Today is the 58th birthday of Peter Licht, former brewmaster at Hermitage Brewing. Peter grew up in Rochester, New York but came to California to attend the master brewers program at U.C. Davis in 1994, and ended up staying in the Bay Area. When I first met him, he was brewing at Coast Range Brewing in the South Bay. When that brewery folded, he joined the San Jose Tied House, and moved with the equipment to when they closed to the brewpub to create the Hermitage Brewery at a new location and was there untuk they closed the brewery during Covid. Peter made some great contract beer for me at Coast Range (when I was at BevMo) and I was happy to see him land at Hermitage, where he had continued to brew a wide range of great beers. More recently, he’s working with the Independent Brewers Alliance, which a co-op for breweries to share buying power on supplies, resources and materials. Join me in wishing Peter a very happy birthday.

Me and Peter in Nashville last year.

Hermitage assistant brewer, Steve Donohue (now at Santa Clara Valley Brewing), Peter and me during a visit to the Hermitage Brewery in San Jose a few years ago.

Peter in front of Hermitage’s foeder.

An arty shot on Hermitage’s old brewhouse, which used to be at the San Jose Tied House. My favorite wedding photo is Sarah and me on this same brewhouse during our reception there over twenty-five years ago.