Beer Birthday: Tyler King

December 28, 2025 By Jay Brooks

Today is also the birthday of Tyler King, who was the senior director of brewing operations, and employee #1, at The Bruery in Southern California. I first met Tyler at the Boonville Beer Festival several years ago although Patrick must have kept him locked up in the Bruery making great beer, because I didn’t run into him very often after that. At the beginning of 2015, he left to open his own brewery, and spent some time consulting and brewing for the Congregation Ale House and also Iron Triangle Brewing. His new place, Brewery Rex, opened in 2016. Join me in wishing Tyler a very happy birthday.

Tyler, with Rachel and Patrick Rue, shortly after they opened The Bruery at the Boonville Beer Festival in 2008.

tyler-king-2 — Tyler with Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery along with Bruery founder Patrick Rue, after they did a collaboration beer together.

tyler-king-unicorn — Apparently Tyler has a thing for unicorns. I wonder if he ever visited the Mystic Brewpub in Pennsylvania before they went out of business? That place was a unicorn lover’s dream.

Beer Birthday: Colby Chandler

December 13, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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.

NOTE: All photos purloined from Facebook.

Beer Birthday: Greg Koch

December 12, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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 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: Kushal Hall

October 11, 2025 By Jay Brooks

Today is the 41st birthday of Kushal Hall, former Director of Brewing Operations for Speakeasy Ales & Lagers. Kushal had been brewing at Speakeasy since 2007, but left in May of 2017 to open his own place in Southern California. The new brewery is called Common Space Brewing and is located in Hawthorne. While Kushal studied photography at UC Santa Cruz, I think we can all agree the world is a better place since he became a brewer. A terrific brewer and person, please join me in wishing Kushal a very happy birthday.

Kushal, second from the left, and the gang from Speakeasy at the opening gala for SF Beer Week in 2013.

Kush serving his beer at Speakeasy 13th anniversary bash in 2010.

Kushal as mad scientist (photo by, I believe, Brian Stechschulte).

kushal-betsy-jesse — Kushal with Betsey and Jesse Friedman at the Anchor Christmas Party in 2012.

[Note: last two photos purloined from Facebook.]

Beer Birthday: Tomme Arthur

October 7, 2025 By Jay Brooks

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.

thurs05-3 — At GABF in 2005. Jeff Bagby, brewer at Pizza Port, Tomme, and Eric Rose, brewer at Hollister Brewing Co..

5guys-din-12 — 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.

lostabb-din-6 — Tomme and me after another beer dinner, relaxing in the Cathedral Hill bar with Blind Pig IPA.

port-brew-5 — Tomme Arthur and his oldest daughter Sydney in front of aging beer barrels, when she was very young.

Beer In Ads #5013: T. & A. Goux Bock

July 1, 2025 By Jay Brooks

Last year I decided to concentrate on Bock ads. Bock, of course, may have originated in Germany, in the town of Einbeck. Because many 19th century American breweries were founded by German immigrants, they offered a bock at certain times of the year, be it Spring, Easter, Lent, Christmas, or what have you. In a sense they were some of the first seasonal beers. “The style was later adopted in Bavaria by Munich brewers in the 17th century. Due to their Bavarian accent, citizens of Munich pronounced ‘Einbeck’ as ‘ein Bock’ (a billy goat), and thus the beer became known as ‘Bock.’ A goat often appears on bottle labels.” And presumably because they were special releases, many breweries went all out promoting them with beautiful artwork on posters and other advertising.

Monday’s ad is for Bock Beer, though who’s bock is unclear, at least I can’t make it out. The ad was published on July 1, 1899 and was for T. & A. Goux Resale and Wholesale Liquor Dealers of Santa Barbara, California. They were a liquor dealer founded by Thomas and Augustin Goux, whose father had emigrated to the U.S. to work at the French Consulate in Los Angeles. They appear to have been in business from 1890 to 1905. This ad ran in The Independent, also of Santa Barbara, California.

Beer Birthday: Anat Baron

March 25, 2020 By Jay Brooks

Today is the birthday of filmmaker Anat Baron, whose Beer Wars movie started people writing and talking about the beer business, from all sorts of angles, over ten years ago, and while it’s slowed down, the discussion has yet to have completely gone away. Or as Alan from A Good Beer Blog puts it, “joined to the long-standing discussion about the beer business and added an interesting interpretation.” Love it or loathe it, it has certainly managed to capture people’s attention, and if that’s all it’s done, that’s still a huge positive to my way of thinking. But it’s also opened quite a few minds to what those of us who’ve been embedded in the beer business have known forever, which is how the business operates, where it’s fair and unfair, and what you can do as a consumer to support the beers and breweries you love. Join me in wishing Anat a very happy birthday.

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Anat behind the bar.

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Publicity photo for Beer Wars.

Beer Birthday: Meg Gill

February 21, 2018 By Jay Brooks

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Today is the birthday of Meg Gill, founder and owner, along with Tony Yanow, of Golden Road Brewing in Los Angeles. Meg is also the former national sales manager for Speakeasy Ales & Lagers in San Francisco. When I first met Meg she was working for Oskar Blues, and later she organized the Opening Gala for SF Beer Week in years two and three, a Herculean undertaking. Golden Road made some waves a few years ago when they were acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and I haven’t seen her since she went over to the “winning team,” and alienated us losers. Although she did try to pretend it didn’t happen when Golden Road announced they were building a taproom in the Temescal area of Oakland and were met with some opposition. Ultimately, it was approved and they should be building a brewpub in the near future. Still, join me in wishing Meg a very happy birthday.

The Brewing Network's Justin Crossley interviewing Meg Gill from Speakeasy
Justin Crossley, from the Brewing Network, with Meg at the 22nd Celebrator Anniversary Party in 2010.

Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo and Meg Gill
Speakeasy owner Forest Gray, Brian Lenzo, from Blue Palms in L.A., and Meg at a Speakeasy Anniversary event several years ago.

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Faction’s (then Triple Rock’s) Rodger Davis, struggling to keep the sun out of his eyes, with Meg at the Sour Fest.

Meg and me at SF Beer Week’s Opening Gala a few years ago. (Photo by Mike Condie.)

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An older photo of Meg and Dave Hopwood, from Stone Brewing. (Photo purloined from Facebook.)

Beer Birthday: Erika Bolden

January 2, 2017 By Jay Brooks

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Today is the 31st birthday of Erika Bolden, who among much other beer writing in the Los Angeles area, is the Executive Director of the North American Guild of Beer Writers. She has the Herculean task of keeping the rest of us miscreants in line and on task, and she does it with such grace and style that we hardly notice. She’s also run the awards for the last few years, and has grown the event severalfold. Plus she’s an awesome tent neighbor, as we camped next to Sarah and me at last year’s Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival. Join me in wishing Erika a very happy birthday.

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Erika on the streets of London.

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Stan Hieronymus and Erika.

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Channeling Dana Scully with fiancé Brandon Buck as Fox Mulder.

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Erika, front and center (in the white blouse and black jacket) at our NAGBW awards ceremony in Denver last year.

Beer Birthday: Jay Sheveck

February 6, 2016 By Jay Brooks

Today is also the 46th birthday of Jay Sheveck, a beer writer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. In addition to writing for the Celebrator, Jay wrote the Beer Guppy’s Guide to Southern California . He’s also been working for many, many years on a documentary film about the early days of craft beer, Beer Pioneers. There’s a teaser trailer of it at the bottom of this page. Personally, I’m excited about his film (and not just because I may be in it, unless I end up on the cutting room floor, that is). Join me in wishing Jay a very happy birthday.