Mojave Brewing Company Story

John “Griff” Griffith began his path toward opening his own brewery and cider house as a home brewer in 1992. Griff began to study the art of making beer better and better. Steps along that path included joining the local home brewers club, SNAFU, winning medals in home brewing contests, becoming a nationally recognized BJCP beer judge, and traveling to compete at The Great America Beer Festival as a Pro/AM entrant with Joseph James Brewery (2015). 

With a business plan and interested investors, Griff decided to focus on getting a feel for brewing on a 10-barrel brewing system. This was the system size that many craft brewers use, and it is the same size as the system that Griff and Mojave Brewing’s head brewer Andy Kohon now work on at Mojave Brewing. Griff heard from a friend that Joyride Brewing in Edgewater, Colorado, was looking for a motivated brewer and sent them some of his beer. After tasting Griff’s beer, they decided that he would make a great addition to their team. Within days, Griff was working alongside skilled brewers. This allowed him to improve as a brewer and get experience with the system that he knew he wanted to eventually use in his brewery. 

Griff and his wife, Kristi, decided to make Mojave Brewing Company a family-owned business in 2017. The decision to proceed without partners or investors meant more freedom to follow their dreams, but it also meant many more challenges. At this point, Mojave Brewing Company became a registered business in Nevada. 

After an exhaustive search around the Las Vegas Valley, Griff and Kristi signed a lease for a section of the old Bank of America building at 107 South Water Street in the Historic Water Street District of Henderson, Nevada. 

With the help of many dedicated people: employees, members of the founders club, friends and regular customers, Mojave Brewing Company has grown and prospered. Mojave Brewing still has it’s tasting room at 107 S. Water Street in the beautiful historic Water Street District, but you can also find Mojave beer and hard cider on tap and in cans at many of Southern Nevada’s restaurants, bars and grocery stores.