| April 16, 2008 |
For the second time in four years, the annual Craft Brewers Conference again descended on San Diego, California. I drove down from the Bay Area with my friend and colleague, Tom Dalldorf, publisher of the Celebrator Beer News. I left my house at 5:00 a.m. and arrived at the Town & Country Resort, where the conference was being held, around 1:00 p.m.
The Town & Country again played host to CBC.
Mike Altman drove the Ambrewlance down from Iron Springs Brewpub in Fairfax.
I immediately ran into several friends. From left, Fal Allen, Jennifer Talley and Geoff Larson.
I had a second story courtyard room. Down below you can barely make out our neighbors Eric and Lauren Salazar talking with Matt Bryndilson, along with Abram Goldman-Armstrong and Brian Butenschoen.
That evening the folks from Stone Brewing Co. hosted a wonderful gathering at their Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens. Brewers from the San Diego area were also pouring their beer out in the gardens. Here Chuck Silva, head brewer at Green Flash Brewing had the CBC Symposium beer that he brewed, an IPA, on cask.
Ken Allen, from Anderson Valley Brewing, and Teri Fahrendorf, brewer-at-larger. It seemed to get dark pretty quickly, probably because time just sped by taking to people and wandering around the brewery, eating some wonderful cheeses and cheesecake made with Stone’s smoked porter.
Tomme Arthur, from Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey, and his lovely daughter Sydney.
Stone Brewing’s production brewery.
Where tours were going on and beer was being served, too.
Another view of the brewery.
A number of brewers in the brewery. From left: Peter Schell, Eric Rose (Hollister Brewing), Ian Ward (Brewers Supply Group), Jonathan Cutler (Piece Brewing), Chad Kennedy (Laurelwood Public House) and Fal Allen (now brewing in Singapore).
The entire brewery was open to wander around in, except for the hop storage room, which had a security guard posted in front of it. A sign of the times?
Looking back into the restaurant from the brewery.
Justin Crossley, from the Brewing Network, through the window.
Dave Buehler, from Elysian Brewing, entertained the crowd on acoustic guitar.
Followed by Marty Jones, from Oskar Blues, and Tom Dalldorf, from the Celebrator.
The brewers reception stayed packed until ten, when the party moved back to Town & Country.
Where Jeff Bagby, from Pizza Port, spearheaded a project by the San Diego brewing community to build a temporary coldbox for 100 taps inside the pavilion gazebo at the Town & Country Resort. From ten to one every night, that became the place to be.
Of course, eventually all good things must end and the evening came to a close.