Brookston Beer Bulletin

Jay R. Brooks on Beer

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Beer Birthday: Chris Cramer

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Today is the 65th birthday of Chris Cramer, who co-founded the Karl Strauss Brewing Co. along with his cousin, Karl Strauss, and Matt Rattner. They opened the first brewpub in San Diego, known as the Karl Strauss Old Columbia Brewery and Grille, and today they have nine locations, including a large brewing facility. Chris has also been very active with the CCBA over the years and has been a great advocate for both San Diego and California craft beer. Plus, he’s fun to share a beer with. Join me in wishing Chris a very happy birthday.

Chris and me at GABF a couple of years back.
Me with Chris and John Martin, from Drake’s and Triple Rock, at Trumer in Berkeley during SF Beer Week.

Beer Birthday: Pat McIlhenney

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Today is the 72nd birthday of Pat McIlhenney, brewmaster and founder of Alpine Beer Co. near San Diego. Pat made some amazing hoppy beers. Unfortunately, his beers are hard to find up our way, and then his brewery was acquired by Green Flash Brewing several years ago, who eventually shut it down. Happily, he started McIlhenney Brewing, along with family members Shawn, Jamie and Val McIlhenney, and has subsequently retired.  Join me in wishing Pat a very happy birthday.

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Pat manning his booth at the Firestone Walker Invitational several years back.
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Pat at GABF in 2008.
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Pat at the Boonville Beer Festival, also in 2008.
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Pat with Tomme Arthur at the inaugural Firestone Walker Invitational several years ago.

Beer Birthday: Steve Wagner

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Today is Steve Wagner’s 68th birthday. Steve is a co-founder of Stone Brewing and the former president of the California Craft Brewers Association. In the late 1980s, Steve was a member of the band “The Balancing Act,” who put out several albums on I.R.S. Records, then he just presided over one of the most successful microbreweries in the U.S. for quite af ew years, but after being acquired, he has retired and hopefully just enjoying his himself. Join me in wishing Steve a very happy birthday.

Mitch Steele, Stone Brewing’s brewmaster, with Steve, at CBC when it was in Austin, Texas.
The Stone crew: Arlan Arnsten, Steve and Greg Koch at CBC in San Diego 2008.
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With Stone Brewing co-founder Greg Koch in a publicity shot (by John Schulz Photography).
The day after we tried all of Stone’s Vertical Epic’s in San Diego; with Steve, me, Joe Tucker, Jason and Todd Alstrom and Greg Koch.
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Lee Chase with Steve on April 14, 1999 celebrating their first bottling run on their then new Maheen bottler. [Note: photos purloined from Stone Brewing’s website.]

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: Paul Segura

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Today is the 60th birthday — The Big 6-O — of Paul Segura, who is the brewmaster at Karl Strauss Brewing Co., a position he’s held for the past twenty-five years. Before that he brewed at Hops! Bistro & Brewery and Hang Ten Brewing. In addition to brewing, Paul is also a co-host on The 91X Beer for Breakfast Show and was an instructor for the UCSD Professional Certificate in Brewing. Plus he’s a great ambassador for beer in San Diego. Join me in wishing Paul a very happy birthday.

Paul giving a tour during CBC in 2008.
Picking up an award at GABF in 2015.
Paul and Bruce Joseph from Anchor Brewing.
Last two photos purloined from Facebook.

Beer Birthday: Chuck Silva

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Today is also the birthday of Chuck Silva, former brewmaster at Green Flash Brewing in San Diego. His West Coast IPA took the world by storm, and personally, I loved his Tripel and Le Freak. The big, shiny new brewery they built was also pretty amazing, but sadly the honeymoon didn’t last too long. Eventually Chuck wanted to create something of his own, and so he opened Silva Brewing Company in the Central Coast of California, around his native San Luis Obispo area in Paso Robles. Unfortunately, after eight years, Chuck closed down the brewery two years back, and I haven’t heard yet what he’s doing now. Join me in wishing Chuck a very happy birthday.

Chuck at GABF several years ago.

The beer chef, Bruce Paton, with Chuck at one his beer dinners in 2008.
Chuck at Mammoth Lakes Bluesapalooza in 2007.
Chuck serving the symposium beer at Stone Brewing during Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego in 2008.

Beer Birthday: Mitch Steele

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Today is the 64th birthday of Mitch Steele, former production manager/head brewer at Stone Brewing. Mitch started out at the tiny San Andreas Brewery in Hollister, California but spent a number of years at one of the much larger Budweiser breweries when he brewed for Anheuser-Busch, before finding a home at Stone. More recently, created something of his own in Atlanta, Georgia, New Realm Brewing, but just announced he was moving into a more advisory role and is looking for new opportunities to pursue. He’s obviously a terrific brewer but is also a great person and a close friend, too. He has been my roomie for GABF judging a couple of years ago and is also the author of IPA: Brewing Techniques, Recipes and the Evolution of India Pale Ale. He’s a big advocate for craft beer and always willing to help out a fellow brewer or homebrewer. Join me in wishing Mitch a very happy birthday.

Mitch with Stone co-founder Steve Wagner at the Craft Brewers Conference in 2007.
Mitch picking up his 3rd Place award on the floor of GABF 2009 for Stone’s Levitation Ale on cask at a special judging at the Great British Beer Festival in 2009 (and which I had the pleasure to judge).
etsy Hensley, Judy Ashworth, Mitch, Brendan Moylan & Bruce Paton at the Celebrator’s 22nd Anniversary Party.
Judy Ashworth, Bill Millar, Mitch and Vic Kralj in front of the Bistro at the IPA Festival in 2007.
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Pete Slosberg, Marty Velas, George Reisch and Mitch at Grillshack Fries and Burgers in Nashville during CBC.
Mitch and 21st Amendment brewer Shaun O’Sullivan practicing their pointing during a collaboration brew in 2008 in San Francisco.
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And no birthday post is complete without a blast from the past. Here’s Mitch’s high school prom photo in all its living color glory. It’s from Northgate High School Class of 1980 in Walnut Creek, CA (special thanks to Mitch for updating the old black & white photo with the glorious color one!). Love the powder blue tux.

Beer Birthday: Colby Chandler

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Today is the 58th birthday of Colby Chandler, who until the pandemic was the brewer at Ballast Point Brewing for over twenty years. When he moved from Hawaii to San Diego in the early 1990s, he began homebrewing and eventually took a job with the Home Brew Mart and then eventually with its sister business, Ballast Point Brewing when he went full time, running the Linda Vista location for 16 years and helping to open the first Ballast Point restaurant in Little Italy. Chandler was also President of the San Diego Brewers Guild for six years, and before leaving Ballast Point was their Vice President/VIP Brewer/Ambassador and Historian. Home Brew Mart recently reopened, but I don’t know if Colby is still with them. I don’t recall when I first met Colby, but I believe it may have been at the first CBC in San Diego around 2004 or some other beer event. But he was always a great spokesperson for craft beer, and especially for San Diego. Join me in wishing Colby a very happy birthday.

Arne Johnson playing disc golf with Colby.
Doing a collaboration brew with AleSmith in 2017.
Colby with Jenna Silva and Yuseff Cherney at CBC in 2015.
With Amy Margolis and Pete Slosberg.
Selfie at Anchor Brewing.

NOTE: All photos purloined from Facebook.

Beer Birthday: Greg Koch

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Today is around the 60ish or so birthday of Greg Koch, though it’s not actually his birthday today. I mean, it’s possible it is but the odds are against it. I tried to get it out of him, but I still don’t know the actual date, and I’m only guessing at the year. So because I love celebrating everybody’s birthdays, this will be Greg’s until id and when I get a better date. Greg started at Ohio State, but moved westward to pursue a career in music, and ended up starting a business renting rehearsal space for musicians, which is where he met his partner in the beer business, Steve Wagner. Greg, of course, was the co-founder of Stone Brewing Co. of San Diego, though specifically Escondido for the production brewery, at least. I first met Greg when the original brewery was in San Marcos and we’ve always gotten along quite well and become good friends over the years. Join me in wishing Greg a maybe very happy birthday, though the maybe part is simply because this is either his birthday or unbirthday. Either way, cheers!

At the Napa grand opening in May of 2018.
Me, with the Alstroms, Joe Tucker and Greg in San Diego in 2012.
Kite & Key co-owner Jim Kirk and me with Sam Calagione, Bill Covaleski & Greg Koch during Philly Beer Week in 2010.
With Greg Payne at GABF in 2009.
With Carol and Ed Stoudt at the Wynkoop in 2009.
A favorite. While I was on stage giving a presentation at the California Beer Summit in 2018, flanked by Richard Norgrove Sr. and Jr., all three giving me a finger, but since Greg was in the middle, that’s the finger I got from him.

Beer Birthday: Tomme Arthur

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Today is Tomme Arthur’s 52nd birthday. Tomme is Director of Brewery Operations for Port Brewing and the Lost Abbey. One of the established stars of the San Diego brewing scene, Tomme is justly famous for his terrific beers, like his Cuvee de Tomme, the Red Poppy, the Angel’s Share and the Track series. Plus, he introduced washoes to the brewing community. He’s also one of my favorite people to judge at GABF with. Join me in wishing Tomme a very happy birthday.

Tomme and me at GABF a few years ago.
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At GABF in 2005. Jeff Bagby, brewer at Pizza Port, Tomme, and Eric Rose, brewer at Hollister Brewing Co..
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After the Five Guys and a Barrel Beer Dinner, a toast was offered with Isabelle Proximus, the Collaborative Sour Ale made by blending beer and done by the five of them. Top row: Adam Avery, Rob Tod, Bruce Paton and Sam Calagione. Bottom row: Tomme and Vinnie Cilurzo.
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Tomme and me after another beer dinner, relaxing in the Cathedral Hill bar with Blind Pig IPA.
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Tomme Arthur and his oldest daughter Sydney in front of aging beer barrels, when she was very young.