One of America’s first brewpubs, Buffalo Bill’s in Hayward, is back in business
Said to be the godfather of pumpkin ale, the historic brewery has reopened with a Mexican twist.
When Buffalo Bill’s Brewery, one of America’s first brewpubs, announced its closure after nearly four decades in Hayward last year, there was much weeping into pumpkin ale.
The brewery had long been a popular gathering place for both beer enthusiasts and community members. It held a special place in the early history of craft brewing as the forefather of the country’s first commercially produced pumpkin beer. One of its tap handles is even kept at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
“It’s a tragedy, and we’re losing a Hayward symbol.” “It’s difficult to imagine how it will be replaced,” said the Hayward Chamber of Commerce’s then-president at the time.
People no longer have to imagine because Buffalo Bill’s Brewery has reopened in August. And new owner Alejandro Gamarra, who owns several Mexican restaurants in Hayward, intends to keep it mostly the same – though he does intend to spice up the beer selection.
“I’ve been doing business in Hayward since 1993 out of a taco truck,” Gamarra says, adding that he now owns four Metro Taqueros, The Mexican Restaurant & Bar, and Caso de Toro. “The reason I’m telling you this is because I’ve known Hayward for a long time.” And I knew Buffalo Bill’s as we all did: as a gathering place, a place where you brew local beers, the first brewpub in America, and, in my opinion, a place that carries the city’s identity.”
Buffalo Bill’s, like many other breweries and taprooms, was devastated by COVID. “We gave it our best shot, but in the end, if I did not close and sell the real estate, I would have had to declare bankruptcy and lose my home,” then-owner Geoff Harries told Patch.
“He put it up for sale, and we were all stunned when he did so,” Gamarra says. “I kept my eye on it and said that unless a big name like Fieldwork, Drake’s, or another brewery steps in, I’m going to make a bid to reopen it as Buffalo Bill’s, because it was so important to the city.”
Gamarra has rehired former brewmaster Mike Manty as well as former chef Hector Ortiz. “I did it in mafia fashion.” “Didn’t I make them offers they couldn’t refuse?” Gamarra cracks jokes.
For the time being, the food menu remains largely unchanged: “People come in with an emotional expectation. They want the same flavors – they want the burger with a pretzel bun and the pizza with a special dough we make here – and those things are crucial in convincing people that Buffalo Bill’s is back.”
The brewery will keep producing the beers that made it famous, such as Tasmanian Devil ale and Ricochet Red. However, it will also experiment with new styles, as “we’re stuck in the past,” according to Gamarra.
“There’s so much fun and exciting stuff going on in the craft-beer industry.” And the younger generations prefer different styles. For example, this establishment has never carried a hazy IPA. “How do you not carry a hazy IPA these days, and how do you not brew that in-house?”
Gamarra hopes to brew some Mexican-themed beer to complement his other restaurants. “Mexican-style lagers have a market, thanks to the evolution and consolidation of brands such as Modelo Especial, Pacifico, and even Negra Modelo.” And I believe that within the lagers, you can incorporate tamarindo, jamaica, and other culturally diverse flavors.”
“I want to start playing around with other brewmasters, bringing them to visit and make their own beer,” he says. “I’ve had a few people approach me and say, ‘I’d like to work in here and do something.'” ‘We’ll give you a chance – we can do a new style of beer, see what you’ve got, and if we find it interesting, we’ll put it in the rotating barrel,’ I say.”
To any beer historians who have been frantically waving their hands in the air for the last few minutes, Buffalo Bill’s claims to be “America’s First Brewpub,” but that title is up for grabs. When Gov. Jerry Brown signed an assembly bill in 1982, it was one of five brewpubs that became the first in the country. However, as Bay Area News Group beer columnist Jay R. Brooks has stated, Buffalo Bill’s was unquestionably “one of the earliest” and “helped put the Bay Area on the map.”
Buffalo Bill’s is open until 10:00 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday at 1082 B St., Hayward; buffalobillsbrewery.com; and @buffalobillshayward on Instagram.
