
Today is Fred Bowman’s 66th birthday. Fred co-founded the Portland Brewing Co., which was bought by a few years ago byPyramid Breweries, which in turn was bought by Magic Hat and now recently again by North American Breweries. Fred continues to be very active in the craft beer community, and has been supportive of the movement since the beginning. Join me in wishing Fred a happy birthday.

By the Celebrator booth at OBF, from left, John Harris (head brewer at Full Sail Brewing), Tom Dalldorf, and Fred.

Dick Cantwell, co-owner of Elysian Brewing Co. in Seattle, with Fred at an after party at the Falling Rock during GABF.

Today is also Pete Reid’s 47th birthday. Pete is the publisher of Modern Brewery Age. I first met Pete a number of years ago at a Craft Brewers Conference but finally got to no him better during a trip to Bavaria a few years ago, where the two of us took a side trip to Salzburg to visit the Austrian Trumer Brauerei. Join me in wishing Pete a very happy birthday.

At the Zotler Brauerei in Germany.

At the Bavarian Hop Museum, that’s Pete in the back row in the baseball cap.

Toasting with Horst Dornbusch at the Bamberg Brewing Museum.

Today is my friend Pete Slosberg’s 60th birthday. Pete is, of course, best known for Pete’s Wicked Ales. After that he toyed with the idea of making barbecue but decided instead to make some incredible chocolates and had a small company, Cocoa Pete’s. These days he’s doing a lot of traveling and just enjoying himself. I just got an e-mail from Pete yesterday from South America, where he’s speaking at some beer conferences in Argentina and Brazil. Oh, and he was recently a grandfather, too. Join me wishing Pete a very happy birthday!

This was taken the first time I met Pete, over ten years ago at the KQED Beer and Food Festival in San Francisco, when I was more or less still a civilian. It was after I’d written a book on beer, but before I started working as the beer buyer for BevMo.

Pete with his wife Amy and Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment, at one of Sean Paxton’s beer dinners during SF Beer Week earlier this year.

Working the bottling line at Russian River Brewing, with a bottle of Consecration.

Matt Bonney, from Brouwer’s, Stephen Beaumont, Sean Paxton, Pete and Rick Sellers, from Odonata at the Bistro Double IPA Festival.

Pete with his wife Amy and Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf at one of Bruce Paton’s beer dinners at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in February 2006.

Today is the birthday of Julie Radcliffe Atallah, co-owner of one of the nation’s premiere beer stores, Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville, North Carolina. We took a family vacation to Asheville last fall and got to know Julie and Jason. They were great hosts and terrific ambassadors for the beer in their community. Julie is also among the elite twitterati within the beer world online and writes the Bruisin’ Ales Blog. Plus, we’re both from Pennsylvania. Join me in wishing Julie a very happy birthday.

Julie and me showing off my gift of Pliny the Elder I brought when I was vacationing in Asheville last fall.

Julie and Sam Calagione.

Julie and her husband and business partner Jason at their wedding in 2000.

Last Halloween dressed as the beer Sexual Chocolate from Foothills Brewing.

Julie surrounded by an awful lot of hair at her high school graduation.

Julie at the prom!
Note: Many of these photos purloined from Facebook and other sources.