Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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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.

Beer Birthday: Colin Kaminski

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Today is the 60th birthday — The Big 6-O — of Colin Kaminski, who for over a decade had been the brewmaster of Downtown Joe’s in Napa, California. He started brewing there around 1998, and after four years learning from Brian Hunt and others, he became the head brewer in 2003. He’s gone on to give many presentations on brewing and write technical articles on brewing, besides being the co-author of Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers, along with John Palmer, which was published in 2014. Colin was also kind enough to give a talk about brewing water to my class a few years ago. Currently he’s the R&D Designer at More Beer. Join me in wishing Colin a very happy birthday.

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Colin behind the bar at Downtown Joe’s.
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Colin, at right, with Kimberly Wood and the Homebrew Chef, Sean Paxton at GABF in 2009.
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Colin, front and center, with the Downtown Joe’s crew visiting Anchor Brewing.
[Note: first three photos purloined from Colin’s Facebook page.]
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Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers

Beer Birthday: Tom Dalldorf

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Today is Celebrator publisher Tom Dalldorf’s 83rd birthday. Since he was famous for having his picture in the Celebrator and being at every beer event, I figured the Bulletin should be no different, despite his slowing down a bit these days. Join me in wishing Tom a very happy birthday.

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Tom at the Mardi Gras-themed Celebrator anniversary party in 2007.
At Trumer for the Celebrator anniversary party in 2018.
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Raising a toast with Full Sail brewer John Harris.
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Huddling up with the owner’s of Monk’s Cafe in Philadelphia, Fergie and Tom.
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Mine’s bigger. Russian River’s Vinne Cilurzo with Tom in D.C.
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Looking like a deer caught in the headlights at the roast I threw for Tom when he turned sixty. That’s Stephen Beaumont on the left and me on the right.
At Boonville, taking the Rubicon kegerator bike for a spin.
At Boonville in 2006 with then-Anderson Valley Brewery owner Ken Allen.

Beer Birthday: Ron Lindenbusch

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Today is the 64th birthday of Ron Lindenbusch, who had been with the Lagunitas Brewery since the very beginning. I first met Ron and founder Tony Magee when I visited the brewery in its original location in the mid-1990s. Ron had been a huge part of bringing the brewery along to where it is today, and is a terrific person and a good friend. More recently, he’s retired from Lagunitas, and is now full-time at what had originally been a side project, reopening the old location of the original Mendocino Brewing Co. site as the Hopland Tap and Grill in Hopland, California, but even more recently he’s closed that down, as well, and is working with the Best Day Brewing line of N/A beers. Join me in wishing Ron a very happy birthday.

Closing weekend last year at the Hopland Tap & Grill, with my Wife Sarah, Ron, and Pat Mace.
A random run-in during CBC in Nashville.
Another random run-in, this time at my local gas station, of all places.
Tweetup organizer Ashley, a.k.a. The Beer Wench, with Ron Lindenbusch, from Lagunitas
The Beer Wench, Ashley Routson, with Ron at a Tweet-Up at Lagunitas a couple of years ago.
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At a beer dinner at Horizons in Marin County, with Dean Biersch and Lynn, the chef at Hopmonk Tavern, Dean’s then-new venture in Sebastopol.
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Ron with Lagunitas owner Tony Magee’s sister Karen, who rep’s Lagunitas in the Chicago area, at SAVOR several years ago in Washington, D.C.
Ron Lindenbusch, Shaun O'Sullivan, Zambo, Rich Rosen, me, Sarah, Lloyd Knight, Dave Suurballe and James Renfrew
Ron, with Shaun O’Sullivan, Zambo, Rich Rosen, me, Sarah, Lloyd Knight, Dave Suurballe and James Renfrew at Anchor’s annual Christmas Party a few years ago.

Beer Birthday: Charlie Bamforth

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Today is the 73rd birthday of Charlie Bamforth, who was the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Brewing Science at U.C. Davis (and was my teacher when I took the brewing short course there). His three most recent books should be on your must read list: In Praise of Beer, Beer Is Proof That God Loves Us and Grape vs. Grain. He’s a terrific advocate for beer and a great person. He was also kind enough to speak to beer appreciation class that I taught at Sonoma State University and our Beer Writers Guild symposium a few years ago in Philadelphia. Join me in wishing Charlie a very happy birthday.

Coming back from some beer judging in London a few summers ago, I randomly ended up on the same flight back to San Francisco with Charlie, in fact I sat behind him on the plane.

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Charlie with John Dannerbeck from Anchor Brewing, at a reception held there for the launch of Charlie’s new book.

Speakers at the Symposium: Bruce Paton, Christine Hastorf, Fritz Maytag and Charlie Bamforth
Charlie with fellow speakers at the Herbst Museum Symposium a few years ago, from left: Bruce Paton, Christine Hastorf, Fritz Maytag and Charlie.

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Charlie speaking at the first North American Guild of Beer Writers Symposium in Philadelphia in May of 2016.

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Charlie being courted by both wine and beer on his publisher’s blog, Cambridge University Press.

Charlie and me after he gave a talk in 2018.

Beer Birthday: Todd Ashman

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Today is also the birthday of Todd Ashman, who turns 65. Todd is originally from Santa Rosa, but spent a number of years brewing at Flossmoor Station near Chicago, and then short stints at Titletown Brewing in Green Bay, Wisconsin and with Brewers Supply Group. Several years ago, Todd moved back to California to take a position brewing with a then-new brewery in Truckee, Fifty Fifty Brewing, which he’d made into an amazing brewing powerhouse. Some health issues sidelined Todd for a time, and he’s moved back to Santa Rosa, but I did see him at our local Target during Covid and he’s working on a few things. Join me in wishing Todd a very happy birthday.

Peter Hoey, at left, then with Sacramento Brewing, and Todd at the 2007 Northern California Homebrew Festival.
Todd Ashman, from Fifty Fifty Brewing
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Todd at Hair of the Dog during OBF in 2007.
Todd receiving a medal during GABF 2002.