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 on the streets of London.

Stan Hieronymus and Erika.

Channeling Dana Scully with fiancé Brandon Buck as Fox Mulder.

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