Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

Socialize

Beer Birthday: Julian Shrago

By

beachwood-bbq

Today is the 48th birthday of Julian Shrago, former brewmaster at the Beachwood BBQ & Brewery in Long Beach, California. I can’t remember when I first ran into Julian, probably either one of the early Firestone Walker Invitational Festivals or possibly out at GABF, where in 2013, he won Mid-Size Brewpub of the Year and the following year, won big again as Large Brewpub of the Year. Julian is a great brewer and made his mark very quickly after turning pro in 2011. I visited the brewery a couple of years ago, and it really is one of the best. I’ve heard more recently that he may have moved to Urban Root with Peter Hoey, but I haven’t yet confirmed that. Join me in wishing Julian a very happy birthday.

Me and Julian during GABF judging a couple of years back.
My wife Sarah, Matt Brynildson and Julian at the Firestone Walker Invitational a few years ago.
Me, Terrence Sullivan (from Sierra Nevada) and Julian at Trumer for a CCBA evey during SF Beer Week in 2018.
Jamil-Julian-Mitch
Jamil Zainasheff, Julian and Mitch Steele in San Diego for the Stone/Heretic/Beachwood collaboration in 2014.
beachwood_russian_river
Beachwood BBQ chef Gabe Gordon, Natalie and Vinnie Cilurzo, and Julian at a beer dinner at Beachwood shortly after they added the brewery in 2011.
Julian_Shrago-Charlie-Papazian
Julian with Charlie Papazian at GABF in 2006.
Julian-sacto
With a group of ne’r-do-wells in Sacramento several summers ago.
Taking a group to the Riverside Grill Shack for the best frites in Nashville during CBC 2023.

[Note: Middle three photos purloined from Facebook.]

Beer Birthday: Patrick Rue

By

bruery
Today is the 45th birthday of Patrick Rue, founder of The Bruery in Orange County, California. I first became aware of Patrick when he started writing his blog about the travails of opening a brewery. We began corresponding, becoming friends and eventually meeting in person. I’ve since written several articles about Patrick and the Bruery as he’s become very successful in a very short period of time, and later sold the brewery. He and his family moved to Napa, where he’s opened a winery, Erosion, to which they’ve added a beer hall and started brewing, as well. More recently, he’s become a part owner of Moonlight Brewing. Join me in wishing Patrick a very happy birthday.

Me and Patrick at Moonlight a few summers back. 

Patrick with then assistant brewer Travis Smith (before he opened his own place, Societe Brewing) at GABF in 2009.
Tyler King, Rachel and Patrick Rue, shortly after they opened at the Boonville Beer Festival.
Patrick at the first Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival a few years ago.
Patrick-Rue-1
Rick Sellers, Peter Hoey, Patrick and Shaun O’Sullivan.

Beer Birthday: Dr. Bill

By

Today is also the 63rd birthday of William Sysak, better known to the beer community as Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill’s massive tastings are the stuff of legends, and he later transported them — albeit on a smaller scale — to working at Stone Brewing’s World Bistro & Gardens. He has impeccable taste, be it in beer, wine, whiskey, cigars, what have you, and is one of the most fun people to taste with. He was working with Stone Brewing for a time, but then started his own brewery, co-founding Wild Barrel Brewing, in San Marcos, California, which lasted for a number of years before closing in 2023. Join me in wishing Bill a very happy birthday.

Dr. Bill and me sharing a plate of frites before the final judging at the Hard Liver Barleywine Festival in 2008.
Dr. Bill with Matt Bonney, from Brouwer’s/Bottleworks in Seattle at Slow Food Nation 2008 at Fort Mason.
Dr. Bill at Falling Rock, hosting one of his legendary tastings, during GABF in 2006.
Me, Bill, Bonney and a few others at the Keene Tasting in Seattle in 2008.
dr-bill
Dr. Bill’s player’s card when he joined Stone Brewing.

Beer In Ads #5013: T. & A. Goux Bock

By

Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising.

Monday’s ad is for Bock Beer, though who’s bock is unclear, at least I can’t make it out. The ad was published on July 1, 1899 and was for T. & A. Goux Resale and Wholesale Liquor Dealers of Santa Barbara, California. They were a liquor dealer founded by Thomas and Augustin Goux, whose father had emigrated to the U.S. to work at the French Consulate in Los Angeles. They appear to have been in business from 1890 to 1905. This ad ran in The Independent, also of Santa Barbara, California.

Beer Birthday: Chris White

By

white-labs
Today is the 57th birthday of Chris White. Chris founded the yeast company White Labs in 1995 and he’s also on the faculty of the Siebel Institute. He’s also a fixture at virtually every brewing industry and homebrewing conference, and was kind enough to talk to my SSU beer appreciation class about yeast. Join me in wishing Chris a very happy birthday.

Chris and his brother Mike bookending Chuck, then from Green Flash Brewing, Natalie Cilurzo, from Russian River Brewing, John Harris, then from Full Sail Brewing, and Vinnie Cilurzo, also from Russian River, at CBC in Austin, Texas in 2007.
Chris at the new White Labs taproom during the 2012 Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego.
Me and Chris at CBC in Minneapolis in 2022.
chris-white-2
Surly brewer Todd Haug with Chris.
chris-white-1
Chris with Technical Sales and Marketing Coordinator Ashley Paulsworth at the NHC.

[Note: last two photos purloined from Facebook.]

Beer Birthday: Anat Baron

By

anat
Today is the birthday of filmmaker Anat Baron, whose Beer Wars movie started people writing and talking about the beer business, from all sorts of angles, over ten years ago, and while it’s slowed down, the discussion has yet to have completely gone away. Or as Alan from A Good Beer Blog puts it, “joined to the long-standing discussion about the beer business and added an interesting interpretation.” Love it or loathe it, it has certainly managed to capture people’s attention, and if that’s all it’s done, that’s still a huge positive to my way of thinking. But it’s also opened quite a few minds to what those of us who’ve been embedded in the beer business have known forever, which is how the business operates, where it’s fair and unfair, and what you can do as a consumer to support the beers and breweries you love. Join me in wishing Anat a very happy birthday.

anat-tall-glass
Anat behind the bar.

anat
Publicity photo for Beer Wars.

Beer Birthday: Meg Gill

By

ABI golden-road
Today is the birthday of Meg Gill, founder and owner, along with Tony Yanow, of Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles. Meg is also the former national sales manager for Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in San Francisco. When I first met Meg she was working for Oskar Blues, and later she organized the Opening Gala for SF Beer Week in years two and three, a Herculean undertaking. Golden Road made some waves a few years ago when they were acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and I haven’t seen her since she went over to the “winning team,” and alienated us losers. Although she did try to pretend it didn’t happen when Golden Road announced they were building a taproom in the Temescal area of Oakland and were met with some opposition. Ultimately, it was approved and they should be building a brewpub in the near future. Still, join me in wishing Meg a very happy birthday.

The Brewing Network's Justin Crossley interviewing Meg Gill from Speakeasy
Justin Crossley, from the Brewing Network, with Meg at the 22nd Celebrator Anniversary Party in 2010.

Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo and Meg Gill
Speakeasy owner Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo, from Blue Palms in L.A., and Meg at a Speakeasy Anniversary event several years ago.

P1020925
Faction’s (then Triple Rock’s) Rodger Davis, struggling to keep the sun out of his eyes, with Meg at the Sour Fest.

DSC_0458
Meg and me at SF Beer Week’s Opening Gala a few years ago. (Photo by Mike Condie.)

meg-and-dave
An older photo of Meg and Dave Hopwood, from Stone Brewing. (Photo purloined from Facebook.)

Beer Birthday: Erika Bolden

By

nagbw-circle
Today is the 31st birthday of Erika Bolden, who among much other beer writing in the Los Angeles area, is the Executive Director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers. She has the Herculean task of keeping the rest of us miscreants in line and on task, and she does it with such grace and style that we hardly notice. She’s also run the awards for the last few years, and has grown the event severalfold. Plus she’s an awesome tent neighbor, as we camped next to Sarah and me at last year’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival. Join me in wishing Erika a very happy birthday.

Erika-in-London
Erika on the streets of London.

Stan-and-Erika
Stan Hieronymus and Erika.

Erika-x-files
Channeling Dana Scully with fiancé Brandon Buck as Fox Mulder.

2016NAGBWAwards
Erika, front and center (in the white blouse and black jacket) at our NAGBW awards ceremony in Denver last year.

Beer Birthday: Jay Sheveck

By

beer-guppy
Today is also the 46th birthday of Jay Sheveck, a beer writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. In addition to writing for the Celebrator, Jay wrote the Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California . He’s also been working for many, many years on a documentary film about the early days of craft beer, Beer Pioneers. There’s a teaser trailer of it at the bottom of this page. Personally, I’m excited about his film (and not just because I may be in it, unless I end up on the cutting room floor, that is). Join me in wishing Jay a very happy birthday.

bestowest09-37
Alec Moss, former brewer at Half Moon Bay, with Jay at the celebrator’s Best of the West Fest in 2009.

sheveck-03
Jay and a glass of Chimay.

sheveck-01
Jay and his wife Vicki at the Director’s Guild dinner in 1998.

sheveck-02
Jay and his new son Jake.

(Note: last three photos purloined from Facebook.)

Chuck Silva Leaving Green Flash

By

green-flash-new
Brandon Hernández had the news this morning that Chuck Silva Resigns from Green Flash Brewing Co., published on WestCoaster. I first met Chuck at the old, much smaller, Green Flash brewery not too long after he started there in 2004. As Brandon details, Chuck was undoubtedly a big part of the brewery’s subsequent success. According to the press release, Chuck is planning on creating his own new brewery, Silva Brewing Company, along with his wife Mary Jo. He’s looking at the Central Coast of California, near where he grew up and where he has many longtime friends and family. It’s apparently been in the works for some time now, and starting today, he be concentrating on the new project full time.

About his time at Green Flash, Chuck had this to say:

“It’s been so fulfilling to play such a major role in the accomplishment of so many goals at Green Flash. Together, we’ve come further and grown larger than I could have ever foreseen. I couldn’t have done it alone and I thank every member of the craft community that helped me along the way,” says Silva. “But it’s always been my dream and personal long-term goal to brew on my own terms. Now is the time to go for it and I’m looking forward to working on smaller projects.”

Good luck, Chuck, I for one can’t wait to have a beer at your new brewery.

Chuck Silva, from Green Flash Brewing
Chuck Silva at GABF in 2009.