Today is the 66th birthday of Ray Daniels. Ray is the former director of Craft Beer Marketing for the Brewers Association and today runs the Cicerone program, which he founded, to certify beer professionals, similar to sommeliers in the wine industry. He also founded the Real Ale Festival that used to take place annually in Chicago. And he’s one of my favorite people in the beer industry. Join me in wishing Ray a very happy birthday.
Julie Johson, from All About Beer, with Ray at Lagunitas during the Journalism Retreat when CBC was in San Francisco a few years ago.
On the floor at GABF with Bob Pease, from the Brewers Association, Mark Dorber, publican extraordinaire, and John Mallet, from Bell’s Brewery.
It’s hard not to love his Cicerone press photo.
Ray with his former assistant Sarah Huska at the Cicerone booth at CBC in Chicago several years ago.
Daniels also wrote Designing Great Beers, a great book on homebrew recipe development.
Ray is no longer with the Brewers Association. I believe he left the Brewers Publication position sometime last fall (08). I think Kristi Switzer was his replacement.
Either way, he’s a cool guy to know and hang out with!
Homebrewing, cask-conditioned ale, beer styles, and, now with his Cicerone program, serving beer and understanding its flavors. Ray is, indeed, one of the great educators in the beer world. Happy birthday!
Let’s not forget Ray’s work putting on Chicago’s Real Ale Festivals. Happy Birthday, Ray! Thanks for sending me a free copy of Zymurgy about 10 years ago that got me started with my homebrewing obsession.
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the beery love.
And Beerinator is right, I (quietly) gave up the BP publishing job in late 2008 to devote myself to development of the Cicerone program. Kristi Switzer is doing a great job with that.
Cheers to one and all!
Ray