The Good Hop – Melissa Myers

#037 – Today we visit with Melissa Myers, the owner and operator of The Good Hop, a craft beer and bottle shop. The Good Hop features 16 California focused beers on draft and more than 450 beers from independent breweries. Melissa was a professional brewmaster in Philadelphia when she decided to move west.

“I wanted to get out here. California was the innovative area, was creating these styles, taking twists on styles.”

After working at a few breweries in the East Bay, Melisssa decided it was time to break out on her own. She pitched her idea to investors and lined up a very sizable amount of committed money, but it was 2008 and the economy crashed and every one of those investors filed for bankruptcy. She took this time to immerse herself in a business course – she knew how to brew, but knew nothing about business.

Over this time, the number of breweries exploded from 1,800 to 4,000 so Melissa changed course and decided to open the bar and bottle shop instead.

“so it was just super, super saturated. Maybe it wasn’t the best time to try and push that, to try and open a brewery. It’s still in my heart though. Now it’s my retirement plan.“

After 8 ½ years, the Good Hop has become a pillar of the East Bay craft beer community – she is very proud of her staff. She has become an integral part of the neighborhood, including engaging with the unhoused. Melissa loves being an Oakland based business.

“I love Oakland, I opened it here in Oakland because I love the soul of Oakland. It’s very different and diverse.“

Be sure to listen to until the end to hear her talk about the most popular type of beer purchased at the bottle shop.