Today is my good friend Pete Slosberg’s 74th 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. A few years ago, I traveled to South America with Pete (where we took to calling him “El Pete“), where we both spoke and judged beer at a beer conference/competition in Argentina, the South Beer Cup, and then flew to Brazil to attend a pair of beer dinners Stephen Beaumont was hosting and for a while he was working on Mavericks, a newish line of canned session beers, along with Half Moon Bay Brewing, but is now doing some occasional consulting and doing a lot of traveling with his wife Amy looking for the next adventure … or sour beer. Join me wishing Pete a very happy birthday!
This was taken the first time I met Pete, over twenty-five 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.
Martin Boan, who organized and ran the South Beer Cup, with Pete in Buenos Aires.
Pete, with Edu Passarelli (owner of Melograno), Stephen Beaumont and me after a beer dinner at Edu’s place in Sao Paulo.
Over ten years ago? When you were twelve maybe? And the picture from the dinner, although I remember it, I am not seeing it here. However it could be just me.
Cheers
Hello,
I am a homebrewer from Brazil and want to wish Pete a great birthday!
Also, we should thank him for his generosity in sharing with us all his knowledge.
Happy birthday, Pete!
Happy Birthday Pete!
I hope you are having a Wicked Good Time.
~Ed
Hey Pete,
Here’s to a great bday!!! Wish we’d known sooner!!! Thanks a bunch for all your help for our trip!!! We’re going to Halle, Dworp, Witkat Pater tour, etc.
We’ll touch base after we get back.
Happy Beerday!!!
Pete,
Happy belated birthday. Hopefully, you’ll find a good 60 BU beer to toast – one BU fo r every year you’ve been alive.
Keith Villa, Blue Moon Brewing Co.
Welcome to the LX club!! My 1st memories of you are from a Malts trip to your original brewery on the Peninsula (Redwood City?) in the early 80’s – I presume you got a taste of Ed Chainey’s “Emperor Norton” that day 🙂
Pete was here in Salvador, Bahia brasil for his birthday. Our home brew club (acerva bahia) and Karamuru Micro brewery threw him a bash. we drank some great home and micro brew on tap and a special 2 liter bottle of Karamuru IPA called Chefao. Pete made chocolate that was delicious. Pete and Amy are first class people. we had a great time. I have pics if anyone is intrested.
I just met Pete at the South Beer Cup festival in Buenos Aires last week. I thought he was 50. Goes to show there is nothing like good beer to keep you young.
Happy Birthday Pete.
Rick
S/V Full Tilt
Happy Bornday Pete!
Happy b-day Pete! Thanks for all the help with Celebrator tastings and events. A long strange trip indeed. Really miss the sessions years ago at our office at the Hayward airport! Hope you and Amy are celebrating tonight.
Cheers, Tom
Hey Pete,
Thanks for advice on some new places to try in Belgium. Hope you’re drinking lots of great beers on your special day!
Cheers!
Hi Pete,
Wising you a belated Happy Birthday! Been busy this past week and completely missed this alert. I’m now GM at TMB Baking in South SF. Come by and see me sometime and enjoy some of the great breads made at San Francisco Baking Institute, our partners next door. Look forward to catching up!
Cheers,
Greg
Hey Pete!!
Hope you’re having a great beerday!!!!! Have fun and hope to see you soon. Thanks for the fun over the years!!!
I still have my shirts from GABF over a decade ago that said “Pete’s Wicked Brew Crew” It was sad when he could no longer be a sponsor. It is nice to see so many people responding here.
Happy Birthday Pete!
Wishing you the best ever Birthday!! Hope it was as fun as the special Depletion Birthday party we shared!! I am honored to have you and Amy as friends. You are a first class guy!!!
Happy Birthday Pete! I worked for your amazing company in South Florida in 1993 and beyond!! Loved every minute of it. Pete’s Wicked Ale was always number one in my book! Thank you for providing such a fun job.
Remembering your favorite cigar, Moore & Bode and BBQ, Jenkins BBQ!
Following your new line now! Genius!! Sheer genius!
Happy Birthday to you! Many Many more …
Cheers,
Dawn
Hey Pete,
Thank you so much for letting us experience your Strawberry Blonde beer. It was by far the best beer I have ever had. Wish you would post the recipe online.
Happy Belated Birthday and many many more!
Happy Birthday Pete!
Happy birthday, Pete! So happy to have gotten to know you and your awesome wife Amy over the years. Hope you have a fabulous day!
Cheers,
Sarah
Happy bday Pete! Nice talking to you at Cask and Questo! Here’s to a great beerday!!! We’ll toast in your honor tonight!
Cheers
Kim and Harry
I ran into Pete while hiking the Waimea Canyon on Kauai in June of 1997. He had a “Getting Wicked” shirt on, and I commented on it. He stopped and asked, ” So You like it?” I said” yah, me and my buddies favorite beer!” He was with his sons, and you could tell they were like, “NOT again,” but Pete introduced himself, ” I’m Pete!”and gave me an old beat up calling card. That was a really cool, and very unreal moment for me!!! Take care Pete!!!
Gipper
Oh, BTW…. That was the BEST beer I ever had!!! And I’ve had a lot of beers!!!
I can almost taste it now! BRING IT BACK!!!PLEASE!
It’s exciting to read what Pete is up to these days. I stumbled across his company memoir ‘Beer for Pete’s Sake: The wicked adventures of a brewing maverick’ while doing research on craft beer in the United States for my American Studies MA thesis project. The book was a great source of inspiration, and now I am actually writing my MA thesis about Pete’s book and three other life writing accounts by US American craft brewers. Fun times!
Hoppy Beerday Pete!!! Long time no see!!!! Hope you have a great beerday. Hope to see ya soon!!! Maybe the Oyster BBQ?
Pete’s wicked winter brew is my favorite beer of all time. The mildly light raspberry and ever so subtle nutmeg flavor was a top beer around my area. Still gets talked about on several different occasions every year.
PLEASE MAKE ONE (or many) MORE POR FAVOR SEÑOR!!!!!!!
Enjoy drinking less since it left my life!! Miss it waaaay more than any girlfriend I remember having. Lost year round (not just winter) without it. I have 15 people that would vouch I had a yearly stock of it for about 3 years straight. Between kegs and cases, I was set. And so were many of mí amigos!! I’ll pay DOUBLE now. Hell I would even quit my job and come work to help relaunch it. Not kidding at all!!!
Pete, you are awesome!!
Btw- 21st amendment watermelon wheat is my newest favorite. Rad to see them together.
Wow seems like we just wished you hoppy beerday! Where does the time go!!!!!! Have a great one!!
Happy Birthday Pete! Long time no see you. Keep well my friend, RogerB (The Brick)
I have not seen Pete since visiting my friend Mike Ring on Oneco Street in Norwich. Happy belated Birthday Pete which confirms what I thought, that you are 7 years younger than me. I was a neighbor of John and Mike Driscoll on Williams St. and now live in Largo, FL. Have a great day and life.
Ted Montgomery
Hoppy beerday Pete! Thanks so much for the wonderful Argentina beers you shared at our sourfest. Hope you’re feeling better. Everyone is still talking about them! And that wonderful pie! That didn’t last long. Have a great beerday!!!!