Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Steve Gonzalez

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Today is the 55th birthday of Steve Gonzalez, who is the Senior Manager of Brewing and Innovation for Stone Brewing. Gonzalez started in the beer world with Miller, and was briefly with Gallo Winery before joining Stone a little over eight years ago. I not sure when I first met him, but it feels like it’s been a while now. Most recently, I saw him at the grand opening to Stone’s new Napa location a few years back. Join me in wishing Steve a very happy birthday.

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Steve with Mitch Steele, Matt Brynildsohn and Shaun O’Sullivan.
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I love Steve’s expression as plays his new mandolin.

[Note: Last two purloined from Facebook.]

Beer Birthday: Geno Acevedo

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Today is the 64th birthday of Geno Acevedo, who was the head brewer and co-owner of El Toro Brewing in Morgan Hill, California. Geno made one of my favorite Oatmeal Stouts, along with many other fine beers, but unfortunately the brewery is now closed, sad to say, but I think he’s working on something new in Alaska. Still, join me in wishing Geno a very happy birthday.

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Geno Acevedo, with his wife Cindy, at the Boonville Beer Festival several years ago.
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Geno at the beginning of GABF’s Saturday evening session in 2007.
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Geno and Cindy Acevedo at GABF in 2006.
Jason Chavez (when he was still with Seabright, now he has his own place, Kelsey Creek Brewing), Dave Heist, from HopTown Brewing, and Cindy and Gino Acevedo at GABF in 2002.

Beer Birthday: Nico Freccia

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Today is Nico Freccia’s 61st birthday. Nico is the co-founder of 21st Amendment Brewery & Restaurant. Nico also used to write for the Celebrator, too. His current title with 21st Amendment is “Chief Watermelon Officer.” Join me in wishing Nico a very happy birthday.

Shaun and Nico at their 21st Anniversary party a couple of years ago.
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Nico (center) with his 21st Amendment partner Shaun and a disgruntled knife-wielding maniac employee at their 6th anniversary picnic and party.
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Shaun O’Sullivan and Dave Keene with Nico at 21A’s can release party held at the Toronado.
Greg Koch with Nico Freccia, from 21st Amendment
With Greg Koch, from Stone Brewing, at Falling Rock during GABF in 2009.
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Adrienne McMullen with Nico and, presumably, a volunteer, all sporting their watermelon wheat chapeaus at the Alaska Barleywine Festival several Januarys ago.

Beer Birthday: Collin McDonnell

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Today is the 40th birthday — The Big 4-O — of Collin McDonnell, co-founder and brewmaster for HenHouse Brewing. Collin used to brew for Drake’s, and in 2011 began moonlighting with his own brewery, HenHouse, before cutting the cord and concentrating on only his own venture, along with partners Scott Goyne and Shane Goepel. After starting in part-time space they could only use on the weekends, they moved into an Alternating Proprietorship with Petaluma Hills Brewing, but now have their own brewery, and tasting room, in southern Santa Rosa, plus took over Petaluma Hills Brewing former brewing space as their own for another taproom. Collin, and HenHouse, makes terrific beer, and I love Collin’s opinionated twitter presence. Please join me in wishing Collin a very happy birthday.

Me and Collin at the brewery before Covid.

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Collin showing me around HenHouse’s original brewery in downtown Petaluma in early March 2013.

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Collin with the HenHouse gang at the SF Beer Week opening gala in 2014.

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Collin doing his “I’m the king of the world” impression. (Purloined from Facebook.)

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The Henhouse Three, with Collin at the right, from a press photo.

Beer Birthday: Terence Sullivan

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Today is the 58th birthday of Terence Sullivan, the former Field Educator and assistant brewmaster at Sierra Nevada Brewing, though he recently had a new title bestowed on him: Product Manager. He’s been with the brewery nearly forever, and in recent years has become one of their ambassadors, traveling the country representing the brewery at numerous events, as well as coordinating Beer Camp. He’s also a terrific person and a great guy to have a pint (or six) with. Join me in wishing Terence a very happy birthday.

Me and Terence at GABF in 2024.
Terence and me at a Sierra Nevada beer dinner a few years ago.
Brian Grossman, Tom Peters and Terence Sullivan outside Monk's
Brian Grossman, Tom Peters and Terence outside Monk’s Cafe during Philly Beer Week 2010.
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Giving a tour of the brewery during our SF Beer Week beer camp in December 2010.
Pi Bar's Rich Rosen with Sierra Nevada Brewery's Terence Sullivan at Sierra Night
Pi Bar’s Rich Rosen with Terence Sullivan at Sierra Night at Pi Bar during SF Beer Week 2011 (photo purloined from Beer by BART’s Steve & Gail, from their Flickr Photostream).
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Me and Terence on stage at the Chico Beer Camps Across American festival several years ago, raising a toast to Fraggle.
Terence, W. Dan Houck, Dave Suurballe and me at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2013.
Me, Terence and Julian Shrago at Trumer in 2018.

Beer Birthday: Kei Weaver

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Today is the birthday of fellow Bay Area beer writer Kei Weaver, who’s a neighbor in the next town over. If I’ve done my math correctly, today is his 44th birthday. Kei used to work for Rate Beer, and was also on the staff of All About Beer magazine until they folded. He also wrote The Northern California Craft Beer Guide, with photographs by his lovely wife Anneliese Schmidt. Believe it or not, Kei has a degree in physics from Cornell but chucked it all to follow his heart and preference for writing and good beer. Physics’ loss is beer’s gain, although he’s mostly out of the beer world at this point, concentrating instead on his fine art. Join me in wishing Kei a very happy birthday.

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At Fred Abercrombie’s Craft Beerd’s book launch party at Taps. Left to right; Fred Abercrombie, Kei Weaver, Anneliese Schmidt, Joe and Ron Lindenbusch, from Lagunitas.
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Kei and Sean Paxton at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2010 (purloined from Facebook).
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At a North American Guild of Beer Writers meet-up at Breckenridge Brewing during GABF 2012, with Kei and me, dead center.
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At Lagunitas for Tom Acitelli’s book release party a few years ago, with Joe Tucker, Jeremy Marshall, me, Tom and Kei.
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My favorite photo of Kei, at the Firestone Walker Invitational a few years ago.

Beer Birthday: Jim Woods

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Today is maybe the 44th birthday of Jim Woods, founder of MateVeza, an organic brewer headquartered in San Francisco. I first met Jim when we were classmates at U.C. Davis for the brewing short course before he launched his unique business. All Jim’s beers are made with Yerba Mate, a South American herb that’s similar to tea. Technically, it’s part of the holly family, but contains caffeine and the leaves are used like tea. It works surprisingly well as a spice in beer. Several years ago now, Jim opened the Cervecería de MateVeza, a small brewpub in San Francisco, right next to a corner of Dolores Park. Rebranded as Woods Beer, there are now five locations in San Francisco and Oakland.

Jim also puts on the Beerunch one morning (usually a Sunday) during SF Beer Week, the last few years at the Public House at the Giants’ stadium. Join me in wishing Jim a very happy birthday.

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Jim at the Cervecería de MateVeza in San Francisco.
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Jim at his Beerunch during SF Beer Week in 2010.
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Jim and Matt Coelho at GABF 2008.
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Jim at his Beerunch in 2011.

Beer Birthday: Mike “Tasty” McDole

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Today would have been the birthday of Mike “Tasty” McDole, homebrewer extraordinaire, and one time co-host of “The Jamil Show,” or “Can You Brew It?” and also was a regular on the “Sunday Show” on The Brewing Network. Tasty would never refer to himself that way, and on Twitter he claimed to be simply a “homebrewer and a craft beer enthusiast.” But most of us who knew him would, as he also admits, “make [him] out to be much more.” And that is correct, I believe, as Tasty was one of the best. He’s a former Longshot winner, has given talks at the National Homebrew Convention and has won countless awards and had collaborated with numerous commercial breweries on beers. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of years ago after battling cancer. Join me in raising a toast to Tasty’s memory.

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With Justin Crossley at the Bistro Double IPA Festival in 2010.

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With Shaun O’Sullivan at 21st Amendment in 2009.

Vic Krajl, from The Bistro, Award-Winning Homebrewer Mike McDole & Shaun O'Sullivan, from 21st Amendment
Vic Krajl, from The Bistro, Mike & Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment at GABF in 2009.

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Tasty at GABF in Denver in 2014.

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And a couple of years ago, 21st Amendment Brewery released Tasty IPA in collaboration with Mike.

Beer Birthday: Pete Slosberg

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Today is my good friend Pete Slosberg’s 75th birthday . Pete is, of course, best known for Pete’s Wicked Ales. After that he toyed with the idea of making barbecue but decided instead to make some incredible chocolates and had a small company, Cocoa Pete’s. A few years ago, I traveled to South America with Pete (where we took to calling him “El Pete“), where we both spoke and judged beer at a beer conference/competition in Argentina, the South Beer Cup, and then flew to Brazil to attend a pair of beer dinners Stephen Beaumont was hosting and for a while he was working on Mavericks, a newish line of canned session beers, along with Half Moon Bay Brewing, but is now doing some occasional consulting and doing a lot of traveling with his wife Amy looking for the next adventure … or sour beer. Join me wishing Pete a very happy birthday!

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This was taken the first time I met Pete, over twenty-five years ago at the KQED Beer and Food Festival in San Francisco, when I was more or less still a civilian. It was after I’d written my first book on beer, but before I started working as the beer buyer for BevMo.
Pete & Amy Slosberg with Shaun O'Sullivan
Pete with his wife Amy and Shaun O’Sullivan, from 21st Amendment, at one of Sean Paxton’s beer dinners during SF Beer Week several years ago.
Pete Slosberg, helping out for the day, shows off a finished bottle
Working the bottling line at Russian River Brewing, with a bottle of Consecration.
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Matt Bonney, from Brouwer’s, Stephen Beaumont, Sean Paxton, Pete and Rick Sellers, then from Odonata at the Bistro Double IPA Festival.
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Pete with his wife Amy and Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf at one of Bruce Paton’s beer dinners at the Cathedral Hill Hotel in February 2006.
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Martin Boan, who organized and ran the South Beer Cup, with Pete in Buenos Aires.
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Pete, with Edu Passarelli (owner of Melograno), Stephen Beaumont and me after a beer dinner at Edu’s place in Sao Paulo.

Beer Birthday: Dow Tunis

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Today is the 63rd birthday of Dow Tunis. I can’t remember when I first met Dow, but it was a while ago. He’s been in the beer world almost as long as me. He’s currently the Bay Area Manager for New Glory Brewing of Sacramento, but he’s worn a lot of hats over the years.  For example, he used to be the Director of Bus Development for Fieldwork Brewing, National Sales Manager for Bear Republic, CEO of Half Moon Bay Brewing, Vice-President for Business Development at Drake’s Brewing, the GM of the Bear’s Lair Pub, and the GM of the legendary 20 Tank Brewery in San Francisco. So he’s seen it all, and has managed to keep his sense of humor. He’s a great guy to share a pint with. Join me wishing Dow a very happy birthday.

Dow with Homer at the Oak Barrel.
Sandwiched between Vic from The Bistro and John Martin, from Drake’s and Triple Rock.
Again with John Martin, but a few years earlier, just a few.