It’s now official, Chad Kenedy will be the new brewmaster at Laurelwood Brewery in Portland, Oregon, as former brewmaster Christian Ettinger leaves to open his own place. Congratulations to Chad.

New Laurelwood brewermaster Chad Kennedy.

From the press release:

Mike De Kalb, owner of Laurelwood Brewing Company, named Chad Kennedy as his new brewmaster replacing Christian Ettinger who is leaving to pursue his own entrepreneurial venture.

“Having worked as Laurelwood’s assistant brewmaster since January 2003, it’s exciting to step into the leadership role,” enthused Kennedy. “I’ll continue brewing the great beers that have put Laurelwood on the map, and I’m looking forward to introducing new ones.”

Kennedy became an avid home brewer in 1998 while he was working as marketing director for AM Todd Botanicals in Eugene, Oregon. In 2000, he decided to devote himself to his passion for brewing and took a sales position with Aria Imports, a beer distributor in Portland. “I was lucky that my job gave me the opportunity to meet the folks at Laurelwood because when I found out there was an opening in the brewery, I jumped at the chance.”

Since joining Laurelwood, Kennedy has been an integral part of a successful brewing team. In 2004, the World Beer Cup honored Laurelwood with its champion small brewpub and brewmaster awards, two of the most prestigious honors in the craft brewing industry, in addition to two gold, two silver, and one bronze medals. Additional honors include awards from the World Beer Cup in 2006 and the Great American Beer Festivals in 2003 and 2004.

Jessica, former event coordinator for the AOB, Ralph Olson of HopUnion and Chad Kennedy, new head brewer at Laurelwood Public House & Brewery in Portland, Oregon.