Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Historic Beer Birthday: Bill Brand

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Today would have been Bill Brand’s 88th birthday, if not for the tragic events of February 8, 2009. Bill, of course, was hit by a Muni Train that evening and passed away twelve days later, on February 20. He was a bastion of support for the local beer community for decades, and one of its most visible media faces. He did a staggering amount of good to help brewers throughout the Bay Area, and wrote about the beer he loved so much with an unmatched passion and zeal. His Bottoms Up blog was read by millions, the newest form of his What’s On Tap newsletter that stretched back into the early 1990s. It was my great honor to take over his column and try to continue his legacy of support for craft brewers in the Bay Area and beyond. Drink a toast to the memory and legacy of William “Bill” Brand today. Happy birthday Bill, you are most certainly missed.

At the Falling Rock during GABF week in 2004. Clockwise from left, Bill, Lisa Morrison, me, Tom Dalldorf, Stephen Beaumont and my cousin Mike, who lived in Denver at the time.
Bill at the Bistro Double IPA Festival in 2008 with Kenny Gross and Judy Ashworth.
Bill toasting with a pitcher of Oakland’s new Linden Street Brewery, with Fraggle at the far right, whose birthday would also have been today. Photo by RRifkin.
Dueling laptops; Bill and me at Magnolia on February 6 for the tapping of Napa Smith Original Albion Ale by Don Barkley. Photo courtesy of Shaun O’Sullivan.
Bill taking notes at the Monk’s Blood Dinner at 21st Amendment, February 8, 2009. Photo by Jesse Friedman of Beer & Nosh.
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Drink a toast to Bill today, it’s how he would have wanted to be remembered.

Historic Beer Bornday: Fraggle

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Today would have been the 60th birthday of Mark Martone, better known to the beer world as “Fraggle.” Fraggle always called them borndays, so I’ll continue that tradition for him. Unfortunately, he suffered a stroke almost nine years ago in late June and passed away a few days later, on July 5, 2014. Fraggle, along with Rebecca Boyles, founded the terrific Beer Revolution in Oakland, near Jack London Square on 3rd Street. I first met Fraggle when I featured him and Rebecca in an article I did for Beer Advocate magazine on beer geeks several years ago. It’s been great to see them turn their passion into their livelihood, and go from civilian to pro over the last few years. Join me in wishing Fraggle a very happy bornday, and raise a toast to his memory today or tonight or all day long. He would have wanted it that way.

Fraggle and Jen Muehlbauer at the Celebrator 25th anniversary party in 2013.
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Jesse Friedman, Fraggle and Ron Silberstein at the Anchor Holiday Party in 2012.
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With Steve Donohue and me at the SF Beer Week opening gala in 2014.
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Pouring beer for Linden Street at the Winter Brews Festival in 2010.
Rebecca and Fraggle at Santa Rosa’s Beerfest in 2007.

Beer In Ads #5185: Too Good To Last

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Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Wednesday’s second ad is for Acme Bock Beer, which was published on March 25, 1936. This ad was for the Acme Brewing Co. of San Francisco, California, which was originally founded in 1907, though they also opened a location in the Los Angeles area. Today the brand is owned by North Coast Brewing. This ad ran in The Modesto Bee, of Modesto, California.

Beer In Ads #5183: Mt. Whitney Bock Beer Is The Tops …

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Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Tuesday’s second ad is for Mt. Whitney Bock Beer, which was published on March 24, 1936. This one is for the Fresno Brewing Co., of Fresno, California, which was originally founded in 1900 by Ernst Eiler and his son. This ad ran in The Fresno Bee, also of Fresno, California.

Beer Birthday: Jim Crooks

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Today is the 53nd birthday of Jim Crooks, who was the Master Blender at Firestone Walker Barrelworks in Buellton for a number of years. But before that, Jim was the QC manager, and was one of the original brewers there when it was still SLO Brewing when Adam Firestone and David Walker bought the brewery. When I wrote an Innovator’s Series piece for Beer Connoisseur magazine on Matt Brynildson, naturally, Jim came up when re-telling the story of the transition:

But Matt and another SLO brewer, Jim Crooks, weren’t ready to give up quite so easily. What happened next is local legend. The bank didn’t lock the doors or turn off the power. Maybe it was an oversight, maybe not. So Brynildson and Crooks came in and kept making beer while the brewery was still in receivership, and continued filling orders. The idea, they thought, was to just hang on. They both loved the area and the brewery that they’d poured so much of themselves into. The pair hoped that if they kept it alive, that someone would come to the rescue, buy the brewery and give them both jobs. The gamble paid off and their harebrained idea actually worked. Both Matt and Jim Crooks continue to work there to this day, with Jim leading the Barrelworks production in Buellton.

I’ve run to Jim several times over the years, and since heading up Barrelworks in 2013, he’s been knocking it out of the park. Jim left Firestone Walker in 2022, and launched his own venture, Jungle Beverage Company. Join me in wishing Jim a very happy birthday.

Jim, Chuck Silva and me at the Firestone Walker Invitational in 2016.

At the 2008 GABF, Eric and Lauren Salazar, both from New Belgium Brewing, sandwiched by Jim, and Chris Swersey, Competition Manager for GABF judging.
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Matt and Jim at the Firestone Walker Invitational [photo by Sean Paxton].
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A happy Jim, at the Firestone Walker Invitational a few years ago [photo purloined from Facebook].

Historic Beer Birthday: John Christoph Wunder

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Today is the birthday of John Christoph Wunder (March 24, 1855-February 11, 1929). He was born in Streitberg, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1872, when he was 17, settling in Minneapolis Minnesota. Ten years later he became naturalized as a citizen. He worked as a liquor agent, and eventually opened his own saloon in 1887.

Here, Tavern Trove picks up the story:

In 1884 he was an agent for a liquor dealer in that city. By 1887 Wunder had his own saloon. In 1895 Wunder, along with Charles H. Sievers of Minneapolis, John G. Hinkle of St. Paul, William Bryler of St. Louis, and C. F. Kessler of San Diego together capitalized the San Diego Brewery of California. He left that partnership in 1898 to purchase the Bavarian Brewery in San Francisco, whereupon he renamed it the Wunder Brewery. He phased out its flagship Bavaria Lager Beer in favor of his own Wunder Beer. He continued to run the brewery until it was merged into the Union Brewery syndicate. The brewery closed in 1909 and Wunder retired in Germany.

Wunder brewery employees in 1894.

The Bavarian Brewery had been founded by Philip Frauenholz in 1852 at Vallejo & Green Streets in San Francisco, but later moved to Greenwich & Scott Streets. After buying the brewery in 1898, Wunder renamed it the Wunder Brewing Co. and it remained that until he closed in 1909. Somebody reopened it, sort of, under the name Wunder Beverages in 1930 at 830 Isabella Street and ran that until 1955.

Two years after retiring to Germany, Wunder passed away in December of 1928 when he was 73 years old. This short obituary is from the Oakland Tribune on December 20, 1928:

San Francisco, c. 1898.

Beer Birthday: Lee Chase

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Today is the 53rd birthday of Lee Chase, co-owner of Blind Lady Ale House in San Diego, and brewer at Automatic Brewing, located in the Blind Lady’s back room, and brewery consultant to the stars. Chase was also the head brewer at Stone Brewing for nearly a decade and oversaw the building and installation of the new brewery in Escondido. Lee’s a terrific brewer and a great beer ambassador, and also great fun to hang out with a share a pint, which I was able to do a few Decembers ago at the Stone Vertical Epic Tasting. But more recently, he’s relocated to Lisbon, Portugal to brew at Dois Corvos. Please join me in wishing Lee a very happy birthday.

Lee and at World Beer Cup judging in Nashville in 2023.
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Lee at Beer School for CitySearch San Diego in 2008.
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Lee, with Meg Gill, Garrett Marrero and Matthew Brynildson at CBC in San Diego a few years ago.
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Greg Koch and Lee at the Stone 5th Anniversary Open House Celebration, which later became the “Stone Anniversary Celebration & Invitational Beer Festival.”
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Lee with Stone co-founder Steve Wagner on April 14, 1999 celebrating their first bottling run on their then new Maheen bottler. [Note: photos purloined from Facebook & Stone Brewing.]
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Lee, and several other Stone employees, along with some other beer people, around 1996.

Beer Birthday: Jason Chavez

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Today is the 58th birthday of Jason Chavez, who was the brewmaster at Seabright Brewery in Santa Cruz for a number of years. Chavez started homebrewing while still in high school on his family’s kitchen stove. He’s a graduate of the American Brewers Guild, and had been brewing at Seabright since 1999. I believe I first met Jason many years ago at the Rock Bottom in Denver during a GABF week, but I still run into him occasionally at events. Seabright celebrated their 25th anniversary several years ago, when I spent the day at the brewery to do a story on their silver anniversary. But three years ago, he made a big change, moving closer to home to take over the Kelsey Creek Brewing Co. in Kelseyville. Join me in wishing Jason a very happy birthday.

Me and Jason at his Kelseyville Brewery in early 2020.

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Jason with Dave Heist, from HopTown Brewing, and Gene and Cindy Acevedo, from El Toro Brewing, during the Brewer’s Reception at GABF in 2002.

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Jason at the helm of the brewery when I visited him in early 2013 to wrote about Seabright’s 25th anniversary.

Here’s a great shot by Dan Coyro, from an article in the Santa Cruz Sentinnel
Jason, in the center, surrounded by Seabright folks at the 10th annual Stumptown Russian River Revival and BBQ Cook-Off.
Jason, in the brewery. (Note: last two photos purloined from Seabright’s website).

Beer Birthday: Alexandra Nowell

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Today is the 41st birthday of Alexandra Nowell, who cofounded the Mellotone Beer Project in Cincinnati, Ohio. I first met Alexandra when she brewed at a variety of Bay Area breweries, including Moylan’s and Drakes, before moving south to Kinetic Brewing a few years ago, and was also later the former brewmaster of Three Weavers Brewing in Inglewood, southwest of L.A. She more recently moved to Covington, Kentucky and, I think, was working as a technical consultant for CLS Farms, in the Yakima Valley, Washington, before starting Mellotone Beer Project in Covington. Join me in wishing Alexandra a very happy birthday.

Alexandria and me at CBC in Nashville in 2023.
The Drake’s/Stone Quarter Century of Issues Celebrator 25th Anniversary Pale Ale brew crew (from left to right): Drake’s owner John Martin, Stone Northern California regional brewery rep. Dave Hopwood, Stone brewmaster Mitch Steele, Stone San Francisco regional brewery rep Michael “Zippo” Parzick and, obviously the only one doing any real work, then-Drake’s brewmaster Alexandra (on the brew deck).
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Alexandra scooping out spent grain at Drake’s.
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With Jesse Houck, who also worked at Drake’s, and very briefly at Golden Road. in L.A., but later moved to Hawaii to brew on Maui with Maui Brewing.
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Alexandra with Mike “Tasty” McDole (purloined, er … borrowed from the Weekly Pint)

Beer In Ads #5167: Acme Bock Is Back Tomorrow!

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Two years ago I decided to concentrate on Bock ads for awhile. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising. With Spring approaching, there are so many great examples that I’m going to post two a day for a few months.

Monday’s second ad is for Acme Bock Beer, which was published on March 16, 1950. This ad was for the Acme Brewing Co. of San Francisco, California, which was originally founded in 1907, though they also opened a location in the Los Angeles area. Today the brand is owned by North Coast Brewing. This ad ran in The Merced Sun Star, also of Merced, California.