Description of Operations

6 Months Ended

Jun. 30, 2011

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Nature of Operations [Text Block]

1.           Description of Operations

Mendocino Brewing Company, Inc., ("the Company" or "MBC"), was formed in 1983 in California and has two operating subsidiaries: Releta Brewing Company, LLC, ("Releta"), and United Breweries International (UK) Limited ("UBIUK").  In the United States (“US”), MBC and its subsidiary, Releta, operate two breweries that produce beer for the specialty "craft" segment of the beer market.  The breweries are located in Ukiah, California and Saratoga Springs, New York.  The majority of sales for Mendocino Brewing Company in the US are in California.  The Company brews several brands, of which Red Tail Ale is the flagship brand.  In addition, the Company performs contract brewing for several other brands, and MBC holds the license to produce and distribute Kingfisher Lager Beer in the US and Canada. Generally, product shipments are made directly from the breweries to the wholesalers or distributors in accordance with state and local laws.

The Company's United Kingdom (“UK”) subsidiary, UBIUK, is a holding company for Kingfisher Beer Europe Limited, (“KBEL”) which was formerly known as UBSN Limited (“UBSN”). UBSN officially changed its name on March 30, 2011 to KBEL.  KBEL is a distributor of Kingfisher Lager Beer, in the UK and Europe.  The distributorship is located in Maidstone, Kent in the UK.

Seasonality

Sales of the Company’s products are somewhat seasonal and the volume of sales in any given area may be affected by local weather conditions. Historically, sales volumes in all geographic areas have been comparatively low during the first quarter of the calendar year in the US (the “Domestic Territory”) and outside the US, primarily in the UK and Ireland, continental Europe, and Canada (collectively, the "Foreign Territory"). Because of the seasonality of the business, results for any one quarter are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be achieved for the full fiscal year.