Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Mario Celotto

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Today is the 69th birthday of Mario Celotto, who founded Humboldt Brewing Co., along with his brother Vince, after his career as a professional football player with four teams, including the Oakland Raiders the season they won the super bowl in 1981. While I normally communicated with Vince, who was at the brewery day-to-day, I met Mario on a couple of occasions, including a memorable lunch in Oakland in the late 1990s. He always seemed like a great guy to me, and he did hire Steve Parkes, who created their wonderful Red Nectar Ale, one of best amber ales I’ve ever tasted. Anyway, join me in wishing Mario a very happy birthday.

This is the biography listed on the brewery’s website back in the 1990s:

Mario is the company’s founder and serves as its President. Prior to founding the company, he played professional football and was a member of the 1980 Oakland Raider Super Bowl championship team. Mario studied public relations at the University of Southern California, where he also played on the USC National Championship football sqad. After college he worked in mortgage banking and public relations. In 1987, Mario opened the Humboldt Brewing Company brew pub and restaurant.

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This is the description of Red Nectar from Humboldt Brewing’s website in 1999:

Red Nectar is an American Ale with a deep reddish copper color and sweet malty notes from English crystal malt. The crystal malt comprises nearly 15% of the grist and gives our Red a toasted caramel flavor and a residual sweetness and malty aroma which melds with the strawberry esters of our own strain of ale yeast. We use two-row Harrington-Klages pale malt, a superior blend of ale malt, and in all our beers we add a small proportion of Pacific Northwest Malted white wheat. This aids in head retention and lacing in the glass. Red Nectar is brewed with Chinook hops for bittering, Willamette in the middle for a rounded hop flavor and Mt. Hood and Cascade in the finish for a delicate floral/spicy aroma and flavor.

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Mario, when he was a linebacker for USC.
Mario more recently at a Raiders charity bowling event in Las Vegas.

Beer Birthday: Claudia Pamparana

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Today is the 51st birthday of Claudia Pamparana, arguably the unsung hero of Faction Brewing in Alameda, California. I first met Claudia when she worked at 21st Amendment, and I clearly remember when she started dating Rodger Davis, who’s now her business partner at Faction and husband. I especially recall Rodger being very … well, Rodger, at the Falling Rock during GABF and drunk-dialing Claudia to tell her he loved her. Happily, for him, she reciprocated, and they were married in 2006. As great a brewer that Rodger is, if it weren’t for Claudia’s calm and hard work, who knows where Faction would be today. Join me in wishing Claudia a very happy birthday.

Visiting Faction in 2017.
 Claudia with Rodger and me at the California Beer Summit in 2018.
On stage with Rodger picking up a medal for The Penske File st GABF.
Rodger and Claudia at an event in Santa Rosa

Beer Birthday: Rod DeWitt

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Today is my friend Rod DeWitt’s 68th birthday. Rod is the Director of Plant Engineering & Process Control at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville. Rod also played drums in the Rolling Boil Blues Band. Join me is wishing Rod a very happy birthday.

Rod and me at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2006.
At the Mammoth Lakes Bluesapalooza in 2007. From left: Marc Cohen, Rod, Tom Dalldorf, Bruce Joseph and Ken Hickmott.
Rod DeWitt, on the roof showing me the view depicted on every bottle of Anderson Valley Brewing during a private tour in May of 2006.

Beer Birthday: Steve Donohue

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Today is the 54th birthday of Steve Donohue, former brewmaster at Firehouse Grill & Brewery in Sunnyvale, California. Steve is an unsung brewer who deserves more accolades and fame. After Firehouse, He spent some time brewing at Hermitage Brewing while working on opening his own place. Steve’s brewery, Santa Clara Valley Brewing finally did open and, not surprisingly, seemed to be going gangbusters, but unfortunately he closed during the pandemic. Join me in wishing Steve a very happy birthday.

Steve with Peter Cogan from the Tied House, during the 2009 Celebrator party.
Hermitage assistant brewer, Steve, Peter Licht and me during a visit to the Hermitage Brewery in San Jose several years ago.
Steve at last year’s 22nd Celebrator anniversary party at the end of SF Beer Week.
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Pete Slosberg with Steve.
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Steve Altimari, brewer at High Water Brewing, Steve and Steve Shapiro, from Beer by Bart.

Note: Last two photos purloined from Facebook, taken by Arie Litman.

Beer Birthday: Jim Jacobs

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Today is the 62nd birthday of Jim Jacobs, who for many years was doing various things at Lagunitas Brewing, most recently as Director of Community Giving. He also helped create the legendary Lagunitas Beer Circus. In his spare time he works with the Petaluma Music Festival and is also the drummer in the Smokehouse Gamblers. Plus, he’s ben a great friend to both me and craft beer over the years. Join me in wishing Jimmy a very happy birthday.

Me and Jimmy at his 60th birthday party.
The Smokehouse Gamblers.

Beer Birthday: Mark Ruedrich

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Today is the 74th birthday of Mark Ruedrich, co-owner, and original brewer, of North Coast Brewing in Fort Bragg. Mark was a marine biologist who discovered good beer while living in England. Looking for a spot to build a brewery in Northern California, he was drawn to the tidal pools around Fort Bragg, and built a mini-beer empire there beginning in 1988. His Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout was one of the first truly great world-class beers made by early American microbreweries and helped put the nascent industry on the map. Plus he’s great fun to share a pint with. He’s retired now from the brewery, but his legacy continues to pour great beer. Join me in wishing Mark a very happy birthday.

A promotion shot of Mark in front of the old brewery with the new facility across the street in the background.
North Coast brewer Ken Kelley with Mark at the brewery a few years ago.
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Mark with North Coast co-owner Tom Allen at GABF in 2006.

Beer Birthday: Steve Grossman

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Today is the 72nd birthday of Steve Grossman, a former Beer Ambassador at Sierra Nevada, and co-founder Ken Grossman’s older brother. “Steve grew up in Southern California, where he and his younger brother Ken learned about the art of home brewing. Steve continued to homebrew throughout college, and when Ken founded Sierra Nevada in 1980, Steve’s passion for craft beer was immediately put to good use. In the early years of the brewery, he helped establish the Southern California distribution network, and was involved in direct sales. For a time, Steve worked with Sierra Nevada’s international export program, and served as an ambassador and spokesperson for the brewery both domestically and abroad. Steve was also the director of the brewery’s wildly popular Beer Camp, which brings people to Sierra Nevada for a unique and intensive hands-on beer education.” Steve was a terrific ambassador not just for Sierra Nevada but for craft beer more generally, though more recently he’s retired and enjoying his golden (ale) years. Join me in wishing Steve a very happy birthday.

Sierra Nevada head brewer Steve Dressler with Steve at GABF in 2006.

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Steve manning the Sierra Nevada bike bar at GABF in 2010.
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Steve checking out some hops at Beer Camp #93.
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Steve at an event at Four Point Sheraton in L.A. (purloined from Facebook)

Beer Birthday: Jamil Zainasheff

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Today is the 64th birthday of former homebrewer extraordinaire Jamil Zainasheff, who over the last ten plus years had become something of a rock star in the homebrewing community, and especially the Bay Area. He’s also the co-author two books on beer and homebrewing: “Brewing Classic Styles: 80 Winning Recipes Anyone Can Brew” (with John Palmer) and “Yeast: The Practical Guide to Beer Fermentation” (with Chris White). In addition, he hosts the Jamil Show on The Brewing Network and has a website online entitled Mr. Malty. Jamil also turned pro a number of years ago, starting his own commercial brewery, Heretic Brewing, which is now located in Fairfield, California. And they began making gin, too, which is very tasty. More recently the brewery was sold, and even more recently, Jamil announced he is not working at the brewery anymore, but I’m confident he’s be starting a new adventure soon. Join me in wishing Jamil a very happy birthday.

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Jamil and me judging the finals at the Toronado Barleywine festival in 2007.
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Jamil and me at Anchor Brewery a few years ago.
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Jamil with Rodger Davis at Faction Brewing in May a couple of yeas ago. (Photo by Nathan Smith, purloined from Facebook.)

Historic Beer Birthday: Steve Harrison

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Today would have been longtime Sierra Nevada employee Steve Harrison’s 74th birthday. Unfortunately, Steve passed away in August of 2007. He was Sierra Nevada employee number one, and was responsible for a lot of their early success. I first got to know Steve in the mid-1990s when I was the chain beer buyer at BevMo. He was a terrific person and universally respected and beloved in the industry. Sierra Nevada had to hire two or three people to take over his responsibilities. Join me in raising a glass of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to Steve’s memory today. Here’s to you, Steve.

The last time I saw Steve was at a CSBA meeting in San Diego in 2007, though we talked on the phone a few more times after that because he’d asked me to do some freelance work for him shortly after that CSBA meeting. You can almost make him out in the photo below. He’s in the middle, toward the back, in a blue shirt. He’s in between Tom McCormick (in a green shirt) and a man in a black shirt raising his glass below the giant boulder in the background.

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CSBA Meeting at Stone Brewing in San Diego in 2007.

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A very young Steve, at right, with Michael Jackson and Lou. (Photo by Tom Dalldorf, from the Celebrator Beer News.)
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The Steve Harrison Memorial Arch, which is at the northern entrance to the Steve Harrison Bike Path, which is located not very far from the brewery in Chico. (The photo was taken in 2010 by Jack Peters, and sent to me by Miles Jordan. Thank you, gentlemen.)
“Karl Ockert, BridgePort’s original brewmaster, is seen in the center of this photograph from 1985 when BridgePort was still known as Columbia River Brewery. Flanking him are other figures from Portland’s craft brewery vanguard. From left, Steve Harrison, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.; Fred Eckhardt, beer columnist; Fred Bowman, Portland Brewing Co.; Paul Shipman, Independent Brewing Co.; Karl Ockert, Columbia River Brewery; Tom Baune, Hart Brewing Co.; Jim Temple, General Brewing Co.; Mike McMenamin, McMenamins; and Kurt Widmer, Widmer Brewing Co.” [From the Multnomah County Library.]

And here’s his obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle.

And this oddity is an ad for the Italian Cottage Restaurant in Chico, inexplicably featuring Steve that ran, once as far as I can tell, in the Enterprise Record, also of Chico.

Beer Birthday: Michael Frenn

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Today is the 67th birthday of Michael Frenn, who owned/owns Old Hangtown Brewing Co. of Placerville. An avid homebrewer, Michael turned his impressive backyard brewery into a small commercial nano-brewery in 2010, selling primarily kegs in the local area. I think I first met Michael at the NCHF in 2007. Originally working in the medical field, I believe he’s closed down the commercial side of the brewery and is now working as a Disaster Medical Specialist, something we definitely need in today’s climate of wildfires. But I suspect he’s still homebrewing in his backyard. Join me in wishing Michael a very happy birthday.

Michael in his backyard brewery.
Which was a quite impressive set-up.
The original logo.
The infamous “Ale Camino,” an El Camino tricked out with two taps that worked.