"We could probably outlast this downturn, but do we really have to?" That is how co-founder John Martin described the decision to Berkeleyside's Nosh. He and his brother Reid had been running Triple Rock Brewery and Alehouse at 1920 Shattuck Ave. since March 1986.
The brewpub has tied its closing date to the university. In its Sept. 17 press release, the brewery said it expects to stay open through the end of the Cal fall semester. Martin told Nosh the last pint will likely be poured sometime between the last day of the semester, Dec. 18, and the end of the year.
Downtown Berkeley's most famous bar is ending on the academic calendar. A whole storefront a short walk away is running as a six-month experiment. Most of the newest arrivals are small walk-in counters. If you live here and want to see this season through, you are working with several short timelines at once. The firm dates are better to plan around than the promised ones.
What the brothers are actually ending
The press release calls Triple Rock "the oldest continuously operating brewpub in the United States." It says the business opened on March 14, 1986, under the name Roaring Rock Brewery, when John and Reid were 25 and 28. According to Nosh, it could only open at all because California started allowing brewpubs in 1983. The bill that allowed them was sponsored by then-Assemblymember Tom Bates, who later became Berkeley's mayor.
The brewery says the city originally wanted the microbrewery in an industrial part of town, not the downtown business district. Forty years later, it counts 5,884 batches brewed, more than 41,000 barrels, and over 10 million pints poured on Shattuck.
Nosh reported that Martin pointed to price as one reason for closing. A smashburger is around $10. The "Chow and Brau" lunch special is $13.99 for a 20-ounce beer, a main dish and a side.
"Maintaining those prices is tougher and tougher, and we just don't want to price out our neighborhood and longtime clientele."
Those are Martin's words to Nosh. He described the economic downturn and rising costs as part of the decision but not the main reason. The brothers are in their mid-to-late 60s and looking toward retirement.
The weekly fixtures are the sure thing
The farewell plans get the attention: 1986 pricing with $1.75 pints, beers brought back from the archive, and alumni brewers returning to the kettles. Nosh named Shaun O'Sullivan of 21st Amendment Brewery, Rodger Davis of Faction Brewing and Christian Kazakoff of Canyon Club. As of mid-October, none of those events has a date. The October calendar on Triple Rock's site shows only the regular weekly lineup.
For now, the standing schedule is the reliable way to plan a visit. Every week on the October calendar has these:
- Wednesday, 8 to 10 p.m.: Geeks Who Drink trivia. Eight themed rounds for teams of up to six, with a Triple Rock gift card for the winners.
- Thursday, noon to 11 p.m.: Monkey Head Thursday. Monkey Head is an 8.5% ale served only on Thursdays. Ten punches on a Monkey Head card earn the shirt.
- Sunday, noon to 8 p.m.: Family Day. Dine-in customers get one free kid's meal per adult meal, for children 12 and under who are present.
The punch card is a small detail that matters this year. Ten Thursdays from Oct. 15 lands on Dec. 17, the day before the last day of the semester. Starting a card any later than mid-October risks running out of Thursdays before the shirt. The press release says "Monkey Head Nights will continue." Triple Rock has not published a schedule past October for trivia or Family Day.
The Martins have also opened a Memory Wall where customers, former employees and friends can post stories and photographs. In the release, John Martin described the coming months as a chance for reunion rather than "a prolonged goodbye." Brewmaster Jeff Kimpe, formerly of Pyramid Ales and Drake's Brewing, has run the beer board for more than 12 years. Whatever comes back from the archive will come through him.
Two dated events on the same blocks
Triple Rock's own farewell schedule is still loose, but two other downtown events already have firm dates. Both are a few blocks south of the brewpub's door.
- Friday, Oct. 30, 3 to 7 p.m.: the 7th annual Halloween Hootenanny at Downtown Berkeley BART Plaza. The Downtown Berkeley Association lists live music from Simonoto, a performance by the Barely Legal Rocky Horror Players, face painting, kids' crafts, local food vendors alongside the Farmers' Market, and a costume contest. The Hootenanny ends at 7, which leaves the rest of a Friday evening a short walk from 1920 Shattuck.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 5 to 8 p.m.: the Zero Empty Spaces grand opening at 2036 Shattuck Ave. The ribbon cutting is at 6 p.m. The event listing promises local artists and makers, curated installations, and locally made work for sale. In August, Berkeleyside reported the grand opening as slated for mid-October. The current listing has moved it to Nov. 7.
The other storefront on a short lease
The Zero Empty Spaces site is the clearest parallel to Triple Rock on the corridor. Berkeleyside reported that Half Price Books left the corner of Shattuck and Addison in November 2025 after 20 years. The bookstore described the move as a lease dispute with its landlord. It left an 8,000-square-foot space behind.
Zero Empty Spaces is a national company that turns vacant retail into temporary creative space. Berkeley is its first project in California. The former bookstore now holds 24 cubicle studios of 96 to 156 square feet, leased month to month at $4 per square foot. Most rent for $500 to $600 a month, and the company takes no cut of art sales. It is open to the public every day from noon to 5 p.m. The building's owner, Gordon Commercial Real Estate Services, offered the space at a discounted rate for an initial six-month run. The project is a partnership with the Downtown Berkeley Association, Visit Berkeley and the City's Office of Economic Development.
Artists began moving in around mid-August, so the discounted six-month period runs to roughly February. That is only weeks after Triple Rock's expected last pour. Neither Shattuck address has announced what comes after its current run.
The Martins own their building. Nosh reported they may lease or sell it, and that they hope a brewery, pub or restaurant takes it over to serve the community. John Martin isn't leaving downtown. He owns Jupiter, also in downtown Berkeley, and co-owns Drake's Brewing Co., which was founded by Roger Lind, one of Triple Rock's original brewers. Martin told Nosh that current Triple Rock employees will have places to land at Drake's and Jupiter.
What opened while the old guard planned its exit
The newest openings within a few blocks of 1920 Shattuck are mostly counter-service shops, according to Berkeleyside's openings roundups from July 21, Aug. 3, Sept. 16 and Sept. 22:
- Popbar, a global gelato-and-sorbetto popsicle chain, was open at 2125 University Ave. by late July.
- Palmetto Superfoods, a customizable frozen-bowl chain, soft-opened July 24 inside Anchor House at 2156 University Ave.
- Cold Stone Creamery opened at 1951 Shattuck Ave., Suite C, in the ACE Berkeley apartments. The franchise is co-owned by a Cal alumnus.
- Ceré Tea soft-opened by mid-September at 2106 Shattuck Ave., in the former Happy Lemon space. It serves matcha, hojicha, ube drinks and coffee.
- Top Dog opened at The BreakRoom, 2021 Shattuck Ave. at University.
Two downtown restaurants also closed in the same weeks. Berkeleyside reported in late September that Crepes A-Go-Go at 2055 Center St. had closed permanently. On Oct. 1 it reported that Alborz at 2175 Allston Way had closed its Berkeley branch, which first opened in 2020.
Put the dates side by side and the fall comes together as one route. Top Dog and Triple Rock sit a block apart on Shattuck, and the old Half Price Books corner at Addison is a short walk south. Trivia on a Wednesday, the Hootenanny on Oct. 30 and the art studios' ribbon cutting on Nov. 7 all fall within a short walk. They also fall well inside the window when Triple Rock is sure to be open. After Dec. 18, nothing is guaranteed at 1920 Shattuck.
The Martins have not yet announced dates for the throwback nights or the final pour. Expect them on Triple Rock's calendar and press page first.
Timing a sale works the same way, built around the dates that are already firm. At East Bay Home Transitions, we help Berkeley owners map a sale or a move against the calendar that actually governs it. Start Your Transition and request a free home valuation and renovation plan.
