Hidden Splendor

03/06/2026

Why is our newsletter called the Wonder?

The answer begins more than a century ago with n Eastern European immigrant named Jacob Albert and a dry goods shop on Fourth Street in San Rafael.

Albert's shop was called The Wonder and he and his wife, Annie, lived above it. It became a local institution, affectionately referred to as "The People's Store" for its service to the community. As Albert's business grew, he eventually built the building across the street at 1132 4th St - the very space Hidden Splendor is now moving into to open its new brewery and pub, Excelsior.

That bit of local history inspired the name of our new newsletter, The Wonder, whose first issue went out today.

It tells the tale of Jacob Albert, the Wonder Store, and how his inspirational story connects directly to our new home.

Read all about it here: https://mailchi.mp/3a4e73811aac/the-wonder-begins?e=3caba0ae7c

02/28/2026

Hidden Splendor’s train rolls through in Oakland tonight. Here Comes Sunshine Kölsch is part of tonight’s showcase, showing off the delicate malt character present in one of our year round favorite styles of beer to brew (and drink). In this one, the soft, fresh breadcrumb and faint notes of honey of Admiral’s Pilsner malt really shine. It’s the perfect beer to kick off a night all about the foundational role malt plays in all beer. Plus: food specials made with Admiral Malt!

01/15/2026

How do you say farewell to someone who’s lived such a singular life, co-founding the Dead at 16 and keeping it rolling for the next 60 years?

“Rest in peace” doesn’t quite cut it because Bob Weir seemed constitutionally unable to rest—always moving, always searching, always pushing things forward.

For decades, he was the epitome of keep on keeping on. No reason for that to change now. Bob’s curiosity, resilience, humor, and his infamous need to get things “just exactly perfect” live on and continue to inspire. Ever upward! ⚡️

12/11/2025

What an awesome way to start a week! Thank you for including us among your 26 best new breweries of 2025. Pretty special group to be a part of. Grateful for everyone who’s been along for the ride so far (looking at you, early accounts and fellow beer collaborators). This little project is all about joy and connection. There’s so much more to come in 2026, and the next chapter, Excelsior Pub in San Rafael, is where it all comes together. Thanks for the love! 🍻

09/10/2025

Last Friday hit all the right notes:
🎶 First pour of Hidden Splendor at Fort Mason
🗣️ Storytelling & pints with at
🚚 Back to Fort Mason for the late-night load-out.
Long day, great beer, and even better company.

09/05/2025

Goin’ Home indeed! It’s good to back tonight . Come by tonight for the Off the Grid Night Market debut of Goin’ Home ESB and Just a Dream Extra Pale Ale!

08/20/2025

This beauty right here is Old is New, our recent English Best Bitter collab with using floor malted grain from (of course!). Tomorrow afternoon at we try it two ways: from a traditional cask hand-pulled through a beer engine and from a nitrogen faucet. Come join and tomorrow from 4 until 7-ish and taste the difference between these two special dispense methods, one of which inspired the other. Fortunately, it’s a delicious, easy drinking, sessionable beer and you’ll want at least two. Link in bio has more on this fun little exploration.

08/09/2025

07/22/2025

Hidden Splendor Batch #1 is in the tank! Big thanks to and entire crew for all of your hard work. And what do you think we brewed? It was hard to start this adventure any other way than with an ESB, harkening back to late October of 1997 when Magnolia's first batch was also an ESB (which soon became known as Blue Bell Bitter).

But this is 2025. We're not even in the same millennium anymore. So of course this one's brewed with locally grown, floor malted Gallagher's Best (with a welcome assist from some Thomas Fawcett specialty malts and Charles Faram hops (Challenger, Target and Kent Goldings), plus some English yeast to work its magic and tie it all together.

Release details and more beer info coming soon. And yes, there will be casks!

06/27/2025

How many of you have been to a malthouse? Tomorrow would be a good day to fix that! It’s the Malt is Admiral Maltings second annual celebration of all things malt and it takes place tomorrow at the malthouse in Alameda.

You’ll find a cask of Hidden Splendor’s collab with - Formless Reflections Dark Mild (also available in cans). Admiral malt will be the foundation of many a Hidden Splendor beer in the coming weeks, months and years. This award-winning malt checks all of the boxes—ultra fresh, super high quality, sustainably produced, and hyper local.

You’ll also find dozens of other carefully curated beers and whiskeys, all selected to help tell the story of malt’s central role in brewing and distilling. Panel discussions and a sensory demo cover every facet of grain’s journey from field to glass. Malt is the soul of beer and local malt makes truly local beer possible. Learn how!

Come out tomorrow, try some beer and whiskey, meet a bunch of passionate farmers, maltsters, brewers and distillers, see a working malthouse up close, and learn a thing or two about the ancient craft of malting.

It’s also a celebration of the 35th anniversary of the , one of the Bay Area’s most celebrated homebrew clubs. Look for a very special series of pro-am collabs between local breweries and BAM members, all brewed with Admiral malt, of course.

05/16/2025

Good times in Dogpatch yesterday! Always massive amounts of fun brewing with . Another collab in the tank. Stay tuned for where to drink the fruits of yesterday’s labor. Second best part of the day was the killer chicken parm hoagie at