Barbara Groom and the Rise of Lost Coast Brewery

In 1983, Barbara Groom was a successful pharmacist in her late 30s, feeling bored with her career. While driving through Mendocino County, she noticed a sign for a craft brewery in Hopland—a small, rural town—which piqued her curiosity. Groom didn’t expect much, thinking of breweries as large operations owned by big companies. Despite her skepticism, she stopped by Mendocino Brewing Co., the first brewpub in California licensed to sell its own craft beer brewed on-site.

Inside, she found people boiling wort, a sweet liquid starter for beer, in 55-gallon drums. This experience transformed her perspective and motivated her to leave her pharmacy career. Groom declared, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” Her passion for brewing had sparked a significant career change.

By 1990, Groom had opened Lost Coast Brewery in Humboldt County, becoming one of the country’s first female microbrewery owners. Her brewery gained national recognition, winning awards and earning her the nickname “craft beer’s original female gangster” by Hop Culture magazine. After thriving for 36 years, Groom has now put her business up for sale as she approaches her 80th birthday.

A Challenging Period for Craft Breweries

The craft beer industry experienced a boom during the 2010s but is now facing difficult times. According to the Brewers Association, closures have outpaced openings for two consecutive years due to increased production and labor costs, market saturation, and declining alcohol consumption among young people. In 2025, the number of craft breweries in California decreased from 987 to 939.

Groom anticipates a long wait for a buyer and hopes for someone younger and energetic to continue the Lost Coast Brewery legacy.

From Farm Girl to Brew Queen

Originally from Stockton, Groom was a versatile farm girl with dreams of becoming a snow skier. To fund her skiing ambitions, she sold Avon makeup door-to-door, despite not wearing it herself. Eventually, she abandoned skiing, finding it too frightening.

Groom practiced pharmacy for 20 years but felt unfulfilled, which led her to seek creative outlets. She purchased a blueberry farm in Oregon and constructed her cabin by hand, but found it too isolating. Exploring furniture making proved unprofitable. Her visit to the now-closed Hopland brewery inspired her to study brewing methods and equipment, using repurposed dairy equipment, and manage her finances over six years.

In Eureka’s foggy timber town, Groom acquired a century-old building previously used by Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization, and launched Lost Coast Brewery in 1990 with a female business partner.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

After a slow start with few visitors, Groom devised a strategy to entice patrons by offering free chicken wings. This marketing tactic successfully attracted customers to try her craft beer.

Now looking to sell the business, Groom is focused on travel photography, planning her trips to Iceland and Azerbaijan. She thrives on independence, never married, and pursues her interests despite occasional resistance.

Groom showed little concern about being one of the first female brewpub owners in the nation. In one instance, when purchasing brewing equipment, a plumbing supplier suggested sending her husband. Groom, proud of her independence, never married and managed everything herself.

As Groom reflected humorously, “A woman’s wort is never done,” directly referencing the pronunciation of wort as “wert.” Her philosophy centered on pursuing her ambitions regardless of societal expectations.