# Damian Fagan

> Damian Fagan is the co-founder, owner, and CEO of Almanac, the Bay Area beverage and hospitality company he started with Jesse Friedman after the pair met in a homebrewing club. Trained in design, Fagan helped turn an idea about treating beer like seasonal food into a farm-to-barrel brand, then guided Almanac through contract brewing, its own Alameda production home, pandemic-era direct sales, and a broader identity built around family-friendly gathering places. Its current venues include Alameda Adventureland and the West Oakland Clubhouse, while a 2026 partnership with Aircapture introduced beer carbonated with carbon dioxide captured directly from ambient air.

- **Role:** Founder, owner, and CEO at Almanac Beer Company
- **Organizations:** Almanac Beer Company, CURIO Modern, Fagan Welles
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Graphic design studies, College for Creative Studies, Electrical engineering studies, Michigan State University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Almanac and developed it from a contract-brewed seasonal beer project into an independent Alameda brewery and hospitality business., Established a 30,000-square-foot production and gathering space at the former Alameda Naval Air Station., Helped build Almanac’s early farm-to-barrel identity around ingredients sourced from California farms.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2010** — Worked as a professional graphic designer and developed commercially polished labels for his homebrews.
- **2010** — Co-founded Almanac with Jesse Friedman after meeting through a San Francisco homebrewing club.
- **2011** — Almanac formally launched with Summer 2010 Blackberry Ale; the founders hand-sold an initial run of roughly 300 cases around the Bay Area.
- **2013** — Fagan and Friedman left their day jobs as Almanac grew from a hobby into a full-time business.
- **2017** — Almanac opened a Mission District taproom in San Francisco.
- **2018** — Almanac opened its 30,000-square-foot brewery and taproom at Alameda Point, giving the company its own production home.
- **2020** — After pandemic restrictions closed the taproom, Almanac launched a direct-to-consumer online store within 72 hours and expanded contactless pickup and canned beer sales.
- **2024-2025** — Reframed the Alameda site as Almanac Adventureland, emphasizing family activities, events, food, and community gathering alongside beverages.
- **2025** — Opened the West Oakland Clubhouse at Prescott Market, Almanac’s second East Bay gathering place.
- **2026** — Almanac and Aircapture launched beer carbonated with carbon dioxide captured directly from ambient air.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Almanac and developed it from a contract-brewed seasonal beer project into an independent Alameda brewery and hospitality business.
- Established a 30,000-square-foot production and gathering space at the former Alameda Naval Air Station.
- Helped build Almanac’s early farm-to-barrel identity around ingredients sourced from California farms.
- Led a pandemic-era shift to direct-to-consumer sales, including an online store launched within 72 hours of the first closure order.
- Expanded Almanac to a second East Bay venue, the West Oakland Clubhouse at Prescott Market.
- Partnered with Aircapture on a commercial system that uses carbon dioxide captured from ambient air to carbonate beer.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Fagan discussed Almanac’s Aircapture system, which captures ambient carbon dioxide for beer carbonation; the company said 20 percent of its beer used the system and targeted 100 percent by year-end.
- **2026-03** — Aircapture and Almanac announced their commercial direct-air-capture carbonation partnership.
- **2025-05** — Fagan detailed Almanac’s shift toward family-friendly community gathering spaces and said he hoped to expand to six or seven outposts.
- **2025-05** — Almanac’s West Oakland Clubhouse opened at Prescott Market, featuring indoor space and a 300-person beer garden.

## Links

- Website: https://www.almanacbeer.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/damian-fagan-9a40556
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/almanacbeer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/almanacbeer/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/almanacbeer

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/damian-fagan
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-18