mainstay in our business plan today,” Honore explained.
Fast-forward to 2024, Dust Bowl now produces 17 year-round styles and a limited series, along with endless draft options across their four taprooms. Its anchor taproom is in Turlock adjacent to the brewery, which opened in 2016 after outgrowing a small industrial space across town. The Monterey taproom opened in 2019, followed by Elk Grove in late 2021 and then Livermore in June 2023. Collectively the taprooms serve nearly one million people annually. They also distribute to wholesalers primarily in California, Northern Nevada, and parts of Arizona, Pennsylvania, Texas, Oklahoma and Vermont.
In 2022, Dust Bowl produced over 22,000 barrels of beer, ranking it among the top 2% of craft breweries in California (#16/258 breweries) and nationally (#123/7325). The company employs approximately 175 staff members across all taprooms, brewery, sales, marketing and administrative.
“I’m proud to have been part of this journey from the beginning,” said brewmaster Don Oliver. “It has been a blessing working for two families who truly care about both their employees and the products that they produce. They have allowed us to embrace our creativity.”
Those interested are encouraged to follow Dust Bowl on Instagram at @dustbowlbrewingco for additional information on upcoming anniversary festivities and promos.
