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Beer Birthday: Joe Tucker

March 13, 2025 By Jay Brooks

rate-beer
Today is the 57th birthday of Joe Tucker, the Executive Director at Rate Beer. He used to run the website from his Vineyard bunker in Sonoma, California, although a couple of years ago he relocated to the Rose city of Portland. Because I’m in the Bay Area, I used to run into Joe from time to time, and usually at the annual hop picking day at Moonlight Brewing, though we flew to San Diego together a few Decembers ago to visit Stone Brewing, too. More recently, he asked me to be the Emcee for the Rate Beer Best awards held in late January in Santa Rosa, which was great fun. Unfortunately, ABI, who bought the platform a few years ago, recently announced they were shutting it down. Join me in wishing Joe a very happy birthday.

Vinnie Cilurzo, me and Joe at the Pliny the Elder release a few years ago at Russian River Brewing.

Rate Beer's Hop Press staff
Joe with some of the Hop Press staff — Ken, Ashley, Mario and Mark — at Triple Rock’s Sour Fest 2010.

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At Fred Abercrombie’s Craft Beerd’s book launch party at Taps. Left to right; Fred Abercrombie, Ken Weaver, Anneliese Schmidt, Joe and Ron Lindenbusch, from Lagunitas.

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The day after we tried all of Stone’s Vertical Epic’s in San Diego; with Steve Wagner, me, Joe, Jason and Todd Alstrom and Greg Koch.

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Joe and me at the RateBeer Best festival in Santa Rosa a few years ago.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: California, Northern California, Oregon, Websites

Beer Birthday: Tonya Cornett

March 4, 2025 By Jay Brooks


Today is Tonya Cornett’s 56th birthday. Tonya was the brewmaster of Bend Brewing in Oregon, for a number of years, but several years back moved to another Bend brewery — 10 Barrel Brewing — to become their R&D brewer. She was featured prominently in the film, The Love of Beer, and more recently Beers of Joy. Tonya’s a great brewer and, of course, being born 1 day and ten years after me makes her a terrific human being, too. Join me in wishing Tonya a very happy birthday.

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Tonya and me during a visit to Bend a couple of summers ago.

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Tonya at GABF in 2008.

Tonya Cornett, from Bend Brewing, with Larry Horwitz from Iron Hill
Tonya with Larry Horwitz from Iron Hill at the 2009 GABF.

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With Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/The Lost Abbey at Falling Rock in Denver.
(Special thanks to Sage from the Lost Abbey for photos 2 and 4.)

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Elva Ellen Kowald, Tonya and Teri Fahrendorf at the Craft Brewers Conference in Chicago.

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Tonya and Megan Flynn, former publisher of Beer West, then-Beer Northwest, at GABF in 2010.

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Meeting for a quick beer in Bend a few years back.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon

Beer Birthday: Art Larrance

February 26, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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Today would have been the 81st birthday of Art Larrance, co-founder of the Oregon Brewers Festival, and also a co-founder of Portland Brewing, too. Unfortunately, Art passed away last year. Art also started the Raccoon Lodge, in 1998, and then launched the Cascade Barrel Brewing House to concentrate on sour beers. In 2012, Art was named Restaurateur of the Year by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. But I know him best for his continuing work on OBF, which he’d been doing since the beginning of time, or at least 1988. Join me in raising a toast to Art.

Rick Lyke, me, Art and Charles Willet at OBF in 2011.
Pedicab leading the OBF Parade with Grand Marshall Fred Eckhardt and Art in 2011.
Jamie Emmerson, from Full Sail, with Art at the OBF Parade in 2009.
Art in 2009 with then-mayor of Portland Sam Adams.

Filed Under: Birthdays Tagged With: OBF, Oregon, Portland

Beer Birthday: Larry Sidor

February 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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Today is Larry Sidor’s 75th birthday. Larry brewed for a long time at the Olympia Brewery in Washington before moving on to Deschutes Brewing Co. in Bend, Oregon. He left Deschutes at the end of 2011 to strike out on his own, and opened the Crux Fermentation Project, which is also in Bend. Larry’s a great brewer, of course, and an even nicer person. Join me in wishing Larry a very happy birthday.

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Steven Pauwels (Boulevard Brewing), me, Mark Campbell, Larry and Lisa Morrison at Apex in Portland during OBF two summers ago.
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Larry with Alan Sprints (from Hair of the Dog) and Gary Fish (owner of Deschutes) at their downtown Bend brewpub when we visited there a few years ago on a family vacation.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon

Historic Beer Birthday: Henry Weinhard

February 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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Today is the birthday of Henry Weinhard (February 18, 1830-September 20, 1904). He was born in Württemberg, which today is in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, but moved to nearby Stuttgart where he was an apprentice brewer. According to Wikipedia, he was a German-American brewer in the state of Oregon. After emigrating to the United States in 1851, he lived in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and California before settling in the Portland, Oregon, area. He worked for others in the beer business before buying his own brewery and founded Henry Weinhard’s and built the Weinhard Brewery Complex in downtown Portland.”

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Here’s Weinhard’s obituary, from a 1904 newspaper, the Morning Oregonian.

Henry Weinhard, the pioneer brewer of the Pacific Coast, whose name has become a household word in Oregon, died at 11:10 o’clock last night at the age of 74 years. He was suffering from an attack of uremic coma, the third with which he has been seized in recent years, and for several days his life has been despaired of. The disease stopped the action of his kidneys three days ago and he had been unconscious during that period, except for a slight glimmer yesterday afternoon. The end came without struggle and apparently without pain.

Mr. Weinhard was a typical Western man, with all the social qualities of the Western man and German. He succeeded by close application to a business which he made one of the largest industries of the city with a fame extending beyond the bounds of the United States. He was ready to lend to the city and state for the promotion of the success of the community the energy and ability which had made his own success, and he readily contributed to every charitable and public enterprise. As disease has crept upon him with age, he has gradually entrusted his business more and more to his sons in law, who have associated with him from their early manhood, so that thee will be no break in the management of his great interests. The arrangements for his funeral will probably made today. As he was a Mason, the Masonic body will doubtless take a leading part in the ceremonies.

The story of Henry Weinhard’s life is the story of success achieved by a young German who came to the United States equipped with youth, energy and thorough knowledge of his business. Born at Lindenbrohn, Wurtemburg in 1830, he was educated there and was apprenticed to the brewing business. Then he determined to seek a broader field for his activity and in 1852 came to the United States. After being employed for four years at a brewery at Cincinatti, O., he came to the Pacific Coast by way of the isthmus in 1856. He first worked at his trade in Vancouver, Wash., for six months and then in 1857 moved to Portland and, in partnership with George Bottler, erected a brewery at Couch and Front streets.

The growth of the business did not satisfy him, and not long after sold his interest and returned to Vancouver. He finally settled in Portland in 1862, when he bought Henry Saxon’s business on First, near Davis street, but in the following year bought the site of his present plant at Twelfth and Burnside streets, together with the small buildings occupied by George Bottler’s small plant.

Since then his business has steadily grown until his beer has a market throughout the Pacific states and he has built up a large trade export. The capacity of the plant has been steadily enlarged until it now covers two and three quarters blocks and produces 100,000 barrels of beer a year, the refrigerating machines alone making 42 tons of ice a day. How rapidly the business has grown is indicated by the fact that the storage capacity has also been greatly enlarged. Mr. Weinhard was always progressive and never hesitated to adopt the latest improvements in his business, he was very conservative in his investments. He erected ice plants at Eugene and Roseburg in place of local breweries which he bought out, and storage buildings at Oregon City, Baker City and Aberdeen, all of which with the sites were his own property.

He had of late years made large investments in real estate, but they were all in Portland and the immediate vicinity, and he has covered his city property with valuable buildings, but he never began any of them until he had the money on hand to complete them, for he never went into debt. His largest buildings, in addition to the breweries and its various buildings are the large seven story building bounded by Oak and Pine, Fourth and Fifth streets, the second half of which is nearing completion; the Grand Central Hotel, five stories high, at Third and Flanders, streets; the five story Hohenstaufen building, 50 by 100 feet, at Fourth and Alder streets, a two story building, 50 by 100 feet, at Fourth and Madison streets, and a farm of 620 acres in Yamhill County, known as the Armstrong farm.

Mr. Weinhard married in 1859 Louise Wagenblast, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, who survives him, and by whom he had three children, one of them a boy died at the age of 2 1/2 years, on September 13,1862. His other children were Annie C. who married Paul Wessinger, the superintendent of the brewery, and Louise H., who is the wife of Henry Wagner, his accountant. Mrs. Wessinger is the mother of two children, a girl of nearly eighteen and a boy of sixteen and a half years, and Mrs. Wagner is the mother of a boy of ten years. His only other relatives in this country is Jacob Weinhard, a well to do maltster at Dayton, Wash., who is his nephew.

Mr. Weinhard was a member of the Willamette Lodge, A. F. & A. M. of Portland, and the Chamber of Commerce, Board of Trade and Manufacturers Association. He always took an active interest in all measures aimed at promoting the development of the state and was a liberal contributor to all public enterprises.

Oregon Historical Society Photographs Dept.

The Oregon Historical Society also has a biography of Weinhard and Brewery Gems also has a thorough history of the brewery.

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A view of the brewery in 1908.

And here’s part one of a three-part documentary about the brewery. This part tells the story from the brewery’s founding up through prohibition. Part two covers the Blitz merger through the 1970s, and part three is about what they call “The Premium Reserve Years,” presumably from the 1970s to the present of when the film was made, which looks like late eighties or nineties.

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Filed Under: Birthdays, Breweries, Just For Fun Tagged With: History, Oregon, Portland

Beer Birthday: Teri Fahrendorf

February 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks

pink-boots-society
Today is brewer Teri Fahrendorf‘s 29th birthday again. That number is pure conjecture, but it sure seems right for a woman who spent a year or so on the road, criss-crossing the United States twice visiting friends and colleagues in the brewing world. Sadly, I was out-of-town when she passed through the Bay Area that year. Teri was the brewmaster for the Steelhead Brewing chain for nearly two decades before leaving on her odyssey. You can relive that journey her Road Brewer adventures. She also founded the Pink Boots Society, an organization celebrating women in the brewing industry. More recently, she’s retired from brewing and creating wonderful pottery at her Rain Dragon Studio in Portland. Join me in wishing Teri a very happy birthday.

Ken Allen, former owner of Anderson Valley Brewing, and Teri at CBC in San Diego 2006.
After a panel discussion at GABF on women in brewing. From left: Carol Stoudt (from Stoudts Brewing), Jennifer Talley (from Squatter’s Pub Brewery), Natalie Cilurzo (from Russian River) and Teri Fahrendorf.
Teri Fahrendorf, then head of brewing operations for Steelhead accepting the Silver Medal for U.C.I.P.A. in Category: 14 Cellar or Unfiltered Beer at GABF.
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Teri behind the Steelhead Brewing booth at GABF in 2006.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon

Beer Birthday: Jamie Floyd

February 2, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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Today is the 53rd birthday of Jamie Floyd, co-owner/brewer of Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon. Jamie has been a fixture in the Oregon brewing scene for many years, having brewed at Steelhead Brewing, also in Eugene, before opening Ninkasi with Nikos Ridge in 2006. Join me in wishing Jamie a very happy birthday.

Jamie at Magnolia for SF Beer Week in 2011.

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At the Oregon Brewers Festival in 2006.

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Jamie, with John Maier, from Rogue Brewing, and Nikos Ridge, also from Ninkasi, at the Sasquatch Brew Fest in 2007.

Jamie Floyd, from Ninkasi Brewing
Jamie at GABF in 2011.

Justin Crossley (Brewing Network) & Jamie Floyd (Ninkasi)
Justin Crossley, of the Brewing Network, with Jamie at the Opening Gala for the 2010 SF Beer Week.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon

Beer Birthday: Jamie Emmerson

January 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks

full-sail-blue-circle
Today is the 62nd birthday of Jamie Emmerson, one of the founders, and the original brewmaster, of Full Sail Brewing. Now the Executive Brewmaster, Jamie steers the ship of Full Sail along with his wife and co-founder Irene. Jamie is a terrific person and active promoter of craft beer and the local beer community everywhere, but especially in Oregon. Join me in wishing Jamie a very happy birthday.

Jamie with Art Larrance at the OBF Parade in 2009.

Barney Brennan, me Jamie and Irene Fermat at SAVOR in Washington, DC a few years ago.

With the ceremonial hammer at the opening of OBF in 2008.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon

Beer Birthday: Jeff Alworth

January 18, 2025 By Jay Brooks

beervana
Today is the 57th birthday of Jeff Alworth, blogger extraordinaire at Beervana. Despite annual trips to Portland, it was years until the first time Jeff and I met, although we’d been corresponding with one another for many years. We sat down for a pint or three at one of my favorite Portland watering holes, Hair of the Dog. Jeff is one of the most thoughtful, engaging beer writers, and his book, The Beer Bible has become the gold standard, and more recently released version 2.0. Join me in wishing Jeff a very happy birthday.

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Jeff and Alan Sprints at Hair of the Dog Brewery.

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Jeff and Stan Hieronymus at CBC in Portland a few years back.

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Me and Jeff a few Augusts ago when he was in Marin County on his the first leg of his book tour for the Beer Bible.

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Jeff and John Harris at Don Younger’s wake (photo by Lisa Morrison).

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With Emily Sauter at the World Beer Awards judging in D.C. a few years ago.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon, Portland

Beer Birthday: Kurt Widmer

December 29, 2024 By Jay Brooks

widmer
Today is Kurt Widmer’s 72nd birthday. Kurt is, of course, one of the bros in Widmer Brothers. He and his brother Rob helped found the Oregon Brewers Festival, created the style American Hefeweizen and are one of the few small brewers that have managed to retain their spirit and reputation as they’ve grown much larger. A few years ago, Kurt announced that he would be retiring, which hopefully he’s enjoying to the fullest. Join me in wishing Kurt a very happy birthday.

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Kurt (at left) and Rob Widmer with their wives at the Oregon Brewers Festival several years ago.

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Kurt and Rob after their win for Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year at GABF in 2002.

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Gary Fish, Kurt and beer writer Fred Eckhardt at Don Younger’s memorial (photo by Tom Dalldorf).

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Rob and Kurt Widmer accepting the gavel in July 2007 from Jack Joyce and John Maier from Rogue, for 2008 when that next year they hosted OBF.

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Ray, Kurt and Ron Widmer at the start of the brewery.

Filed Under: Birthdays, Just For Fun Tagged With: Oregon, Portland

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