A few of the positive comments people have made about the Brookston Beer Bulletin:
Featured as Blogger of the Week on Vandberg & DeWulf’s blog:
Jay writes with authority about the West Coast Scene. He has been immersed in it since the late 80′s – in retail (as beer buyer for Beverages and More), as GM for the Celebrator Beer News, and as Celebrator Tasting Panel Director. He has sampled and reviewed virtually every good beer that has made it to the West Coast in the last twenty years.
He has been blogging FOREVER: since 2004. The site is a great repository of beer knowledge. The organization of his site is meticulous. The range of “sidelight” topics covered is broad, quirky and delightful. Need beer quotes? Curious about beer holidays? Want to expand your knowledge about about beer and art, beer advertising since time immemorial your special interest? Seeking beer toasts? Eager to learn about “characters” in the industry? It is all here. No wonder the Brookston Beer Bulletin is one of the most read beer blogs.
Jay is frank and funny and thoughtful. He hangs with the best in the business – professing to admire fellow beer writing guild colleagues Stan Hieronymous, Stephen Beaumont, and Lew Bryson – people whose perspectives and scruples we also value.
We were tickled pink to get ink on the blog for our company “birthday”. Jay’s birthday is, by the way, March 3rd. Hat’s off to one of the very keenest and kindest and fairest of observers of the Beer Scene. Honor knowing you, buddy!
— Wendy Littlefield at Vandberg & DeWulf, November 18, 2011
From EleventyBeers:
In a blog post The top five craft beer blogs I read (and you should be reading too):
Brookston Beer Bulletin: If you are looking for very specific information regarding the state of the craft beer community, and you can’t seem to find it on your other favorite blogs, Brookston has it. Jay Brooks is a man of many talents, and those talents shine with his knowledge of craft beer, brewing, and distributing. This is my ultimate go-to site when I just want to read well-rounded craft beer information, and he already has a huge following (which means you are probably already reading him), with good reason. He has written articles for too many beer publications to mention.
— Terrence Jackson, at his blog, February 22, 2011
Interviewed by Ashley Routson, better known as The Beer Wench, for her Beer Blogger Interview Series:
The “Blogger Profile” interview contains just over two dozen questions, with photos, after which Routson writes:
Special Thanks to Jay — one of the best and most recognizable beer bloggers — for his awesome interview!
— Ashley Routson at Drink With the Wench, December 24, 2009
From Journalism professor Jay Rosen at PressThink:
In the “After Matter: Notes, reactions & links…” directly following the original post, Rosen writes:
“Warning: This post has nothing to do with beer.” Brookston Beer Bulletin out of San Francisco picks up on this post; tells suds-seeking readers he’s going off topic. The presentation is cleaner than my own.
— Jay Rosen at PressThink, January 20, 2009
This is less of a compliment or kudos than a surreal ego boost courtesy of the website ranking site Alexa:
As of Christmas, the Brookston Beer Bulletin was ranked as the 55th most popular “Drinks” website and the 15th “Beer” website, just behind Guinness and Budweiser’s websites and surprisingly just ahead of Draft Magazine’s website and Anheuser-Busch’s corporate website. Most amazing of all, the Bulletin is the top ranked “Beer Weblog!” Sweet. Dude. Boom Goes the Dynamite.
Also, Topix Beer is listed as number 6 under Beer News and Media, which I also edit.
— Alexa, by Category: Top > Recreation > Food > Drink > Beer > Weblogs; December 25, 2008
From Maureen Ogle’s Blog:
This is getting embarrassing, but in a good way. She titled another blog post How Do I Love Thee, Jay? Let Me Count The Ways:
I seriously love Jay Brooks. Good guy; great father; loving husband. Also smart guy with more energy than twenty people half his age.
And thoughtful advocate of rational drinking who constantly finds the time and energy (in between family, job, etc.) to take on the dumbasses who perpetuate our sick attitudes toward alcohol. As in this.
— Maureen Ogle, at her blog, December 12, 2008
From The Malthouse:
One of the many great things about being a beer writer, along with the master key to every brewery in the land, is that you get to meet a lot of great people and drink beer with them. One of the most famous beer personalities I’ve met is Jay R Brooks, a legendary American writer. He is the first, and so far only, beer writer I have seen use Spiro Agnew’s legendary phrase “nattering nabobs of negativity.” Well, technically I guess I just did too.
We were seated at a table in Moylan’s brewpub in Novato, California. Most of our group were getting the sprawling tasting trays but I felt like something strong and hoppy before facing Pomegranate Wheat Beer and Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale. My eye was immediately drawn to the Moylan’s Double IPA. Here is how the brewery describes it:
Our Moylander Double IPA is fat and resiny, with aggressive and excessive hops swinging on an enormous malt backbone like naughty monkeys on a vine. Double malt, double hops – do the math, it’s academic. 8.5% Alcohol by volume.
They had me at “naughty monkeys on a vine.” I proceeded to order one from the waiter. Jay ordered one too. Moments later, the staff member reappeared but without any beers, far less any fat and aggressive beers. Our conversation went something like this:
Waiter: “I’m sorry sir, we have completely run out of the Double IPA.” Me: “But I’ve come all the way from New Zealand to try that beer.” Waiter: “I really am sorry but there is absolutely none left at all.” Me: “That’s a shame. I was looking forward to having a pint with my friend Jay R Brooks, the very famous beer writer.” Waiter: “Let me double check.”
Within five minutes we are tucking into “absolutely the last two pints of Double IPA” they just happened to find “out the back”. Observant readers will notice that Jay, the most important person in that short conversation, didn’t actually say anything. I think he was more bemused as we had conversed for about eighteen seconds before I invoked his name as a close personal friend. It worked though.
— Neil Miller at New Zealand’s Malthouse, December 7, 2008
From Beer Utopia:
If you want to read a brilliant analysis of the economy from the craft beer perspective, I highly recommend Jay Brooks’ (the best beer writer in the industry, IMHO) post Beer in the Time of Recession at the Brookston Beer Bulletin.
— Chris at Beer Utopia, November 24, 2008
Chosen as the #2 Beer Blog by Blogged, a new website ranking blogs by subject:
According to the Editor Ranking, I received a 9.4 (out of 10) and a ranking of “excellent,” the second highest score. I’m not sure of the criteria used to come up with the list — not that’s it’s not flattering all the same. Though curiously, the URL listed on the Bulletin’s page is actually my old one, though it automatically forwards to my new host.
— The Editors at Blogged, as of November 16, 2008
From the Beer Philosopher:
From a post on the merits of beer blogging:
For me, the choice of blogs I read daily isn’t too difficult – after all, there are the obligatory standard-bearers of beer blogging that everyone with a keen interest (in my opinion) should read, like (in no particular order) – Jay Brooks, Stan Hieronymus, Lew Bryson, Charlie Papazian (although Charlie’s only gotten into the blogging game of late), etc. These guys are the pros among us and have earned their status as credible authorities online or otherwise. These writers have accomplished what many of us aspire to attain, and therefore are deserving of the lion’s share of the credit and attention paid to the beer blogging community.
— Shawn Connelly at Beer Philosopher , November 6, 2008
Chosen as one of the “100 Best Beer and Wine Blogs” by the Cuinary School Guide:
Under the heading “Beer & Wine News, “This blog will keep you updated on all of the latest beer happenings.”
— Jessica Merritt at the Culinary School Guide, October 29, 2008
From Maureen Ogle’s Blog:
She titled a blog post Why You Gotta Love Jay Brooks:
As anyone who reads this blog (all five of you) knows, I am a fan of Jay Brooks. I can always count on him to come up with The Other Side of The Story. And he has.
Check out his investigation into the “Jurassic Beer” tale, which I blithely bought into with nary a backward glance.
While you’re at it, take a look at his (brief but cogent) report on Obama-and-Beer.
I’m telling you: The world needs Jay Brooks.
— Maureen Ogle, at her blog, September 3, 2008
Chosen as one of “A Top 10 Beer Blog List ” by the Northern Colorado Beer Examiner:
Jay Brooks is a professional beer writer and puts out a quality beer blog that is followed by many in the industry. Jay (or J) really loves his beer. He even has a wedding photo inside a brewery and went on brewery tours during his honeymoon. J is always up on the latest beer news and is one of the first places I go to when looking for what’s happening in beer, especially around the San Francisco Bay area.
— Chipper Dave Butler at the Northern Colorado Beer Examiner, July 20, 2008
From the Beer Mapping Project:
It’s usually me who highlights beer industry birthdays, but Jonathan Surratt turned the tables on me this year, writing:
Today, March 3rd, is Jay Brooks’s birthday. If you are not aware of who Jay is, now is a good time to learn. Jay Brooks is the author of many things. One being a very active and informative beer based blog.
Jay also seems to write for pretty much every beer magazine in existence. Draft, Beer Magazine, Beer Advocate, Celebrator and Ale Street News are a few of the magazines I have seen his writing within.
In addition to writing about beer news, commenting on articles written by neo-prohibitionists and posting some great pictures, Jay also makes sure to post about the people in the beer world who are currently experiencing a birthday. In his honor I felt it only fair to return the favor. Happy Birthday Jay!
— Jonathan Surratt, at The Beer Mapping Project, March 3, 2008
Chosen as “Website of the Week” for the week of February 17, 2008 by Beer Today:
A comprehensive beer news website centred on the United States’ Bay Area and compiled by J Brooks. A really nicely laid out hybrid of news site and blog, and well written with some good quality pics too. It is packed with information and very sticky — you’ll need to log on daily to keep up to speed! There are excellent links and good navigation.
— Darren Norbury at the UK’s Beer Today, February 20, 2008
From Pacific Brew News:
From a heading “Special Thanks” at the end of a post on Beerapalooza Winding Down:
Jay Brooks. I still feel honored you know who I am… and you still say hello to me! Seriously, if there’s a good guy award in the industry, he’d be a finalist. It’s stunning to see how many people, from all over the country, genuinely like this guy.
— Rick Sellers at Pacific Brew News , February 18, 2008
Chosen as one of the Top Beer and Brewing Websites by Bella Online’s Beer and Brewing Site:
Jay’s blog is here to keep track of western breweries in the USA, provide a forum where craft breweries can share information about their products and events,support the craft beer industry, promote the culture of better beer, and report on national beer and beer-related events.
— Carol Smagalski at Beer and Brewing Site, January 29, 2008
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer Blog: What’s on Tap:
The Brookston Beer Bulletin is a blog run by Jay Brooks, former general manager of the Celebrator Beer News. Talk about the ultimate beer geek (I mean that in the nicest way); his son is named Porter. Jay and his wife even had their wedding reception in a brew pub and toured NW breweries for their honeymoon (how many of you can claim that?).
The posts that I have read on Jay’s blog are informative, well written and give you the feeling that he really knows what he’s talking about. Jay is located in Northern California, so the blog often concentrates on local events, but the content is really spread to nation and world wide events and beer news in general. With a mind boggling 16 posts in the past week, this is definitely a site you can check out every day.
— Geoff Kaiser at What’s on Tap: A Guide to Seattle Suds, January 28, 2008
From Feedonomics: The Art and Science of Feed Management:
Meet Jay Brooks, a guy who likes beer so much he named his first child Porter. Brooks, author of the Brookston Beer Bulletin, leaves no stone unturned when it comes to providing his readers with everything they could ever hope to know about ales, lagers, and yes, even porters. With good taste like that, it’s no surprise to find a Grazr widget right there on the front page, aggregating beer blog feeds, beer events, and beer news from all over the Web.
— Tina Gasperson at Beercraft News, December 18, 2007
From Beercraft News:
California beer journalist Jay Brookston is another tireless champion of craft brewing. His site, the Brookston Beer Bulletin, demonstrates through sheer volume of information how the line between website and blog can blur.
In his pages, Jay takes us on a firsthand tour of the US craft brewing scene. His writing transports readers to beer events around the country, introducing us to a cast of idiosyncratic characters along the way. Brookston is a true journalist, digging through legislation and analyzing all the boring behind-the-scenes stuff that makes this industry tick.
Probably most enjoyable, however, is Brookston’s taking to task of journalists that diss beer. Many disparaging wine snob and neo-prohibitionist have felt the effects of Brookston’s pen, which he must keep in a scabbard at his hip.
Finally, brookstonbeerbulletin.com provides links to hundreds of blogs and beer writers. Anyone interested in the craft can get lost for hours among the esoterica of craft brewing this site provides.
— Mark at Beercraft News, July 31, 2007
From the blog Pacific Brew News:
After detailing his choices for the “Ten People Who Shaped the US Beer Scene” and why he chose them, Sellers writes the following:
There are, however, experts I greatly admire who also have great beer blogs – Jay at Brookston Beer Bulletin, Lew Bryson at Seen through a Glass, Stan Hieronymus at Appelation Beer in particular. These guys spark my beer loving imagination and challenge me to dig deeper into my library of beer knowledge – or expand it I should say. I guess this little piece is a note of appreciation to the better beer writers in the country today, those who have seen and experienced more than me. Thanks guys.
— Rick Sellers, at Pacific Brew News, July 10, 2007
From the editor blog at Topix:
I’ve been editing the beer page at Topix since the beginning of April. They recently started a blog for editors and are highlighting editors who they think are doing a good job. I was honored to be the second editor spotlighted and answered a series of questions which they then posted as an interview. Pretty cool.
This week we shine our Editor Spotlight on Brookston, editor of the Beer page on Topix. Affectionately known around Topix HQ as “Beer Guy”, Brookston was one of the first editors to sign up when we launched our user editor platform, and he is still editing up a storm today.
Followed by an interview.
— Sara, at Topix Editor’s Blog, June 19, 2007
From the blog My Beer Pix:
Holy cow! Even with the move, we’re Avis, I guess I really must try harder. Thankfully, Beer Sage factored in the old stats and the new since it appears that it will take quite some time to get back to where I was right before the move. To be number two after about 18 months seems remarkable to me, and more than a little humbling. Wow!
Last Friday I wrote about a little experiment I did in an attempt to determine the most popular beer blog on the web.
Basically I wrote a script that does a little triangulation between ranking systems on a blog aggregator (Technorati), a search engine (Google) and a blog reader (Bloglines), and tosses back the results.
….
Beer Blog Popularity as of 25 May, 2007
2. Brookston Beer Bulletin
Technorati Authority: 121 | Bloglines: 15 | Google Page Rank: 5— Beer Sage, at My Beer Pix, May 30, 2007
From the blog On Tap:
You couldn’t find a better beer resource anywhere, even on this whole worldwide inter-web of ours, for beer news and information than the Brookston Beer Bulletin. The man behind this fine blog, Jay Brooks, brings an exhaustive amount of information to our fingertips. From events, to facts, to quotes, to news, even to legal know-how, Jay has you covered. You should definitely have it as one of your daily stops in the world of craft beer.
— Magic Bevvie, at On Tap, March 22, 2007
From Stephen Beaumont’s Beer Blog on That’s the Spirit:
Jay, for those of you unfamiliar with his excellent blog, is one of beer writing’s most impassioned media critics, taking to task one and all who write about beer without first bothering to grasp the scope of their subject matter.
— Stephen Beaumont, at World of Beer Features, February 19, 2007
From the Inside Bay Area Beer Blog:
I highly recommend Brookston Beer Bulletin. The author, Jay Brooks, has an inside track on craft brewer comings and goings in the Bay Area. He was formerly the associate editor (I think that was his title [actually I was the General Manager]) of the Celebrator Beer News, the national beer newspaper, based in Hayward, CA., and before that the beer buyer for Beverages and More, the California liquor store supermarket chain.
— William Brand, at Inside Bay Area, January 23, 2007
From About: Beer:
As usual, Jay Brooks has put it far better than I could on his Brookston Beer Bulletin so I will simply point you to his comments on a recent press release that surely made all beer lovers’ skin crawl.
— Bryce Eddings, at About: Beer, December 27, 2006
From Shelton Brothers’ Blog:
In a lengthy run down of what various people were saying about their censorship travails over label approval, referring to my post “The Santa Hypocrisy:”
The first-listed blog piece is nothing short of brilliant.
— Will Shelton, at Shelton Brothers’ Blog, December 10, 2006
From Stephen Beaumont’s World of Beer:
One of my favourite and most often visited beer blogs is that of my friend Jay Brooks, which he runs at www.brookstonbeerbulletin.com. Hardly shy about courting controversy, Jay puts World of Beer’s own “unapologetically opinionated” tag to shame with his regular and frequent screeds against what he perceives as the ills foisted upon the brewing arts, both by those within and without of its confines, and also with his occasionally lengthy “thought pieces,” such as his mammoth post about the “long tail” of beer. But be they long or short, cranky or humorous, Jay’s posts are almost always thoroughly entertaining.
— Stephen Beaumont, at World of Beer Features, December 2006
From Beer, Beats & Bites:
When I see that there’s a new post up at the Brookston Beer Bulletin, I usually wait to read it until I have a half-hour or so to spare, as writer Jay Brooks generally has a lot to say about the topics he tackles. He also writes with such style and passion that I don’t mind setting aside a bit of time to digest his words. His longest and most entertaining rants are usually directed towards sloppy and uninformed beer articles from the mainstream press, as well as restrictive beer & alcohol regulations and the “Neo-Prohibitionists” who are usually behind them. If every beer lover had even half the passion that Jay does, we could take over the frickin’ world, or at least make it easier to get a decent beer in every corner of it.
— Greg Clow, at Beer, Beats & Bites, November 23, 2006
From Strategic Name Development:
For the truly curious, there is a wonderful post up about James Bond’s beer (this year it’s Heineken) on Brookston Beer Bulletin that fills you in on every drop the agent ever drank and some he didn’t, including an ill-fated “James Bond’s 007 Special Blend” malt liquor that is now long gone but featured pictures of the famous Bond girls on each can.
— William Lozito, at the Strategic Name Development Blog, November 18, 2006
From KevBrews:
Brooks is a veteran beer writer with great insight into the industry.
— Kevin, at KevBrews, October 3, 2006
From Maureen Ogle:
I try to read Jay’s blog every day. He covers the beer industry and things/ideas/events related to beer and alcohol. And he does a very very good job.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again now: beer people are very very special people. Smart, lively, passionate about their work. And incredibly generous. And Jay Brooks, human being extraordinaire, is yet another example of that trusim.
Jay, thank you!
And everyone else, please, read Jay’s blog!
— Maureen Ogle, at Maureen Ogle’s Blog, September 5, 2006
From the Beercraft Blog:
I just read today’s headline post at the Brookston Beer Bulletin. This is a must-read for anyone who really likes good beer.
— Mark, at the Beercraft Blog, August 7, 2006
From Belmont Station Beer Forum:
Brilliant Editorial On “Minor Postings” at OBF
Jay Brooks, creator of Brookston’s Beer Bulletin, has published a scathing critique of the OLCC’s “minor posting” rules and the neo-prohibitionist movement in general. The neo-prohibitionists and OLCC policy makers aren’t going to read this article, and if they do I doubt they’ll give it a second thought, but it’s good to preach to the choir now and then lest we become complacent in our fight for sane and logical alcohol legislation. Keep up the good fight Jay!
— Chris, webmaster at Belmont Station, August 2, 2006
From Pete Slosberg in an e-mail forwarded to me:
Hey, check out a website, www.brookston.org … it’s the best beer blogsite I’ve seen.
— Pete Slosberg, founder of Pete’s Wicked Ales, July 22, 2006
From Zealot:
If you’re into beer (and who isn’t) or you’re just researching what’s happening in the world of beer – this is perhaps the most comprehensive beer web site we have ever come across. Just like the pub, we could spend hours here. Happy reading!
— Zealot, July 8, 2006
From The Long Tail:
I’m sorry to go on about this, er, frothy subject, but the Brookston Beer Bulletin has posted perhaps the most thoughtful analysis of the Long Tail applied outside of entertainment I’ve read all year. The parallels between “craft beer” and niche products in other industries are fascinating.
— Chris Anderson, June 25, 2006
Chris also said the following in a comment posted regarding the same essay:
“Spectacularily well done article–many congratulations.“
From Worldlab and Igor:
Compare the Brookston Beer Bulletin blog by beer writer Jay Brooks, who looks at the beer industry from the perspective of the independent craft breweries, but also reports on national beer and beer-related events that affect the industry as a whole. You get the sense that this blogger really loves beer. Big breweries that blog could learn a thing or two from independent beer bloggers.
— abnu, June 23, 2006
From Beercraft Blog:
The Brookston Beer Bulletin- Learn something today.
I’m going to use this post to pimp the Brookston Beer Bulletin, which I stumbled across while checking my blog referrals. What a cool resource. This is about as close to the perfect American craft beer portal as I could imagine.
J. is an incisive and skilled beer writer, who relentlessly advocates for my beverage of choice, pointing out skewed studies, biased editorials, and vindictive voices with an axe to grind, then setting the record straight. There’s so much quality content here, it’s gonna take me weeks to read it all.
— Mark, June 5, 2006