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318 - Anderson Valley Brewing Co. CEO Kevin McGee
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- 318 - Anderson Valley Brewing Co. CEO Kevin McGeeAnderson Valley Brewing Co. CEO Kevin McGee joins Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke sitting in for Steve Jaxon, and Herlinda Heras. The last time Kevin was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode from last November. Also, AVBC brewmaster Fal Allen has been on Brew Ha Ha many times. His last appearance was this episode in September 2023. Tara Nurin is also in the studio today for the live Brew Ha Ha radio show, and her part of the conversation is on this podcast episode.
Wellness and mental health is an important topic in the brewing industry, especially after the uncertainty and stress of the last few years. Listen to Tara Nurin speaking about that today, on this podcast episode. Under the new owners of AVBC, the company expanded its suite of mental health benefits for employees. They also have opened pathways for people to have access to therapy.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Their first tasting is the Black Light, 95 calories, and it is black like a stout even if it is a light. It won the European Beer Star Award, another silver medal two years ago and it won the Brussels Beer Challenge last year. They love this beer. It's great to have a new beer that is so successful. There weren't a lot of good light craft beers. They started with the intention of making a good tasting beer and it happened to be light, at 3.8% ABV. It gets its black color from black rice, not from blackened malt as usual with dark beers. This was Fal Allen's invention.
He also wanted to make a Pilsner, which is The Pilsner under ABVC's label. Summer Solstice is another periodic beer that has some devoted fans.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Anderson Valley Brewing Co has been practicing sustainable brewing for long before Kevin became CEO. They use only water drawn from wells on their property and they return all their used water to the ground. It is a zero-effluent operation.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
They expect about 3000 people at the Booneville Beer Fest on Sat. May 4, May the fourth be with you, Star Wars fans. It is a benefit for local charities all within about 10 miles of the brewery. It is their 26th edition.Thu, 02 May 2024 - 26min - 317 - Beverage Industry Mental Health with Tara NurinTara Nurin
Beverage industry mental health is the subject with Tara Nurin today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke sitting in for Steve Jaxon, and Herlinda Heras. Tara has been on Brew Ha Ha many times, the last time was this episode just last week.
The day before yesterday, Lana Svitankova, Herlinda and Tara were at UC Davis speaking about the brewing industry. Tara was there to discuss her book and to read a part of it. The students at UC Davis in the brewing program come from all over the world. Lana and Herlinda talked about international judging and they took questions from the students. The members of the panel at UC Davis were an all-star lineup of the craft brewing world.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
A Beautiful Mind
Last night they attended Lo and Behold's event called A Beautiful Mind, a fund raiser for NAMI, the National Association for Mental Illness. They held a cocktail competition and a raffle and it was sold out. May is National Mental Health Awareness month. You can order the Beautiful Mind cocktail at a roster of local restaurants and the proceeds go to NAMI.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
People in the beverage and hospitality industry can suffer physical and mental ailments due to work stress. She has been developing ways to teach resilience to managers, owners on how to create holistically healthy workspaces. In addition, Tara teaches workers to understand their own needs and to be able to maintain a stable state of mental health for the long term.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Tara practices Transcendental Meditation and she also applies it to her efforts to reduce stress in the hospitality workspace.Thu, 02 May 2024 - 21min - 316 - Smith Street Taps of SingaporeSmith Street Taps 10th Anniversary commemorative glass.
Meng and Kim Chow, owners of Smith Street Taps in Singapore, join Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras today. It is their first time on Brew Ha Ha. Lana Svitankova is also in the studio today. Her full conversation with Herlinda can be heard over here on its own podcast episode.
Meng and Kim have brought a Smith Street Taps glass like the one pictured here, as a gift for Steve. They have just celebrated their tenth anniversary. They also have another stall now, called by a similar name, Smith Street Taproom.
Herlinda met Meng and Kim in Singapore when she was judging in the Asia Beer Cup. The city is obviously very clean and well organized, and Herlinda remembers feeling safe in the city, even when she got lost at night.
Singapore's Hawker Stalls
Smith Street Taps is located among the hawker stalls in Singapore. These are large food courts with many restaurants serving a wide variety of styles of food. It is Singapore's way of organizing what would otherwise be street food.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Kim explains that Smith Street Taps is the first and only hawker stall dedicated to craft beer, among all the many hawker stalls in Singapore. They have craft beer on tap from all over the world.
Hawker culture in Singapore is heritage, so it is protected, promoted and highly appreciated." -Kim Chow
Rumble in the Jungle (photo by Lana Svitankova).
Meng has opened a beer called Rumble in the Jungle, a Stout which he produced in a collaboration with Brewlander, a local brewery, and Jungle Beer, formerly of Singapore and now based in India. It is a stout flavored with chickory from India, with an 8% ABV. "Works for me!" says Steve Jaxon.
Herlinda remembers a 16 hour flight from California to Singapore, which Meng and Kim also just did. Thinking out loud, next time, she might fly 9 hours to Japan first, then fly the next leg from Japan to Singapore, another 9 hours.
The Singapore Sling
The Singapore Sling is the number one local cocktail. It is a gin-based cocktail believed to have been created by a bartender at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. They still serve them there, so go get one if you're visiting Singapore, it can't be missed. Spoiler Alert! --> In a shaker with ice, add gin, cherry liqueur, Cointreau, Benedictine, pineapple juice, lime juice, Grenadine syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters. Serve strained into a hurricane glass.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Meng had the first craft beer bottle shop in Singapore, before Smith Street Taps. He is on his way to Boston for his son's graduation from Northeastern University. Meng's great wish is to find out how he can get to drive a hop picking machine like the one at the museum.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 15min - 315 - Tara Nurin, Historian of Brewing plus Lana SvitankovaTara Nurin, historian of brewing, at UC Davis
Tara Nurin, historian of women's role in brewing history, is our guest again on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. She was on the show on this episode on February 23, 2023, with her book A Woman's Place Is In the Brewhouse.
Lana Svitankova is also here, she is a beer judge from Ukraine and a judging colleague of Herlinda. She is visiting for some events associated with the opening of the Museum of Sonoma County exhibit ON TAP on Saturday April 27 at 4pm.
On Tuesday, April 30, at 1 pm, Tara Nurin, Lana Svitankova and Herlinda Heras will be appearing at a conference at UC Davis as part of the Professional Brewing Program.
On Saturday, April 27, Tara will be reading the chapter about Sonoma County, at the exhibit. That is the story that starts with the opening of New Albion, the first new brewery post-Prohibition, which opened in 1976. Tara tells the story of the man and two women who founded New Albion. Tara’s book tells about the women have been involved in brewing throughout history.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Lana has translated some books about brewing into the Ukrainian language. She is also a promoter of the Ukrainian style of beer, a golden ale. She describes it as a cousin of British and Belgian golden ale, the difference is that the Belgian is stronger and the British is lower in ABV and not that sweet. Ukrainians like it sweet and not very bitter.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Ukrainian Golden Ale
Until recently, a Ukrainian golden ale has been available in markets in Los Angeles. The one that Lana has brought has a name that is hard to pronounce. Lana used to work for a Ukrainian brewery called Barbar, who made golden ale and stout, mostly. Herlinda met Lana when they were judging in Finland and Poland.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
The Museum of Sonoma County exhibit ON TAP is about the history of hops and beer in Sonoma County. Don Barkley did a video interview with Herlinda, that will be playing in the exhibit. It opened with a big crowd on April 20 and will remain open until September 1. Click on the green the On Tap logo (or that link) to visit the museum's website:
Thu, 25 Apr 2024 - 12min - 314 - Tony Magee Returns to BHH
Tony Magee returns to BHH with Herlinda Heras.
Tony Magee, the now-retired founder of Lagunitas, is back on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. The last time Tony Magee was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode in 2014. Today he and his wife have a ranch where they host retired horses and also some cattle.
Herlinda Heras has been working with the Museum of Sonoma County to organize On Tap, the exhibit about craft beer history that is opening this weekend. Tony sat for a video interview for the exhibition and he is pleased to be part of it. He started Lagunitas in 1993 and grew it into one of the largest breweries in the country. In 2017 Heineken acquired the company. Tony tells the interesting back story to the acquisition. Lagunitas was beginning to sell beer outside the US, which is not easy to do. He also had grown Lagunitas to a point where the US market was starting to feel saturated with new beer brands as the popularity of craft beer grew. He started to think about a longer term plan for the company, rather than endure infinite domestic competition. Heineken was (and is) the last family-owned global brewer.
Click to visit the Museum of Sonoma County website.
Finding the Right Partner
All the other big companies are multinationals. Tony says Lagunitas never really discussed the acquisition with other companies because none of them had Heineken’s character. Hearing him tell the story, he sounds really pleased with how it all happened. He says he thought of the brewery as an art project, with an artist will eventually sell and once that happens, that’s it. He gives credit to Heineken for updating the structure of the business operation but for not changing the beer or the recipes and the brew master is still there.
This is the best time in the last thousand years to be a beer lover. -Tony Magee
Herlinda asks what the inspiration was for the brewery. For Tony, he was doing a completely different job. He was in commercial printing sales and he was a home brewer. His brother got him a home brew kit for Christmas of 1992, in January of ’93 he brewed it, and by December of 1993 the brewery was open. He recognized things in brewing that reminded him of music. As musician that helped him understand brewing.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
A lot of Lagunitas beer is IPA style and hop focused. His friend Grant Johnston who was a brewer at Marin Brewing would also homebrew. He was experimenting by adding his hops late in the boil, which boosted the flavors and didn’t let bitterness develop by boiling too long. This was how they created a hop-forward style that became the central thesis of the brewery.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
22:50, they mention Cappuccino Stout, which Tony says may be one of the earliest coffee beers in the US. (In a Kurt Vonnegut story written long before the craft beer era, there is a mention of an award-winning beer in a fictional Indiana state fair, and coffee was the secret ingredient.)
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
They also mention the 420 Waldos and the Lagunitas beer that celebrates the story....Thu, 18 Apr 2024 - 36min - 313 - John Burton, Beer Memorabilia CollectorJohn Burton, beer memorabilia collector, is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras today. He is working with Herlinda Heras who is assisting the Museum of Sonoma County with its upcoming exhibition ON TAP, about Sonoma County hops and the history or craft brewing.
John Burton made a great collection of beer memorabilia while he worked as a bartender in Santa Rosa for a long time. He also operates a well-known bartending school called Santa Rosa Bartending.
Herlinda has organized interviews with some of the biggest names in local beer history, like Tony McGee and Mark Carpenter, for the museum. She connected them to John Burton and he will be providing some choice items for the exhibit.
Grace Bros. was a local brand that started in 1897 in Santa Rosa and the brand continued until the late 1960s. John’s collection of bottles and cans starts in their first year. John has a lot of Grace Bros. pieces.
A 1960s Grace Bros. Beer Commercial
In the show, we hear a 30-second commercial for Grace Bros. beer, from John's collection. It was recorded probably in the 1960s in Hollywood, California. In the 1940s, Grace Bros. was the fourth-largest brewery in California. Here is the commercial:
http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Grace_Bros_Beer_30_sec.mp3
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
John Burton is a member of a beer memorabilia organization that organizes exhibits. Herlinda’s friend Ken Hartoonian also has a collection. He was a guest on Brew Ha Ha recently. John shares memories of the Grace family and how they decided to stay in Santa Rosa instead of Southern California.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
John is also the writer and publisher of some books about his collection. He has also written an instructional book about bartending, called Bartending Basics.
Herlinda is organizing a reception for all of the ‘legends’ of the local brewing industry. She will invite the founding fathers and mothers of the business. She is looking forward to the On Tap exhibition being full of really interesting, beautiful and memorable material.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Russian River Brewing is a sponsor of the exhibit, so is Lagunitas and Oliver’s Market. The sculpture garden is beautiful and they will turn it into a beer garden for one evening. The grand opening is April 27.Thu, 11 Apr 2024 - 23min - 312 - Battle of the Brews 2024Richard McChinak and Ben Kerstetter from Battle of the Brews are in-studio guests on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Richard McChinak, is the Battle of the Brews co-chair, and Ben Kerstetter is the newly elected incoming President of the 20/30 Club, Santa Rosa chapter n. 50.
The 20/30 Club started doing this event 27 years ago. They only had about 20 breweries back then but now there are many more. Saturday April 6 from 1-5 pm at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. There are 20/30 chapters all over the country. They do a lot of fundraising events for under-privileged youth in Sonoma County.
As musical attractions, Battle of the Brews has Painted Waves and Voodoo Vultures playing plus a local DJ Rob Cervantes, who is a Drive Hall of Famer.
Herlinda Heras has been going to Battle of the Brews since its beginning. This is Herlinda’s eleventh time judging at this event. It’s a chance to meet all her friends in the business. The weather is supposed to be good. One year the band was Digital Underground but they had to scale it back after that year.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
There is a big Raffle Station in the middle of the show. All of the money raised goes to causes related to helping kids. The $95 admission ticket gets you all the food and drinks you can manage to enjoy, plus all the music and the whole scene. They also have cider, hard kombucha as well as non-alcoholic options.
A Great Day for Barbeque
This year the Barbeque section is different, they doubled the number of BBQs and brought in many other food vendors. There is an entire parking lot full of food vendors.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The judging is a BJCP-sanctioned event. There is also a People’s Choice award. Some brewers will bring exclusive beers brewed just for the event. There are even awards for Best Chicken and also a People’s Choice award for barbeque.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
There are so many beers and it is so much fun that it is easy to drink more than you thought you would. So plan you transportation with all the options available, except driving.Thu, 04 Apr 2024 - 23min - 311 - Ron Lindenbusch, Hopland TapRon Lindenbusch, Hopland Tap founder and owner, is back again on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. He has been on Brew Ha Ha several times, including this episode on July 5, 2018, again on May 28, 2020 along with Natalie Cilurzo, and again on May 6, 2021. These episodes chronicle Ron's career with Lagunitas up to and including the Heineken purchase.
Today's live radio show is a triple-header. We have two other guests in the studio along with Ron today. The episode with Cynthia from Homerun Pizza is here. Ryan Frank, brewmaster at Headlands Brewing, also has his own podcast episode on this page.
Since he left Lagunitas at the end of a very successful run, Ron found the perfect location in Hopland to set up the tavern that he always dreamed of. Steve remembers when it was the Hopland Brewery, they had bands including some pretty famous ones. Hopland Tap also does live music. This Saturday the band is Left-Hand Monkey Wrench.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Herlinda Heras is helping the Museum of Sonoma County develop its upcoming exhibition ON TAP about the history of brewing in Sonoma County. Ron Lindenbush was with her at the museum today to record some video that will be used in the exhibition. He personally holds a lot of the stories of the history that is the subject of the exhibit.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They are tasting a non-alcoholic beer that Ron makes. It actually tastes like beer. One is called Electro Lime. Ron explains that it is made just like beer, then the alcohol is removed. What remains is a beverage that actually tastes like beer. The non-alcoholic beer scene is completely different than it was ten years ago.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 22min - 310 - Ryan Frank, Headlands BrewingA Headlands Brewing 4-pack with its paper collar.
Ryan Frank, Headlands Brewing head brewer, joins Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras, in studio today, with Cynthia Caughie and Ron Lindenbush. Each of the other guests have their own podcast page from today, Cynthia from Homerun Pizza is here and Ron Lindenbush is here. In this episode, we hear mostly from Ryan Frank.
Headlands Brewing started in Marin County but has recently put roots down in the East Bay. They have a taproom in Lafayette and they produce their beer in Pittsburg. They are dedicated to philanthropy and they pledge 1% for the Planet. Ryan describes Earth to Beer, a collaboration among 40 different breweries. “A better world is brewing,” is the slogan.
They are tasting a Kolsch which is a beer from Koln, a light crisp soft and floral beer, an ancient German specialty. They source all of their own materials locally, including Admiral Malting in Oakland. He chose Pacific Northwest hops, to make it a California interpretation of a German Kolsch.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Headlands Brewing is located at 3420 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette. It’s kid friendly, dog friendly and has great food. Their beer is available at Homerun Pizza, Earth to Beer Kolsch is on draft. They are also at Barley and Bine, and Beer Baron. Bottle Barn has some cans and they are on promotion at northern California Whole Foods stores.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Bingo at Homerun Pizza
Cynthia tells about Bingo at Homerun Pizza on the last Tuesday of the month. It’s free, kid friendly and a lot of fun. Ryan Frank gets to taste a sausage Knuckleball with the Earth to Beer Kolsch, just like they serve it at Homerun Pizza.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Headlands Brewing uses paper collars on their 4-packs. This fact starts Ryan into a description of all the choices they make in packaging to reduce their footprint, use less plastic and promote recycling. You can see the paper collars in the picture above.
April 27 ON TAP opens at the Museum of Sonoma County. Herlinda describes a lot of her efforts looking for content. Make sure you don't miss this exhibition which will be a big hit.
Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 35min - 309 - Cynthia from Homerun PizzaToday’s Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras is a Triple Header! We have three great guests. Cynthia Caughie from Homerun Pizza is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras and she brought some Knuckleballs, their specialty. Cynthia was also on Brew Ha Ha in November, on this episode. Ryan Frank, head brewer at Headlands Brewing is here. Ron Lindenbusch is also in today. He is a founding father of Lagunitas and a self-titled beer weasel, however emeritus.
Ron Lindenbusch's complete interview is on his own dedicated podcast episode, right here. This episode is all about Homerun Pizza. Ryan Frank’s talk about Headlands Brewing is also on its own podcast episode. This way, each guest gets to have a unique online destination for their own search traffic. Also, it keeps the individual podcast episodes to a nicer, shorter length.
Cynthia got to spend some time in Arizona for Spring Training, and the players loved the knuckleballs. Watch the Homerun Pizza website for evidence of how much the players like them.
Homerun Pizza is open daily.
Homerun Pizza is open Sunday Monday and Tuesday from 3:00 to 8:00; Wednesday & Thursday 11:30 to 8:00 pm and Friday & Saturday 11:30 to 9:00. Happy Hour is every night from 3-6 pm. Every Wednesday, 2 Knuckleballs for $5. It’s their signature dish, their pizza dough stuffed with mozzarella cheese and with bacon or peperoni. They are doing a special Knuckleball, with sausage, and also a vegetarian version with tomato and basil.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Right now this year they are doing one specialty Knuckleball per month. For Valentine’s Day they did Nutella and pretzel, with salted caramel. For March, it’s the Sausage Knuckleball.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They have a dish called Homerun Fries, made with French Fries, bacon, jack and cheddar cheese and their Homerun Sauce, a spicy Ranch. Herlinda calls it Sonoma County Poutine which is hilarious!
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!Thu, 28 Mar 2024 - 10min - 308 - 2024 Pliny the YoungerThe 2024 Pliny the Younger 3-pack.
Natalie and Vinny Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing Co. join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha for the 2024 Pliny the Younger release. This is an annual event on Brew Ha Ha, for example, here is last year's release show.
Natalie has been getting ready for this year’s release. This morning they had their kickoff meetings for staff at Santa Rosa and Windsor. Everything is ready to begin this weekend. The Pliny the Younger will be available until April 4.
The recipe is mostly his year Vinny says he has added more of a New Zealand hop called Nectaron. The 2024 Pliny the Younger is 10.25% alcohol, so the idea is to hide the alcohol with lots of other flavors.
"It's still hard to believe." - Vinny Cilurzo
It was back in early 2005 when the brewery was less than a year old, that they wanted to do a promotion during the otherwise slow season. Vinny decided to take the Pliny the Elder recipe and add more of everything, more hops, more malt and more alcohol. They released it without fanfare, for a few years. But in 2010, everything changed. Pliny the Younger had been rated the best beer in the world on some influential beer websites. That is when people started forming lines before opening hours. It's great to hear Vinny tell the story again. This has become a favorite annual event for beer lovers from around the world.
Pliny the Younger has some new artwork this year, which is on the header of this web page, showing Vesuvius erupting with beer and hops.
When and Where
Both brewpubs will be open daily from 11AM to 10PM, from March 22nd through April 4th, 2024.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Russian River Brewing Co. will be a sponsor of the big beer history exhibition that is opening at the Museum of Sonoma County, called ON TAP: Sonoma County Hops and the Beer Revolution. We just had Eric Stanley from the museum on Brew Ha Ha.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
This year Russian River Brewing Co. has raised purchase limit from two bottles to three. A three bottle purchase comes in the convenient carrying case pictured above.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
RRBC has different menus at the Santa Rosa and Windsor locations. Vinny would have a Mamma Mia pizza (with halapeños) at the Santa Rosa 4th Street pub, to pair with a glass of Pliny the Younger. He remembers the time the first people met him four hours before opening time, in 2010.Thu, 21 Mar 2024 - 44min - 307 - ON TAP Sonoma County Hops and the Beer RevolutionEric Stanley from the Museum of Sonoma County is our guest, here to discuss ON TAP Sonoma County Hops and the Craft Beer Revolution, an exhibition that will open on April 20, 2024. He joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras, live in the Wine Country Radio studio.
Herlinda Heras has been in England and Ireland, which we heard about about over the last few episodes. Now she will be staying in town to assist with the exhibition. There are two paths to this exhibition, as Eric describes it. One is about the history of hops as part of Sonoma County agriculture and the other is about the more recent craft beer revolution. Brew Ha Ha will be a sponsor of this exhibition.
Herlinda is personally acquainted with many of the people who have made history in local brewing. She has been busy bringing several of them in to participate. For example, New Albion was the first licensed brewery after the repeal of Prohibition and it opened in the town of Sonoma. Tara Nurin will be appearing and reading from her book, since she interviewed a lot of the women who were part of the revolution, for the book. Natalie and Vinny Cilurzo will be participating as well as Ken Hartoonian, who was on this show recently and who has a big collection of brewing memorabilia. Famous brewers like Mark Carpenter, Ron Lindenbush and Don Barkley will be a part of it as well.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
About the Museum of Sonoma County
The Museum of Sonoma County has a permanent Sonoma County history exhibition. called Sonoma County Stories. Gaye LeBaron had a lot to do with it, she is a local historian and friend of Steve. The museum is located in the old Sonoma County Post Office building, which was built in 1910. It is a beautiful building, which had to be moved from its original location, in order to save it.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They are looking for sponsors for this exhibition, so if you are or work for a candidate for exhibition sponsorship, please contact Herlinda Heras.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Hops Have Made a Comeback Locally
Hop growing used to be a huge local business and recently hops have been making a comeback, as a local crop. There are several reasons for that. Starting in the 1850s this area was a leading hop region in the country, up to Prohibition. But after Prohibition it wasn't until the 1980s that breweries came back. The exhibition will tell the story of what happened to the local hops industry, from the last crop in the early 1960s, up the re-emergence of hops in Sonoma County.Thu, 14 Mar 2024 - 24min - 306 - Herlinda Heras at the 2024 British Pie Awards3.1415926535897932, or about 22/7.
Herlinda Heras is judging at the 2024 British Pie Awards and calls in to Brew Ha Ha today, and with Harry Duke sitting in for Steve Jaxon. Here is an episode of Brew Ha Ha from March 22, 2018, when Herlinda had just returned from that year's competition. The winners are listed at the 2024 British Pie Awards website.
Today we hear all about her itinerary on her current trip to the England and Ireland. She began in London, judging the National Fish and Chips competition. Then, she visited Dublin, Ireland, where she saw Teeling Whiskey, the Guiness attraction "Beer Disneyland" and a museum exhibit. Her last stop was the British Pie Awards, an annual event in the town of Melton Mobray. This is Herlinda's 10 year as a judge in this competition.
The pies at the 2024 British Pie Awards are very traditional and the judging takes into consideration all of the characteristic virtues of combining meat and crust. The categories of pies have evolved, so that today there is a category for Vegan pies, as well as vegetarian recipes and many others.
Herlinda explains how there is a hole at the top of the pie, as in the picture here. This is part of the recipe, specifically the baking process. They place a bit of jelly into the hole which bakes into the pie.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
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See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
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Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Thu, 07 Mar 2024 - 16min - 305 - Herlinda Heras in London for the National Fish & Chip AwardsWe get a phone call from Herlinda Heras in London, she is there to judge this year's UK National Fish & Chip Awards. The National Federation of Fish Fryers of the UK sponsor the annual event.
There are contestants from all over the UK as well as other countries, including the US, which was represented by a British couple from Georgia who have a fish and chips shop. There is the usual panorama of awards, in many categories, even the potatoes. On the Tuesday night before the event, they had a reception in the Houses of Parliament. They were actually in session and voting while she was there.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Part of the awards was a recognition of extraordinary customer service, and Herlinda heard stories about how during Covid confinement, fish and chip deliveries were almost the only contact that some people had with others.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
There is also an award for best sit-down restaurant, and many other categories. See the National Fish & Chip Awards website for all the categories and winners.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The biggest award is to the “take away” which is British for “to go” service. That award went to a shop called Ship Deck, located in Caerphilly, Wales.
Thu, 29 Feb 2024 - 15min - 304 - Fogbelt Brewing Co. founders Paul Hawley and Remy MartinFogbelt Brewing co-founders Paul Hawley and Remy Martin are our guests on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras.
Remy starts with the history of Fogbelt. They both grew up in Healdsburg and their fathers were winemakers. They worked a southern hemisphere harvest where they started home brewing on the side. He took the Master Brewer degree at UC Davis while Paul went to work at his family’s winery. 10 years later they opened in 2014.
Their taproom on Cleveland Avenue in Healdsburg is not in a part of town with a lot of foot traffic, so people who come there have made the trip to get good beer, they don’t wander in off the street. They have really grown in the kitchen with a new chef and new recipes. Having begun thinking that they should make lighter lagers but they have to make what is popular. They didn’t want to just make IPAs like everyone else. So they try to keep a wide variety of styles. Their first famous beer was a red ale that was hoppy and higher in alcohol. It’s called Hyperion Red Ale.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Fogbelt was one of the first breweries to brew with locally grown and locally sourced hops and fresh-hopped beer. They taste a beer called Sapling, what they call a crushable ale, a single malt and single hop. It’s meant to be easy to drink, light and fresh. Most of their beers are named after famous redwood trees.
They also taste a golden stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee added, called Bamboozle.Thu, 18 Aug 2022 - 25min - 303 - Ace Cider Founder Jeffery House
Jeffery House, founder of Ace Cider and Becky Bartling, CEO of the Sonoma County Fair join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today.
Isn't this illustration one of the coolest pieces of commercial art ever drawn?
Jeffery was on Brew Ha Ha two years ago on this episode of July 9, 2020 along with his partner Ed McGrath. He was the first to bring British style cider to California. Before that he was importing British beers. He sold to Vintage Wine Estates of Santa Rosa. They have also bought another facility in Ohio where they will be making cider. They have installed a high-speed canning line which allows them to do 4000 cases of cans per day.
The Nor-Cal Brew Fest is back this year and so is the Gravenstein Apple Fair. Ace Cider is approaching its 30th anniversary with a special bottling in champagne bottles. They have just added 15,000 square feet and their facility is now 60,000 square feet and are opening tasting rooms in key locations including San Luis Obispo.
Ace High
They are tasting the Ace High, an 8.4%, and there is a pumpkin spicy cider that will be in supermarkets. There is another called Space that is named after his wife who had a cameo role in Star Wars.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
The Festival starts at 5:30 at the Fair. This is the first year that the Fair is fully back. Attendance is up, all the food vendors are back (except for the Pasta King). There are corn dogs, too. They have monster trucks Friday, and an Eagles cover band called the Illegals. The Beer Fest is open during the rest of the Fair so you can come and go. There is a special ride share location for everyone’s convenience. Becky talks about the Sonoma County Fair having been off since 2019 due to Covid.
Steam Week at Anchor Brewing
Dane Volek, Assistant Brewmaster at Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, calls in. They are celebrating Steam Week August 14-23, 2022. They have a new tasting room now. Steam Beer is San Francisco’s signature beer. They are also brewing several other special beers for the celebration.Thu, 11 Aug 2022 - 22min - 302 - Easy Rider in Petaluma with Dustin Sullivan
Easy Rider in Petaluma is the subject of this repeat podcast episode, as The Brew Crew is taking a break this first week of August and there is no new show today. This repeat show from Nov. 4, 2021 is in two parts. This part focusses exclusively on Dustin Sullivan’s news about his plans to open a new restaurant in Petaluma called Easy Rider. This other part reproduces the whole conversation with the other guests.
Erin Hinze, Mike Barber and Dustin Sullivan all join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. Erin is the founder of Bitter Girl Bitters. Mike Barber is a partner in Barber Lee Spirits distillery in Petaluma. Dustin Sullivan is here to announce his second restaurant to open soon in Petaluma. He also owns and operates Guesthouse in Larkspur, which the website describes as, “...local ingredients / wood fired favorites with west coast charm.”
Today (as this show is recorded on Nov. 4, 2021) Dustin Sullivan announces his plans to open a new restaurant called Easy Rider, in Petaluma, right near Barber Lee Spirits. He is a Californian and his partner and chef is from Virginia and knows Southern cooking. They plan to combine the best of Sonoma County farm production with Southern style recipes. For example, their Caprese salad us made with fried green tomatoes.
Guesthouse is a restaurant that Dustin opened in Larkspur, in 2018. It is the restaurant he always wanted to open and he knows about restaurants, since his parents are both in the business and he has grown up around restaurants and has always worked in them.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.Thu, 04 Aug 2022 - 7min - 301 - Barber Lee Spirits, Bitter Girl Bitters + Dustin Sullivan
The Brew Crew is taking a break this week and there is no new show, so for the podcast here is a show that was first aired and recorded on Nov. 4, 2021.
Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bitters and Mike Barber from Barber Lee Spirits distillery in Petaluma join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today on Brew Ha Ha. Also, Dustin Sullivan is in, to announce the opening of his second restaurant. Erin was on Brew Ha Ha three and a half years ago, on this episode of May 17, 2018.
Mike Barber’s wife organizes the Petaluma Holiday Food Fair. There are lots of vendors including Bitter Girl Bitters, The Spice Queen and many others. You can do Christmas shopping at the Petaluma Hotel and have a cocktail too. (The 2021 edition took place on Nov. 23; look for the 2022 edition at their website.)
Bitter Girl Bitters
Erin explains that her bitters, "...are designed to make cocktails taste amazing," using homegrown ingredients. All her bitters have a fun concept and a fun name. She brought one with coffee flavor today.
I like to say that bitters are a bartender’s salt and pepper, a concentrated flavoring additive that is meant to enhance a cocktail, to bring out the spirit and the flavors, to make it a little bit tastier. -Erin Hinze
For example, they are tasting some whiskey from Barber Lee Spirits, that has a little bit of maple shrub and some of these coffee bitters in it. The name of this Bitter flavor is Morning Wood, as it is based on coffee aged in oak barrels.
Barber Lee Spirits
The Barber Lee Still
Mike Barber of Barber Lee Spirits describes his single malt rye whiskey. It is 100% malted rye, a difficult and rare style for an American whiskey. It is what he started with seven years ago and is still the flagship product, among others. He and his wife have been making wine for the last seven years. His first barrel sold quickly and then he and his partners decided to build the distillery for real. They got a place and a still and they use all their own receipes and do every step themselves.
You can enjoy my entire micro-booze empire… I think it’s the coolest block in Sonoma County.” -Mike Barber.
Dustin Sullivan is opening Easy Rider restaurant in Petaluma, near Barber Lee Spirits. They have been open since Dec. 2021. He is a Californian and his partner and chef is from Virginia and knows Southern cooking. They plan to combine the best of Sonoma County farm production with Southern style recipes. For example, their Caprese salad us made with fried green tomatoes.
After the Moscow Mule, an Old Fashioned
The second cocktail is an Old Fashioned. Erin says the bitters are the aromatic finish on a cocktail. You need to sip on it to enjoy the aromatics and the combinations. “To me this is Thanksgiving in a glass.”
Mike Barber describes the other products. 90% of their production is the two main ones, the rye whiskey and a single malt corn whiskey. But they also make special small batches of all kinds of distilled spirits. They use their custom-built fat bottom pot still. For example, they have a Gravenstein Apple Brandy, Rum made with Piloncillo sugar, they are about to bottle their Grappa and they make an absinthe blanche.
Barber Lee Spirts uses Bitter Girl Bitters in their cocktails and has them for sale at the distillery. Bitter Girl’s Morning Wood is the cornerstone of their Manhattan ...Thu, 04 Aug 2022 - 18min - 300 - Wine Country Distillery FestivalThe Robert Ferguson Observatory, this year's non-profit beneficiary.
The Wine Country Distillery Festival takes center stage on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today, with Lindsay Musco and Doralice Handal. Lindsay Musco is the founder of the Wine Country Distillery Festival and Doralice Handal is representing Les Dames d’Escoffier today. Together they are hosting the VIP section at the Wine Country Distillery Festival. Chris Matthise, from Sonoma Brothers Distilling is also in, with beverages.
The Wine Country Distillery Festival is August 13 at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, on the East Lawn. This time it is an outdoor summertime event and this is a new location for them. They will have more vendors, a stage with live music, a cocktail competition and a silent auction to benefit the Robert Ferguson Observatory. Tickets for the VIP Oasis section are $123 and regular admission is $88. They also offer a designated driver ticket, for non-alcoholic consumption, at $12.
Les Dames d’Escoffier
Les Dames d’Escoffier is one of the only non-profit professional organizations that is focussed on women in hospitality industries. There are 43 chapters around the world with 2300 members and growing. The local chapter has 51 members and has just celebrated its second anniversary. Doralice describes how many members are donating their time and effort to the VIP tent. Julia Child was one of the founders of Les Dames d’Escoffier. In her time, there was a men’s professional organization that excluded women, so she and her partners founded their organization and named it after Gustave d’Escoffier who was known for honoring women in the profession.
The Wine Country Distillery Festival started in 2019. Lindsay Musco describes how she thought of the idea. With all the focus on wine and beer in Sonoma County, she thought the local distillers deserved their own event. All of the net proceeds go to a non-profit, and this year that beneficiary is the Robert Ferguson Observatory. The event takes place August 13, from 12-4 pm. Tickets are available at the LBC website or at their own site.
Sonoma Brothers Distilling
Chris Matthise runs Sonoma Brothers Distilling with his twin brother. They started in 2012, in Windsor. They only do about 1000 cases per year and they also work with some custom clients. He’s a fireman and his brother is a police officer. They have a prominent role in the Wine Country Distillery Festival. As they start mixing some cocktails, we get to hear how the shaker sounds on a radio microphone. Herlinda has compliments for Sonoma Brothers Distilling who along with Sipsong Spirits are her local favorites. Tara Jasper, founder of Sipsong Spirits, will also be at the event. Tara Jasper and Sipsong Spirits were featured on Brew Ha Ha two years ago on this July 30, 2020 episode, which was soon after she won a double gold medal for Indira Gin. We got to hear the cocktail shaker in that episode too.Thu, 28 Jul 2022 - 24min - 299 - Keita Tominaga from HanaKeita Tominaga and Steve Jaxon.
Keita Tominaga from the renowned Japanese restaurant Hana, in Rhonert Park is our guest on Brew Ha Ha today. Steve Jaxon is in the studio for the interview, as are Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras.
Keita is the oldest son of Ken Tominaga, who founded Hana. He has been cooking since he was 19 and has been the executive chef at Hana for over a year. His father passed away last May and everyone mourns his loss and misses him very much. Ken Tominaga opened Hana before Keita was born. Originally the place was very small, and was based on traditional Japanese menu. Gradually it became so well known that it is considered perhaps the best Japanese restaurant in northern California.
The Hana Sake Bar
Hana has a Sake bar, which is a newer part of the restaurant. Long after opening, when they remodeled about 8 or 9 years ago, they added the space for the Sake bar. His father started importing Sake from Japanese producers directly. Keita explains that Sake is based on rice, grown, harvested and fermented a certain way. It is an intricate tradition that takes a lot of culture and practice. There are varieties of types and flavors, like beer and wine. Herlinda explains that Sake is erroneously thought of as rice wine. It is really much closer to the process of brewing beer.
Herlinda Heras & the late Ken Tominaga.
Keita has brought Japanese rice balls, which he explains is the Japanese children’s equivalent of PB&J to American kids. You form triangular rice balls with your hand, add any kind of filling, and wrap in seaweed. The restaurant is looking for staff so if anyone is interested, they are willing to train in their traditions.
An Immense List of Sake
Hana’s Sake list is immense. Sake can also be seasonal. There are some fresh-squeezed and non-pasteurized Sake can come in the Spring, called Nigori and Nama. The variety also comes with the variety of food items. Some are sweet and savory and go with bigger full-bodied sake. A lighter kind of Sake could go with something like Sushi or white fish. There are all kinds of Sake and they have all kinds of names too.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Keita suggests that if Sake is too cold, you can miss some of the flavors. He also likes it hot. At one time Hot Sake had a reputation of being cheap, in the USA. In Japan, warming up the Sake is a sign of hospitality to guests. They have different hot Sakes on the menu in the winter. A bowl of Japanese type soup or a hot pot of Udon noodles would go with that.
Right now Hana is open Tuesday and Thursday 4:30-9 and Friday and Saturday 4-9.Thu, 21 Jul 2022 - 15min - 298 - Beer Lands 2022The Great Beer In The Sky.
Beer Lands 2022 organizer Dave Maclean is back on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras, to talk about this year’s festival. Outside Lands will take place on August 5-7, 2022, and one of its many attractions is Beer Lands, a celebration of the Bay Area’s ever-evolving craft beer community. Dave was on Brew Ha Ha last year too, for the same reason.
The Outside Lands festival is back, and so is Beer Lands, as a part of it. After last year’s edition in October (which was foggier and chillier) this year it is back to the summertime.
Dave is one of the owners of Admiral Malting, which is one of the first new floor malting facilities in California since Prohibition, and maybe beyond. They supply a lot of the craft brewing industry.
Beer Lands is two big tented areas with refrigerated shipping containers pouring beer, located near the back of the polo field, at a crossroads among all the other attractions. Outside Lands wants to create a sense of place with the best of everything. For example, there is Wine Lands, Cocktail Magic featuring local mixologists, lots of food options and more.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Outside Lands is a music festival and this year’s biggest headliner is Green Day. The whole lineup is on the website. Beer Lands is part of Outside Lands, so ticket holders have free roam over all the lands. Many people will come more than once during the three days. The website has all the necessary info.
Next week, Herlinda’s friend Lindsey will be on Brew Ha Ha. She will talk about the Wine Country Distillery Festival which is coming soon, on August 13th, 2022. This is also an interesting event that features craft distilleries and other artisan vendors. Tickets will be going fast for that too.Thu, 21 Jul 2022 - 7min - 297 - Don Winkle, craft beer attorneyDon Winkle
Don Winkle joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. He is an attorney whose clients include craft breweries. The last time Don was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of May 16, 2019.
There is a new California law in effect July 1 of this year that mandates a new alcohol server test for licensed retailers. In a highly regulated industry it is important for businesses to keep track of new laws like this. The ABC has clear guidance on their website. In Don’s opinion, the ABC has done a good job with their website and the information is clear and easy to find. They have also shown a lot of flexibility during the pandemic, including relaxing some rules. There is a bill to keep cocktails to go available in the state legislature.
Don describes how he matched his interest in the industry to his job, by being in the right place at the right time. He is an attorney who started with one client in the brewing industry and now he has many such clients. Specialized in the kinds of contracts that are germane to the industry, such as distribution agreements, contracts, regulations and leases that are unique to the industry, he also handles partnership relations. He enjoys being a part of the industry and feels lucky. Of course, tasting and drinking beer is a nice part of the job. Don describes how for a fan, the Pliny the Younger annual event is worth the wait.
Some legal issues in the brewing business
The cocktails to go law is a retail law issue, and Don’s work is with wholesalers and manufacturers. There was a recent settlement regarding distribution of craft beer. The Reyes-Seismic case started out as a contract dispute that became an anti-trust lawsuit. There is great consolidation in distribution and Reyes is buying up distributors. Being a huge privately owned company, they are not subject to the same scrutiny that public companies live with. They own about 50% of the distribution, which puts pressure on competition. The big distributors have influence on retail shelf placement in major high-volume retailers.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Brewers and wholesalers are different and separate licenses. Don explains that one kind of brewer can self-distribute, in California. This is not in the law in other states. Enforcement in certain areas may have waned during those times but not much anymore. The brewing industry made big changes. Many shifted from kegs to bottles and cans. Curbside service and delivery made big differences in keeping a lot of places open.
Someone starting a brewery should have good legal advice, as well as plans for insurance and succession plans for partners. Anyone attempting a startup needs advice from people with experience getting a site, equipment, a good lease, and capital to get into production. One key factor is water. How do you get it and what do you do with your waste water? Agreements like leases, insurance and supplier agreements are key to your success and need to be examined carefully. A partnership agreement is one of the most potentially challenging issues for any business, so important for a brewer. “Leases are draconian documents and they need to be gone into carefully.”Thu, 14 Jul 2022 - 25min - 296 - Faron’s New Orleans style BBQ and Sides at Old PossumFarron's New Orleans Style BBQ
Faron’s New Orleans Style BBQ chef Faron Bailey and his friend and collaborator Sandro Tamburin from Old Possum Brewing are our guests on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today. The Old Possum Instagram page has the most up-to-the-minute news about menus and music at Old Possum Brewery.
Faron's New Orleans Style BBQ & Sides
He describes the New Orleans style, which pertains to the sides as much as the barbeque meats. He is from New Orleans and his family comes from North Carolina. There the barbeque has vinegar flavors, while Kansas City style is a thicker tomato based sauce. In his personal style, he looks for a perfect balance between spice, sweetness and citrus acidity in his. They serve traditional New Orleans sides like collard greens, red beans and rice and potato salad.
Old Possum Brewing will showcase Faron’s menu this week and again in August on Friday, Saturday and Monday. They also have music at Old Possum, and all the information is available on their website and social media, especially Instagram, says Sandro.
“I always wanted to create an environment very similar to home. What I mean by that is, under any circumstances, people who don’t have much, we come together and we put together whatever we have and we make it as tasty as possible and we have a good time.” -Faron Bailey
Faron tells his story about how his wife came from Petaluma but they met in New Orleans and lived in Manhattan before moving back to Sonoma County. He has been cooking all his life and wanted to create something in the community that he was familiar with, which is New Orleans style cooking, because it wasn’t available. Sandro heard about Faron’s New Orleans Style BBQ & Sides and made contact with him. Follow the Old Possum Instagram page for up-to-the-minute news about menus and music at Old Possum Brewery.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Old Possum tastings
They are tasting a blood orange flavored Gose beer that Old Possum makes. There are a lot of blood orange IPAs but Sandro thinks the hops don’t go well with the blood orange. Herlinda asked Sandro to tell about how he uses an over the counter probiotic to make the beer sour. It turns out to cost a lot less than other ways. They are tasting the Alien Search Party IPA from Old Possum. Herlinda tells about judging beers in Europe and hearing from people there that West Coast IPAs are very popular.
All of Old Possum's food offerings are listed on their IG page. They are open Monday - Friday 11:30 am to 8:30 pm, 2:00-9:00 pm Saturday and closed Sundays. Old Possum just celebrated their fourth anniversary. Sandro grew up in Italy and remembers tying new growth in the vineyard. But he attended UC Davis and studied winemaking and met Charlie Bamforth there, who has been on Brew Ha Ha on this episode. He is a professor at UC Davis who taught Sandro about brewing. Sandro also makes wine for D'Argenzio winery, a small local winery that also has a tasting room in Burbank, California (in the Los Angeles area).Thu, 07 Jul 2022 - 16min - 295 - Wine Country to the Rescue
Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras welcomes Captain Joe Stewart of Northern Sonoma County Fire District, here to describe Wine Country to the Rescue. The fund raising event is at Trentadue Winery in Geyserville Saturday July 16th. It is a charity auction and dinner-dance to benefit firefighters from Geyserville, Cloverdale and Healdsburg. They protect a 300-square mile rural area, specializing in rural fire protection. They do fuel reduction work for the benefit of the community in lots of areas. It is labor intensive and requires careful use of resources. Wine Country to the Rescue contributes to this work.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
This year they will start a scholarship fund for young people in northern Sonoma County who are considering going into the fire service or forestry. They also sponsor Community Organized to Prepare for Emergencies, called COPE. They ensure that people know about evacuation routes and other fire safety issues through active community promotion with residents. The event is sold out but they always accept donations.
They are there to support volunteer firefighters, fuel reduction and emergency preparedness. All are grateful for the support of Trentadue Winery for hosting. Bear Republic, Kendall-Jackson and Seismic are all participating.
Last year, under different conditions, the event did not have the VIP area or silent auction. It has evolved over more than fifty years into this week’s event. But Joe considers it important as a way of raising awareness for the important work of EMS, dispatchers and first responders, including both the professionals and volunteers.Thu, 07 Jul 2022 - 10min - 294 - Almanac Beer Co.Kevin Scoles & Natalie Cilurzo.
Almanac Beer Company's Kevin Scoles and Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. join Brew Ha Ha hosts Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke. Kevin is assistant director of sales at Almanac Brewing and Russian River Brewing Co. is a Brew Ha Ha sponsor.
They begin with two Russian River Brewing Co. beers. Citra Flash Mob IPA is mostly Citra hop and was just canned this week. Blind Pig IPA is a classic west coast style, a clear beer about 6.4% ABV. Blind Pig is close to Vinny Cilurzo’s original recipe started at his original brewery, Blind Pig Brewing Co. in Temecula, which he opened in 1994.
Flow Pale Ale
Almanac Beer Co. is introducing Flow Pale Ale, their new west coast style pale ale. Herlinda remembers tasting the third R&D batch. It’s light bodied, with a clean finish. The Flow Fest on July 9 will be the premiere event.
The brewery is located on the old Alameda Naval Air Station. Admiral Malting is their next-door neighbor. Their facility was built in 1938 entirely out of redwood.
Their name comes from the Farmer’s Almanac, which has been published since 1888. It was known as a history of weather patterns, for farmers. They want the brewery to represent agriculture and the local farmers who produce what goes into the beer, which also ties into their menu. Their motto is, “Beer is agriculture.” The brewery was founded in 2011 to apply farm-to-table principles with beer. They have been in their current facility for the last four years.
Kolsch is one of their core beers, the fastest growing beer in their lineup. It is 5% ABV and he calls it their “Sunday lawn mowing beer.” It’s a kind of cross between an ale and a lager. They have picnic tables inside and a large outdoor area and food trucks, and free parking. The outdoor space has been a life-saver for them during Covid.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Pliny the Younger has a positive economic impact in Sonoma County due to the tourist traffic that it generates. Today Natalie describes some 2022 statistics that show increases that were reported in the Press-Democrat. The 6.1 million dollar impact is a 20% increase over last year. It includes spending on hotels, restaurants, etc. “It means a lot to us,” says Natalie.
Kevin describes his journey into beer, which actually started in music. He worked for an guitar and accessory maker, the Ernie Ball company. As a home brewer, he knew he would enjoy working in the brewing business. He started in a distribution company and there, he got to know the two co-founders of Almanac Brewing. About a year ago he began working for them.
They are tasting an Adambier, which is a German style, not very well known. It is a strong, dark lager originally from Dortmund. It is 6.7% ABV with a hint of tartness.Thu, 30 Jun 2022 - 27min - 293 - Soundscape Brewing Co. founder Ashley Harrell
Soundscape Brewing Co. founder Ashley Harrell joins Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke in the studio on Brew Ha Ha today.
Get tickets for the Freshtival 2022 on eventbrite dot com.
The Freshtival is this Saturday, June 25. It is a production of Hen House Brewing and an updated list of breweries is on the Hen House Freshtival web page. There are breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego and every beer will be no more than 7 days old.
Ashley got to beer from other avenues. She studied music in college and as an art song and opera singer, her dream was to sing on Broadway. She worked behind a bar while living in New York City and pursuing a career in musical theater. Having developed an interest in craft beer, she then worked a brewery and started home brewing. Now she is looking for commercial space in Benicia. As an artist and performer, she likes the idea of infusing storytelling into beer.
Lay All Your Love On Me
To begin with, a Belgian Whit beer is the first tasting. This Soundscape Brewing product is in competition at NHC the National Homebrew Competition, in Pennsylvania right now. Ashley associates music with the flavors of beer. This beer is called "Lay All Your Love On Me" after an Abba song. The Belgian Whit is a style that Hoegaarden Brewery in Belgium is famous for. It has coriander and orange peel. Ashley likes to use as many local ingredients as possible. She used orange peel from her front yard and coriander from the back yard.
She has licensed the name Soundscape Brewing and is in the process of establishing the location and operations. In the meantime, while still a home brewer, her product is so good it's "ridiculous" according to Herlinda Heras.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.Thu, 23 Jun 2022 - 24min - 292 - Colin from HenHouse on FreshtivalHerlinda, Colin & Harry.
Colin from HenHouse Brewing is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke today. HenHouse is one of the organizers of the June 25 Freshtival, which is a HenHouse production to showcase freshness. Tickets are going fast. They will be bringing in about 160 different fresh beers from 80 or more brewers. No beer served on June 25 will be more than a week old. There will be breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego.
Herlinda asks Colin to explain what makes a beer fresh. Colin talks about how people know instinctively that fresh food is better and that food that is left out will rot, smell bad and not be appetizing. The same is true of beer. The basic principle applies to beer as to any food. Colin explains that the big factor is oxygen, which in beer oxidizes the hop compounds in the beer.
Colin has brought some beer, one house IPA and another called Language Creates Reality, which use special hops. Those hops have to be fresh and they have to mitigate the factors that accelerate oxidation, mainly time and temperature. The reason why they like to use cans instead of glass is that is keeps light off the beer. They also have to control the temperature of the beer. They even require their distributors and retailers to keep the beer cold.
The Freshtival is coming up this Saturday, June 25, 2022.
The ingredients for beer are much more shelf-stable than the beer is. Hops, if packaged and stored correctly, can be held for two years. This unlike the wine world, where after picking grapes, they have to press them and begin the winemaking process as soon as possible. Colin tells about the effort they make to get their beer to their customers as soon as possible. They now try to have their beer be no more than 7 days in cans or kegs. They also ask them to keep it cold at all times.
HenHouse has locations in Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Fairfax. They just opened Fairfax this week. They have a burger with a dry-aged beef burger. Fairfax is a fun town because it’s at the crossroads of many North Bay destinations. They took over the Iron Springs location and they had live music. First they need to get their bearings with the brewery and they plan to add music soon.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.Thu, 16 Jun 2022 - 21min - 291 - Kevin Lovett from Wolf House Brewing
Kevin Lovett from Wolf House Brewing is our in-studio guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Kevin was master brewer for Cloverdale Ale Co when he bought Wolf House in October 2019. He was going to open two places at once. He is inspired by Jack London, who was a Glen Ellen resident. Some other beers are also named after Jack London stories. The beer they are drinking is called Burning Daylight, which is the title of a Jack London short story. Dutch Courage is another one. We hear about how they managed to open the brewery and restaurant and then finally the music venue. This achievement has fulfilled his original goals.
The Freshtival is coming up this Saturday, June 25, 2022.
Check out the Freshtival page at the Hen House site for all the info. Lots of food, beer and music, including some gluten free choices, something for everybody. No beer will be older than seven days. Get tickets on Eventbrite. Kevin has brewed a special Hazy beer for the Freshtival that is flavored with some familiar and some new hops.
Kevin’s dad Michael Lovett was a co-founder with Don Barkley of the iconic Mendocino Brewing Co., makers of the renowned Red Tail Ale, which everyone misses. They worked at New Albion under Jack McCauliffe, the first new brewery to open after Prohibition and an originator in what became a movement. When New Albion closed, Don and Michael got the equipment to use for Mendocino Brewing. Kevin worked at his father’s brewery when he was growing up and then he worked for others including Napa Smith and Brian Hunt’s Moonlight Brewing. He became very good at building breweries and is grateful for the mentoring and the opportunities he found in brewing.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
The Wolf House Brewing taproom is located at 131 E. 1st Street in Cloverdale. There are locals and others who come from pretty far away because “the word is getting out.”
Burning Daylight is his Pilsner. He thinks it’s the best beer he has made. They also have a beer called Therapy Session. Pilsners are hard to make and he credits Brian Hunt for teaching him about Lagers and Pilsners and he always has each strain of yeast available.
They have a 9-barrel system so he brews 3 times a month or so. They plan to raise their capacity so they can get into more places. Kevin and his sister and brother-in-law, a chef, are partners in the brewery. They have a full menu including something called a Cloverdale Twinkie, which is a jumbo Jalapeño pepper stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and deep fried.
Wolf House Brewing has a pedigree behind it due to Kevin Lovett’s personal history and experience. He grew up at the Hopland brewery taphouse. His first job was bussing tables in about 1995 so he got to be a part of it before it all changed. When he came back in 2005 it was an empty lot and now Ron Lindenbusch has turned it into a destination again. Wolf House and Hopland Tap would be a good two-fer for a day trip. They have a lot of live music, including lots of kinds of Rock (the old joke, “Music? We got both kinds! Country AND Western!”)
Kevin Lovett will pour his Hazy beer at the Freshtival but he won’t give it a name until he tastes it.Thu, 09 Jun 2022 - 27min - 290 - Moonlight Brewing Co-Owners Brian Hunt and Patrick Rue
Moonlight Brewing co-owners Brian Hunt and Patrick Rue join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Brian is the founder of Moonlight Brewing and Patrick Rue is now a co-owner. Patrick is the former owner of “Bruery” in Orange County which he sold. After opening a Moonlight Czech Pils Reality Czech, we hear their stories. Patrick started brewing in 1992 and just kept at it. He started in a barn near the airport then to Graton 10 years later then to Coffey Lane and has been there since then. It’s walking distance for lucky residents of Santa Rosa.
Lagunitas bought 50% of Moonlight, then Heineken bought Lagunitas. Now Moonlight is back local with Patrick Rue. Brian gets to tell the story of looking for just the right partner for a long time. Patrick has been a fan of Moonlight since drinking Death and Taxes in college. He admires that they have a steady identity and do not have to chase trends. Patrick opened a Brewery in Southern California and he ditched law school to operate it then sold it to some investors. He tried his hand at wine, his winery is called Erosion. They also brew beer and they make ice cream too.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Patrick and Brian served together in the California Craft Brewers Association which is how they got to know each other. Brian had a great reputation that inspired Patrick. For a lot of people, including Harry and Patrick, Death and Taxes was popular when they were students.
The Importance of Death and Taxes
Death and Taxes is Moonlight Brewing’s signature brew. Brian was working for a brewery in Napa and he thought of a beer that he wanted which didn’t exist. Today we are used to a lot of choices but back then, he had to make it. It’s something that works well in hot weather. It is the epitome of the San Francisco style black lager. He made up that term, because his friends in Europe are used to naming beer styles after cities. Even if that’s not a habit in America, it makes sense to him. It is designed for when it’s 90 degress outside. “To me a hop is an accent, it’s not a reason to exist…”
Get tickets for the Freshtival 2022 on eventbrite dot com.
The Freshtival is back on June 25, 2022, at Sonoma Mountain Village. Come for 160 different beers from over 80 breweries from Portland to San Diego. All of the beer poured in this event will be less than 7 days old. For details visit Hen house brewing dot com slash freshtival and visit Eventbrite dot com for Freshtival tickets.
Patrick explains how he likes to try to bring unusual flavors into beer, which is unlike what Moonlight does. He likes to use ingredients, yeast strains and spices that don’t usually appear in beer. They have plans to let some Moonlight beer mature in oak barrels for 6 to 12 months. Reality Czech is a style from Pilsen, in western Czechia. They also have Dim Lights, a gently smoked lager. It took some trial and error to get the perfect smoked malts. Patrick’s brand Erosion wine takes some Muscat Canelli (a cool climate aromatic wine) and flavors it with hops, three different ways.Thu, 02 Jun 2022 - 25min - 289 - Pond Farm Brewing Co.Pond Farm Brewing Company co-owners and co-founders Trevor and Stephanie Martens join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. They own and operate Pond Farm Brewing in nearby San Rafael, California.
The name Pond Farm Brewing has a fun history. Pond Farm was an artists’ residency and workshop that started in the 1940s, in Guerneville. It became known for pottery in the 1950s as the studio of Marguerite Wildenhain, a famous potter originally from Germany.
Trevor’s father was there so he remembers how the community was focused on craft and disciplined work habits. They also have other professional careers. When they chose the name, they had not chosen the location yet. Trevor tells about the transition from aerospace engineering to brewing. He took an internship at Fogbelt, to see how the hobby could feel as a full time job.
Among all their beers, they first taste the San Rafael Lager, a Mexican style lager beer with a hint of corn sweetness. Trevor mentions that they use malt from Admiral Malting in Alameda.
The Location
Part of their dream was to have a good physical location that felt happy and welcoming. The building they are in has all the beer hall vibes they wanted, with lots of natural light and high ceilings. They actually bought the building and have put solar on the roof! It is a great spot for social gatherings of all kinds. They have been serving beer for about three years but the kitchen has been open for about a month and half. They have pretzels, wings, salads, grilled cheese, brats, veggie sandwiches and kid’s fare too. Pond Farm’s approach to the beer is to have a full hand of popular styles, with the core beers people like, plus some others in rotation.
“There are so many styles to drink and to brew and it’s hard to only do the same thing over and over.” – Trevor Martens
Pond Farm Brewing is located at 1848 4th St. in San Rafael. They are open Tuesday through Sunday, 3pm-9pm, Friday and Saturday 12noon-10pm, Sunday 12noon-8pm. They have live music there on Saturdays, including popular local bands such as Fairfax Social Club coming up on May 28. That band shares a lot of regulars with the brew house.
Other Pond Farm Brews
Previously they tasted the 6.8% Hazy IPA, aka a New England IPA. It is one of the four beers that they opened with. It is more balanced than a lot of hazy beers. As they go through tasting the other beers, the first is Lucy, a bourbon barrel aged imperial brown ale. Same As It Never Was is a west coast style that always comes in at 6.7% ABV but uses different hops every time. The label is inspired by the Talking Heads album cover. Another is called Sour Adversity and features a picture of a figure widely believed to have written works of poetry and literature (but who is now known to have been only the front man for the true author). Adrift is a pale ale with a 5.4% ABV, inspired by Sierra Nevada’s style with a little bit more hop flavors.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.Thu, 26 May 2022 - 25min - 288 - Freshtival is Back!
Freshtival 2022 is the subject today with Sayre Piotrkowski from HenHouse Brewing, who joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. Freshtival is a HenHouse event, “a celebration of the art of freshness” that reflects their mission statement. Covid stopped the Freshtival for a couple of years but it is back now for 2022.
The Freshtival takes place on June 25, 2022, 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, at SOMO Village in Rhonert Park. Tickets are available on Eventbrite dot com. Ticket prices are lower for advance purchase.
HenHouse Brewing makes extra efforts to enforce their standards of “second half beer quality.” That means their beer is never warm stored, all of their trucks are refrigerated and the beer goes directly into cold storage at delivery. This is an important distinction for HenHouse in the craft beer competitive environment. “The rigors of time, temperature and travel make your beer less delicious.”
They expect 80 different breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego at the Freshtival. There will be at least 50 beers to taste. All the beer they serve will have been made within seven days of the event. The Freshtival will be, in Sayre’s words, “...the largest variety of brewery-fresh beer ever poured in one place.”
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Seismic Brewing and Tremor will be serving beer at the Freshtival. Herlinda asks if there will be any “whales” which means rare brews. Sayre thinks that term might apply to some of the breweries that will be there, which may be lesser known and make excellent beer.Thu, 19 May 2022 - 8min - 287 - Golden State Cider and Seismic BrewingChristopher Jackson
Golden State Cider's new owner and Seismic Brewery founder Christopher Jackson is back on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. He was last on Brew Ha Ha on this episode that aired back on July 2, 2019, the day before they opened the Sebastopol taproom.
They are tasting some cider called Save the Gravenstein, which Chris calls an expression of Sonoma County Gravenstein apples. He has known the partners of Golden State for a long time. He would like to take Golden State Cider national, that is the goal. Some of their apples already come from the Pacific Northwest but they could source apples from places like Saratoga, NY too.
Sustainability for the Long Term
He explains that brands like Seismic and Golden State could be managed for exploitation but he has other ideas. We hear about their desire to run a sustainable operation for the long term, and how they practice water conservation and use green electricity. It is also important to use local ingredients. Their grain and hops are grown within 10 miles of their Sebastopol facility and they use malt from Admiral Malting in Alameda.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Tremor has won two important Gold Medals recently, at the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup. Next up is the US Open Beer Championship. One more win and they can claim the Triple Crown for beer. Tremor’s idea was to bring the American Lager back into the craft brew business, but to make it organically and use only barley, instead of the way of “macro” beers.
Seismic Brewing Co. has always had sustainability at the heart of its operations. Climate change is an issue for anyone working in agriculture. In order for his sons to be able to participate in the business years from now, the operation has to be sustainable with mitigating climate change at the core of their ethic.Thu, 19 May 2022 - 17min - 286 - Seismic Brewing Co. and TremorWe have two guest brewers from Seismic Brewing Co. on Brew Ha Ha today, Anthony Ayez aka Turbo and Christian Toran, brewing engineer. They are celebrating Seismic's 5th anniversary this year.
Tremor is their sister brewery, all organic and all locally sourced. They have won several important awards lately for their Tremor California Light Lager. It won 2021 Gold medal at Great American Beer fest and a silver the year before. It also just won at the World Beer Cup in Minneapolis. This international award only happens every other year and it is the biggest award in the business.
Seismic grew up developing recipes in their owner’s garage, and now they run a sustainable brewery in Santa Rosa. They have world-class water re-use practices. They have been located in the Barlow in Sebastopol for the last three years. May 20-22 they are throwing a birthday party called Megafest.
Seismic has grown to 7,700 barrels last year and already 2,400 barrels this year, by May. Tremor California Light Lager, the brand that won the gold, “... is our OG brand for the Tremor family.”
Their wastewater treatment and other sustainable practices are world-class. Reclaimed water is cleaner than drinking water standards.
The Megathrust is a higher alcohol IPA that was not as widely known. Now it is finally being put in cans. This is their first 16-ounce can. Herlinda mentions that canning saved a lot of breweries. Seismic does have a big canning system. Their owner is Christopher Jackson and the Jackson family is dedicated to sustainability and best ecological practices. He will be on this show next week to talk about that and more. Herlinda also has some news, since Seismic has recently purchased Golden State Cider.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Tremor uses 100% Organic Admiral Pilsner malt from Admiral Malting in Alameda, California. They developed their processes and recipes together. They are mimicking classic styles with their own twist on them that are truly delicious.
Seismic's purchase of Golden State Cider is nice news in the business. They are neighbors in the Barlow and the companies share such similar core values so it is “a match made in heaven.” Herlinda also mentions that Brian Hunt of Moonlight Brewing has managed to “get out from underneath Heineken.” She can’t talk about many details yet but they will be on the show when they can.
Seismic Brewing Co. is located in the Barlow in Sebastopol:
Mondays through Thursdays 3pm-9pm,
Fridays 2pm-10pm,
Saturdays 11am-10pm,
Sundays 11am-8pm.
Megafest runs from May 20-22, a big party with music celebrating their 5th anniversary. Several of the bands that will be playing are actually made up of musicians who work in local breweries.Thu, 12 May 2022 - 26min - 285 - Hendrick Verspecht from cuVer BreweryHendrick Verspecht
Hendrick Verspecht joins Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke today on Brew Ha Ha. Hendrick is a co-founder of the first authentic Belgian-style brewery in Sonoma County, cuVer Brewery. The last time he was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode on September 16, 2021, when cuVer was just about to open their Windsor location to the public. Since then the brewery has won an important award and has seen an increase in orders for its award-winning brew. He learned brewing in his garage at home in Belgium and studied plant biology at university in Belgium. Now the family has this brewery in Windsor with a lot of others nearby.
Tara Nurin will call in from Minneapolis, Minnesota to report on the Craft Brewers Conference. They had the most entries they have ever had at this year's edition. Tara's call is posted separately on this podcast episode.
Hendrick and his extended family opened the brewery just over a year ago to make the Belgian styles that they missed. They had an opportunity to purchase a brewery and they have had a great first year. They are located off Bell Road in Windsor in the beverage district near Artisan Alley. Check the website for up-to-date hours.
The Award-Winning Pepperwood Ale
cuVer Brewery won the award for Best Session Beer for their signature recipe called Pepperwood Ale. It also won an award as a home brew at the California State Fair in 2018. He is especially proud of the fact that they won an award with a Belgian beer, in a category that is not strictly for Belgian beer. It was for any that are ABV 5% or less. It is made to be refreshing and relaxing and not too strong. Hendrick says "it's a farmworker's beer. I just went for local spices that I find in my backyard." The native California Bay Laurel is also called the Pepperwood tree. He also uses Meyer lemon peel, and finding enough of those can be a problem. But it also uses Saison yeast, which is a key ingredient. Belgian beers are fermentation-driven and a lot of the flavor comes form the yeast itself.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
They are snacking on Herlinda's home-made frittes with the beer, which are a daily chow in Belgium. "It happens to be thee perfect beer pairing food," says Hendrick. Their orders have increased since they won.
Lambic and Gueuze Styles
He has also brought some other special Belgian beers for tasting. Lambics are a style of spontaneously fermented beer, made in the Bruxelles area. You don't add yeast to it. It is exposed in a shallow, flat vat called a cool ship. Russian River Brewing Co. has one and Shady Oak has a mobile one. It picks up yeast in the environment, then gets pumped into barrels, where it slowly starts to ferment. This bottle is a 2020 bottling, so it has been in the bottle for 2 years. A Lambic is a single brew and the Gueuze is a blend between 1, 2 and 3 year old brews. "It lives somewhere between beer, wine and kombucha." There is even a pellicule that is film floating on top where the microbes are growing. (Pellicule is Latin for "film" literally "little skin.")Thu, 05 May 2022 - 21min - 284 - Tara Nurin at Craft Brewers Conference + NZ HopsTara Nurin
On this episode of the Brew Ha Ha podcast, Tara Nurin calls in from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to report on the Craft Brewers Conference and Brew Expo America. She writes about the business of beverage and spirits for Forbes magazine. She has recently published a book, A Woman's Place Is In The Brewhouse, which Herlinda reports has surpassed 10,000 sales on that big website that people buy stuff from, and she is also thee most frequent guest ever to appear on Brew Ha Ha.
Tara Nurin tells the story starting with the great relief everyone felt, to be around friends and colleagues again. Natalie Cilurzo was the keynote speaker and people are coming away with a good feeling about it all. Herlinda mentions that Bart Watson, economist for the Brewer's Association, has published some data that looks good even after the pandemic. Tara tells of people who opened breweries in 2019 and 2020 who tell about surviving and growing their businesses. There were a lot of pessimistic predictions but in the end more breweries made it than they thought would, at first.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Tara is also working with NZ Hops, which means New Zealand-grown hops. Meagan Andersen was on last year on this episode, to talk about NZ Hops. Among the many types of hops they sell, they have one called Nectaron® that was developed after a 17-year R&D process. There was a poll of brewers who voted this the most popular hops that they would like to get. There are some proud and happy 5th generation farmers in New Zealand now. NZ Hops is also selling a new hop oil product that is very easy to ship and is also "super-sustainable." Instead of shipping a box of pellets, they ship a box of vials, which is much easier.Thu, 05 May 2022 - 6min - 270 - Hiveworks MeadThe team from Hiveworks Mead is in the studio for Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras to talk about their way of making mead. Alexander Mendoza, CEO and Head Mazer, Sean Duckworth, COO and Julian Frank, CFO, are taking turns on the two guest microphones in our small converted train car.
They will be at Beer City this Saturday, Feb. 24, in Courthouse Square.
The Hiveworks Mead team all grew up in Sebastopol together and now they are partners in the company.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Skyborne
First they taste Skyborne, a simple recipe of honey, water and yeast, plus carbonation. They just wanted to make a beverage that they could enjoy with any food. The more honey you add, the higher the ABV. A lot of traditional mead could be 2-3 pounds of honey per gallon of mead. Their mead is lower in alcohol so they can use less honey.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Kind of like wine, kind of like beer
The partners started Hiveworks Mead in Sebastopol in a shed with one fermenter, and experimented until their product was a hit at some parties. That was when it was time to go pro. Even though it is classified and taxed as a wine, mead is actually made on equipment that is much more like that of a brewery. The aluminum cans use a lot less carbon dioxide, than glass bottles.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Alexander carries the title Head Mazer. Some meadmakers fancy the term. A mazer is a type of traditional medieval wooden cup, low and wide, with a rise in the middle. There happens to be a well-known annual mead competition called the Mazer Cup, based in Colorado, whose logo is shaped like a mazer. This may have suggested the idea for that term. *
* ‘Mazer’ as a meadmaker has no root word history in English nor in any of its contributing languages. Given that mead can be drunk from a mazer, calling a meadmaker a ‘mazer’ could be compared to calling a vintner a ‘glass’ or a brewer a “mug” or a Kombuchist a “tightly capped bottle.” But if people like the term, they will use it, and if enough people adopt it for enough time, it will become documented.Thu, 22 Feb 2024 - 31min - 269 - CCBS 2024 California Craft Beer SummitChris Keeton from CCBS 2024 calls in to Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras to talk about the California Craft Beer Summit. There will be a convention, the California Craft Beer Summit, March 12-14, in Sacramento. There is the website, ^ with all the info you need. The rest of today's Brew Ha Ha episode is a conversation with the folks from Hiveworks Mead, which is on its own page.
Chris Keeton
Chris Keeton is the President of the Sacramento Area Brewers Guild and is also the head brewer for the Alaro Craft Brewery, which is located very close to the convention center. Morgan Territory Brewing won at ccbs last year, as they win a lot of competitions.
Beer City, Sat. Feb. 24 in Santa Rosa
The general public can purchase tickets to the event. The awards ceremony is March 13 during the CCBA Summit. The Competition will be held in the Crest Theater. They will have 197 breweries and 1300 beer entries, which makes it the third largest one of these in the country.
Judy Ashworth, the famous publican, was with Herlinda at the competition last year. Judy is a very famous figure in the craft brewing industry and she was on Brew Ha Ha on this episode back on December 19, 2019, along with former co-host Mark Carpenter.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
The CCBS 2024 winners will be announced on a website after the convention. There will also be a live stream on The Brewing Network YouTube channel. The results will be published at this site: https://brewerscupofca.com/
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The Craft Beer Summit is a great networking opportunity for like-minded entrepreneurs to learn more about their business. The Guilds also provide an important service to their members. For example, the fact that we can taste beer and cider at our farmers markets is due to some lobbying done by the guilds.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!Thu, 22 Feb 2024 - 10min - 268 - Fogbelt Brewing founders Paul Hawley and Remy MartinFogbelt Brewing founders Paul Hawley and Remy Martin are back on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Paul and Remy have been on Brew Ha Ha several times, including this episode last September and this other episode the previous August.
This is a busy time for beer fans with the FeBrewary promotion and Beer City all taking place.
For Beer Week, Fogbelt Brewing is making Bacon and Beer pairings. It’s as classic as pizza and beer. They serve what they call “Billionaire’s Bacon” and also Salmon belly, served with a flight of beers.
Their annual Godwood Triple IPA has just been released. It is made with Simcoe, Mosaic, Aurora and Eldorado hops, all of them. They do three separate dry hops and a touch of caramel malt.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Ten Years of Fogbelt and Brew Ha Ha
Paul and Remy just celebrated their tenth anniversary and so did the Brew Ha Ha. They went to school together and studied moviemaking, then moved to New Zealand and ended up working for a winery and making their own beer on the side. Continuing to Australia they “became passionate” about beer. Remy studied beer and Paul studied finance and the new team was ready.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The Fogbelt location in Healdsburg is a beer garden which is also in an old train, just like Wine Country Radio. Fogbelt Brewing Co. is located at 1305 Cleveland Ave. in Santa Rosa.
The Beer City Festival in Santa Rosa Courthouse Square is on February 24. There are three races, half marathon, 10 K and 5 K, which are optional. Next week the organizers will be in the studio on Brew Ha Ha.
Herlinda went to the SF Beer Week gala. It was advertised as a “space” theme, including Star Wars, Star Trek, etc. Herlinda was the only person in the gala in costume.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Fogbelt is proud to be making a lot of different beers, something for everybody. Their Redwood Lager won a Gold Medal at the Sacramento State Fair.
Fogbelt also organized a Beer Camp, an adult summer camp with lots of beer. They hosted it at Wildhaven in Healdsburg, which is a glamping resort. They had a few classes in search and rescue, cooking demos, a falconry demo, and most of it was all about beer. Paul’s dad is a falconer and taught a class about it.Thu, 15 Feb 2024 - 25min - 267 - Jenny Ogston from Victory HouseJenny Ogston from Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter is here to talk about their Superb Owl party this Sunday.
The Victory House Superb Owl party is this Sunday, Feb. 11. It is a ticketed event to Victory House and Chuck’s Bowling. Door open Sunday at 2:30 but the whole facility is open as usual at 9:00. As of air-time today there are some seats left at Chuck’s, although Victory House is sold out for Superb Owl. There are big screens all around and the environment of a big game is exciting.
Victory House proudly pours non-alcoholic beers from Athletic Brewing. Sierra Nevada also makes a really good non-alcoholic beer called The Trail House.
They have 24 beers on tap, at least 12 are local breweries, hard cider and kombucha too. They also have lots of appetizers and really well made fried food, cuz it’s a sports bar! There are always new items being prepared for future menu upgrades. Jenny has brought a selectin of beers including a non-alcoholic one, a Peach Sour from Cooperage, Inhume, their IPA, from a brewery in Oakland.
Herlinda Heras, Fish and Chips Judge
Herlinda’s next trip will be judging the British Fish and Chips Awards, with the reception in the Houses of Parliament. We will hear all about it from her on the Feb. 29 episode coming soon.
Epicenter has lots of TV screens and shows a lot of sports, everything from ESPN and ESPN-U games to pickleball, corn hole and extreme tag. They are open on days when schools are closed, so there’s a place to bring kids.
Poppy Bank Epicenter has soccer fields and runs adult and youth soccer leagues. There is an arcade with old-school arcade games. They also have laser tag and a giant play structure in the little kids area. Chucks has 12 regular lanes and a private VIP area with 4 lanes. Chuck’s Garage is styled like a garage where guys will hang out.Thu, 08 Feb 2024 - 25min - 266 - SF Beer Week 2024 with Joanne MarinoJoanne Marino is calling in to Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras, she is the executive director of SF Beer Week. Ed Gobbo from Harmonic Brewing Co. is also in the studio today. Ed Gobbo's complete interview and podcast episode is over here on this page. (This way, both Harmonic and SF Beer Week get to have their own search traffic and shareable location.) Check out Ed's interview, he has a lot to say.
SF Beer Week has a lot of North Bay events with Old Caz and Pond Farm, among many others. As the event has grown, more brewers than ever have a showcase.
The Gala is back at Pier 35 in San Francisco, it’s a great party that people are eager to attend again.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
The late San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee was a great supporter of Beer Week. Joanne talks about how the member breweries who run Beer Week face challenges all the time to survive. It has been proven that breweries contribute to revitalization. For example, it is sad for the Dogpatch community that Harmonic Brewing is no longer there. As brewers struggle to survive, it is important to promote the industry to try to give these business more exposure and more attention.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The Gala has a Star Wars theme, so wardrobe and costumes are a factor. Watch out for Herlinda on that red carpet!
There are SF Beer Week collaboration brews, Russian River will be there with Pliny, and also lots of smaller breweries like Harmonic.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Let’s have some fun!
There are still tickets available so get ‘em now! A VIP ticket gets you access to brewers like Vinny and Natalie and selfies galore.
The gala ha a space theme, so all the space movies and tv shows are fair game, including star wars, star trek star search, no not that, but spaceballs definitely
There are also non-alcoholic beverages. There is a Barrel Brothers non-alcoholic beer as a sponsor. The best part is getting back together with your community. Those are the moments we missed that we want to bring back.Thu, 01 Feb 2024 - 11min - 265 - Ed Gobbo from Harmonic Brewing Co.Ed Gobbo, Harmonic Brewing Co. founder, is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. He was on Brew Ha Ha once before, on this episode of September 22, 2022.
Joanne Marino, executive director of SF Beer Week, will call in to the show. You can listen to her phone call with Steve, Herlinda and Ed on this separate podcast episode. (Separating the podcast into two allows each one to have its own search traffic and shareable location.)
Harmonic Brewing's new location in Thrive City
Harmonic Brewing’s new location is in Thrive Center at the Chase Center, where the Golden State Warriors of the NBA play. The original Harmonic Brewing location was in Dogpatch, a neighborhood in San Francisco where they began their business. Their theme is celebrating Craft, Culture and Community.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
The first beer they taste is Prague Rock, a pun on Prog Rock. It is a Czech Pilsner style. Ed Gobbo gives credit to Admiral Maltings. which is a local facility that makes malt from locally grown barley. He likes working with them because of their careful attention to quality. It is also nice to have a local supplier which lowers the carbon footprint.
Ed and his partners were home brewers for about 10 years, and they had other careers before they started Harmonic.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Harmonic Brewing will be at San Francisco Beer Week, which is coming up soon. The entire community is excited for the return of the gala at the beginning of Beer Week. Herlinda describes how Beer Week has extended into other parts of the Bay Area. February 9 – 18. The last Gala was in 2020 just before everything shut down. We will hear more about during Herlinda’s call with Joann Marino.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
There is even going to be an app this year, to help people plan their attendance to the events. On February 10 there will be an Admiral Maltings event where they can meet the brewers and the maltsters and the farmers too. There are so many events, you have to plan your visit. Ed describes some collaborations he has done, which you can sample at SFBW.
(Photo credit: Sarah Chorey from the Harmonic Brewing Co. website.)Thu, 01 Feb 2024 - 20min - 264 - Herlinda Heras’ Maui ReportToday Herlinda Heras' Maui Report takes the stage on this special podcast episode of Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon.
Herlinda Heras called in from Maui where she was travelling for her birthday. She extended her stay and she is finally back today. Herlinda had the opportunity to report on Lahaina when her friend who lives there invited her. She was hesitant to visit, not wanting to be a looky-loo. However as she was invited, she got to see, “many beautiful things to do” there.
Whereas the Sonoma County fires were huge, covering a broad area, Lahaina is rather small. A lot of old buildings from the 1700s burned and cannot be rebuilt. But the people on Maui are still operating their business and still need tourist traffic. Thanks to her very wide circle of friends, Herlinda was able to attend some exciting social events and visit some incredibly beautiful natural attractions.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Herlinda has brought a beer called Mango Stickee Rice for tasting, which as you can imagine is juicy and delicious. There is also a charity collaboration beer that lots of brewers are making, including Russian River Brewing Co.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Calling in on the phone from Maui is Leanne Pletcher, director of public relations from the Maui Tourism Bureau. They are working to encourage people to come and visit and enjoy the many other parts of the island while Lahaina is healing.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
There are breweries and distilleries on Maui too, that Herlinda encourages people to visit. Maui Brewing Co. is in south Maui, near the coast. Up country, there are small towns and parks to visit as well as a pineapple farm and distillery.
Maui Links
Here are some links about Maui brewers and distillers and about visiting and helping Maui:
Maui Nui Strong: https://www.mauinuistrong.info/
Maui Tourism, general info: https://mauitourism.org/
Go Hawaii, travel information: https://www.gohawaii.com/malama
Maui Brewing Co., makers of Mango Stickee Rice beer: https://mauibrewingco.com/
Ocean Organic Farm and Distillery: https://oceandistillery.com/
Haliimaile Distilling: https://haliimailedistilling.com/
Mahalo Aleworks: https://www.mahaloaleworks.com/
MAHALO.
Maui Brewing Co. Mango Stickee Rice beer.Fri, 26 Jan 2024 - 12min - 263 - Flagship Taproom and Old Possum BrewingOld Possum Brewing Co.
Flagship Taproom and Old Possum Brewing are both in the house today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. The last time Sandro was on the show was this episode in April, 2023.
Sandro Tamburin is back in the studio with a big announcement. Flagship BBQ and Old Possum Brewing are teaming up. Flagship BBQ will become the managing partner for retail operations at Old Possum, while Sandro will continue to manage the brewery operation. They will be in soft launch in February then Friday, February 16 they have a grand opening. They will also release their Triple Hopped beer, Tonic Immobility.
As they are tasting a pilsner style from Old Possum called La Rosita, Sandro tells the story of Old Possum. He started as a wort producer supplying other brewers. But once he realized that he had also assembled all the other necessary licenses and processes to become a brewer, that’s what he did.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Flagship Taproom has been making BBQ for years. Now they will be serving Flagship Taproom barbeque food and pouring Sandro’s Old Possum beer at Old Possum’s locations.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
Sandro also has an IPA called Garibaldi, it is a dry hazy. It uses Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
Flagship Taproom does fun promotions like comedy shows, live music and trivia nights that attract a fun crowd.Thu, 25 Jan 2024 - 14min - 262 - Pliny for President 2024Natalie Cilurzo
Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. is on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras to talk about Pliny for President 2024. Herlinda is traveling today.
We begin with Natalie telling the story of how RRBC got started, from when Korbel started the brand and hired Vinny. Later when Korbel decided to leave the beer business, Vinny and Natalie got the brand and recipes, organized a business plan with investors, and opened their brew pub in 2004 in Santa Rosa.
That means that 2024 is also the 20th release of Pliny the Younger. When they had to postpone their retail release during Covid, it meant separating the wholesale distribution of Pliny the Younger from the on-site consumer retail release. The brewery is a lot bigger than it used to be and this reorganization has made the process more manageable.
Pliny the Younger 2024
The 2024 Pliny the Younger will be available at will begin to appear at many of their clients in the Bay Area on draft, at SF Beer Week Feb 9 – 18, and a few other events. The in-person release is March 22 to April 4, this year. The complete release plans are all listed at the Russian River Brewing Co. website and socials.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
Russian River Brewing Co. has also released the 2024 Pliny for President. It used to be just for fun, pre-social media. But now, it’s a lot more established, with branding, merchandise and a great slogan, “Hop Care for Everyone.” Blind Pig is Pliny’s running mate, as always. The 2020 release was sold online in cans, and people who were cooped up during the pandemic really appreciated it. This 2024 Pliny for President has flavors of 4 different hops, Simcoe, Nectaron, Amarillo, Zumo, so the beer has citrus and stone fruit flavors from those hops, but a but lower alcohol than last time. It’s at local retail stores and they will release it quarterly.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
The Windsor location was designed with Pliny the Younger in mind. It was important for there to be enough space for the crowds that come every year. Some travelers even park their RVs in the Windsor parking lot, with permission.
SF Beer Week is back and the opening night Gala is back for the first time since the pandemic. Russian River Brewing Co. will be there. Tickets for different kinds of entry are available at the SF Beer Week website.
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!
In lingua Latina
PS: some suggested Latin slogans for Pliny for President, suitable for carving into marble:
Ex multis cerevisiis, unum = Out of many beers, one.
Lupuli pro Omnibus = Hops for Everyone.Thu, 18 Jan 2024 - 22min - 261 - Herlinda Heras from Maui about the Kokua ProjectHerlinda Heras in Maui reporting on the Kokua Project.
Herlinda Heras is calling from Maui, to talk about the Kokua Project with Steve Jaxon on Brew Ha Ha today. Bryan Rengel of Old Caz Beer is also with us. Over here is the podcast episode of that entire show. Here is just the portion where Herlinda speaks to us from the Maui Brewing Company, looking at the ocean. She is there for her birthday and to see breweries that are participating in the Kokua relief beer project, which is raising money for Maui fire relief.
The Kokua Project
The Kokua project is a fund raiser for victims of the Lahaina fire last August. On the other side of the island from where the fires happened, it is still quite beautiful. Being from Sonoma County, we can relate to having fires and also doing brew projects to raise funds for fire relief.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Please consider making a donation to any of the following organizations for Maui fire relief:
For info about the Kokua Project: https://mauibrewingco.com/kokua/
The Global Empowerment Mission Maui Brewing Fire Fund
https://globalempowermentmission.kindful.com/?campaign=1268238
TS Restaurants Legacy of Aloha https://www.tsrestaurants.com/legacy-of-aloha/
Maui Humane Society https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
Thu, 11 Jan 2024 - 15min - 260 - Co-Founder of Old Caz Bryan RengelSteve and Bryan
Co-founder of Old Caz Beer Bryan Rengel joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras in the studio on Brew Ha Ha today. Bryan was on Brew Ha Ha last August on this episode, and his partner Tom Edwards was a guest on this other episode from March 31, 2022.
The first beer tasted today is called Chismosa Clara, their take on a Mexican Lager. There is an amber ale version. This is a lighter one, made to be like Modelo Especial. They are located in Rohnert Park which is growing and gaining popularity.
A hazy IPA is the next tasting, called Early Sunset. It’s an example of a creative process of starting with a special recipe that they make in kegs only, to see if it becomes popular. If it does, they will make a label and produce it. This is how they select which beers to produce more of.
Old Caz is opening a new location in SOCO Village, right in the middle of the square. It is under construction now and their goal is to use the old taproom only for special events and to move the public tasting to the new place. They have a specially designed concrete pad for heavy food trucks to park.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Herlinda Heras is calling in from Maui. She is sitting at Maui Brewing Company, looking at the ocean. She is there for her birthday and to see breweries that are participating in the Kokua relief beer project.
The Kokua Project
Kokua is an independently owned restaurant and brewery. The Kokua project is a fund raiser for victims of the Lahaina fire last August. On the other side of the island from where the fires happened, it is still quite beautiful. Being from Sonoma County, we can relate to having fires and also doing brew projects to raise funds for fire relief.
For info about the Kokua Project: https://mauibrewingco.com/kokua/
The Global Empowerment Mission Maui Brewing Fire Fund
https://globalempowermentmission.kindful.com/?campaign=1268238
TS Restaurants Legacy of Aloha https://www.tsrestaurants.com/legacy-of-aloha/
Maui Humane Society https://www.mauihumanesociety.org/
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
Visit Homerun Pizza, home of the Knuckleball! Fresh pizza dough made from scratch daily, la pizza è deliziosa!Thu, 11 Jan 2024 - 30min - 259 - Marc Meltonville Food HistorianMarc Meltonville, food historian, is our guest on today's Brew Ha Ha podcast, in a replay of a May 21, 2020 show. There is no new show today due to bad weather upsetting people's travel plans, so today's podcast episode repeats one of Steve Jaxon's favorite classic Brew Ha Ha shows. Enjoy!
Brew Ha Ha today is an interview with English food historian Marc Meltonville, on the telephone from England, talking with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Marc is the consulting food and drink historian for the historic royal palaces in the UK. So he knows a lot about what people were brewing and eating and drinking in different periods of history.
Marc Meltonville jokes that being a Consulting Food Historian doesn't feel like a real job. He entered the field when he was working in a museum and someone came to him asking about a Tudor food project. He mentions that during the 1918 flu pandemic, they did not shut the pubs, even when they closed over venues. The British pub licensing laws close the pubs from 3pm to 6pm and they close again at 10pm.
Herlinda mentions that a lot of our familiar alcoholic beverages actually began as medicinal cures. Marc agrees, that a lot of recipes were in the "physic" i.e. medicine books, not the cooking books.Distillation was reserved for tonics. Around the early 17th century the digestive drink after dinner became popular. Gin and tonic is an example.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Restoring Ancient Kitchens
Hampton Court and Kew Gardens both have extensive kitchen which have been recently explored, discovered and put back into use to demonstrate techniques and recipes from the past. Marc was also recently at Newland Grist Mill in Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia. They have a mill that can make its own malt, so they have built a colonial brewery with period equipment. "Two guys with a stick and a bukcket." Marc has also worked at Williamsburg and at Mt. Vernon where they produce George Washington whiskey without modern equipment.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
His current two brewing projects involve looking at brewing processes in the 1700s. Also, he is designing an event based on recipes of Stonehenge, 4500 years ago. He used a mass spectrometer to study the residue of old containers to understand their actual. That led to what he calls a "backwards recipe" where he reverse engineered the brew based on the residue. Yeast is from fruit skins, grapes in southern Europe or apples in the north, he realized that by mixing barley, cut apples, honey and water, he got a drink, that he calls, "a drinky thing. "He made a "pre-beer beer" like they did 4500 years ago before malting of barley or extraction of yeasts. It tasted like hard cider. Herlinda says it reminds her of braggot, which is a form of mead from barley malt and honey.
In the past, food was a luxury for wealthy classes, whether in colonial America or Europe. This was true with regard to food and drink, across the centuries.Thu, 04 Jan 2024 - 19min - 258 - Parliament Brewing Co.Adam Bosch, co-founder of Parliament Brewing in Rohnert Park, joins Herlinda Heras in studio on Brew Ha Ha today. He was on Brew Ha Ha once before, on this episode of September 8, 2022 along with Peter Lopez of Juncture Taproom.
Adam has brought several Parliament beers for a taste and talk. The first is a German style Pilsner that won best Pilsner at Battle of the Brews this year. The second glass is the same pils but dry hopped with Riwaka hops from New Zealand. That provides a little toasted spice flavor and makes a comparison with the other pils.
Patience, a perfect name
Adam also brought a barrel-aged beer called Patience, perfectly named, because time was key. The barrels had whiskey in them for more than 13 years, then the beer is aged in them for a year and a half. Then it was in the bottle for 4 years. At 13% ABV it is an Imperial Stout sipping and savoring, the opposite of a 'daytime' lager. It can be aged like a fine wine and this one is already 4 years in the bottle.
On February 9th of 2024 they will be attending San Francisco Beer Week, and this is the first year that the gala is back. For the occasion they are preparing some special releases. One is a lambic made with cherries that they get from a grower near Sacramento. They call it the Bridesmaid because it took second place in several competitions.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and in Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Parliament
Who can resist a musical pun? Parliament Brewing company deserves a little bit of Funkadelic in the break. After the break, we hear a quick history of Parliament Brewing. When his brother got out of law school, he got a home brewing kit. He fell in love with the science of beer. They and their father and some partners opened 5 months before the pandemic shutdown, and survived. Adam gives thanks to his staff and vendors and collaborators who all contributed to making it work. They changed their business plan, under the suggestion to "react, don't over-react."
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options. Check out the family-friendly New Year's Eve party!
Two other hazy beers are next to taste. The first is Prism, very hoppy and fragrant 6.6% with herbal tea flavors. The second is Crash, 7.1% ABB, with Riwaka hops. Herlinda was stuck at the airport the other day and got to taste some Parliament Kaleidoscope in the airport bar. We also hear about a trip to Washington that the Bosch brothers took, to see the hops that they use.Thu, 28 Dec 2023 - 37min - 257 - Heidrun Meadery Meadmaker Josh McCarthyHerlinda and Josh.
Our guest today on Brew Ha Ha is Heidrun Meadery head meadmaker Josh McCarthy. The Heidrun is the name of a mythical viking goat. Mead is the oldest alcohol in the world, brewed with honey.
Heidrun takes the still fermented mead and then turns it into a sparkling beverage using the traditional champagne method. They are the only meadery that we know of so far that does champagne mead.
Honey is very sweet, Josh explains. They add water to the honey to dilute it to the sugar proportion desired, and they also remove other parts like wax. Then they chill it down and handle it like wine. The bubbles are done the same way as in traditional champagne. The only difference is the ingredient they start with.
The mead is able to carry flavors of the forage that the bees covered, so you can taste radish blossom, carrot blossom and more in the mead. They do brut naturel, so they are bone dry.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Hawaiian Christmas Berry
They also have an estate at Point Reyes Station, and they collect honey there. They also bring in honeys from around the world. This honey comes from Hawaii. Josh points out that whatever flavors come from the honey are the only flavors in the finished product. They never add any other flavors, just the honey itself. Their small community of bees includes feral hives and domestic hives. They don’t like yellowjackets which come and destroy the hive. Herlinda reminds us, don’t use Round-Up which takes out the good bugs too. Honey, water and yeast make mead. Josh explains, they start like beer but treat it like wine.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
They use the same fermenting yeast that champagne producers use. It does not impart any of its own flavor. They ferment about 10 days for the wine to get through fermentation. Then they do a natural settling process, four to six or eight weeks, depending on the honey. Each variety is very different. Their tasting room is located in a greenhouse and it is a nice visit. There are many flowering plants that are for the bees, and you can taste the garden in your glass.
Every wine they make is 12.5% ABV, which is the same as sparkling wine.Thu, 21 Dec 2023 - 41min - 256 - Norman Greenbaum visits Brew Ha Ha
Today's podcast episode is a replay of a fun episode from May 9, 2019, featuring Norman Greenbaum, longtime Sonoma County resident famous for the song Spirit in the Sky (because today, the live show is pre-empted). Enjoy this episode from pre-Covid-19 days!
Norman Greenbaum and his portuguese guitar.
Norman Greenbaum is our guest on Brew Ha Ha today, joining Steve Jaxon, Mark Carpenter and Herlinda Heras. He wrote and performed the iconic 1969 song "Spirit in the Sky." Herlinda Heras is back from her trip to Portugal and has brought three Portuguese beers to taste.
Norman Greenbaum is a longtime Sonoma County resident. Steve asks Norman if the success of his song still surprises him. It has been in movies and commercials and continues to have its own life. Any band or singer wants to have a hit record, and he was lucky to have a hit on the charts. He says he may have been a one-hit wonder but it has been in over 60 movies and a couple dozen commercials.
The song in commercials
It was in an ad for Audi in the last Super Bowl. Spirit in the Sky was in the Budweiser Discovery Reserve American Red Lager beer advertisement. The beer was brewed to commemorate the 1969 moon landing. The song was recorded in San Francisco.
Herlinda asks Norman to tell the story of the song and he remembers various scenes and themes from old Western films. The Stovall Sisters were his backup singers, they were from Oakland where they also sang in church. Mark Carpenter remembers the environment of the late 1960s and remembers the song as a really big hit.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Beers from Portugal
Herlinda Heras has brought beers from Portugal, including an "APA" which they call an American Pale Ale. Praxis Brewery is in Coimbra which is famous for having really good water. The Praxis family younger generation has revived the brewery and Mark says it's a great example of Europeans doing an American style. It is 6% alcohol which is reasonable. There is also an 8/5% double Bock from Vaida Brewery outside of Aveiro which is south of Porto. Herlinda has also brought a beer with a woman on the label.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Norman Greenbaum remembers that New York was a center of music recording but he was not fond of the city. He knew that Hollywood was the other center of that business so he went to LA. He started Dr. West's Medicine Show and Junk Band and signed with a record company immediately. The Eggplant that Ate Chicago was their first hit.
Now his songs have been in countless commercials and movies. Norman does say he is flabbergasted and thanks "the Spirit in the Sky for taking such good care of me." He never gets tired of hearing it even if he wrote it. It still sends shivers up his spine.
Norman has brought a special guitar today which is from Portugal. He bought it at the flea market in Petaluma for $25, 40 years ago and brought it to a luthier for repairs. It disappeared and 42 years later, the guy contacted him saying it was fixed! It is called a Viola de Terra made of birds-eye maple.
Thu, 14 Dec 2023 - 23min - 255 - Elk Fence Distillery of Santa RosaElk Fence Distillery co-owners Scott Woodson and Gail Coppinger join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. The Elk Fence Distillery is a recently opened small-batch craft distillery that makes American single-malt whiskey, botanical gin and vodka. It has the distinction of being the only distillery located in the city of Santa Rosa, California. Juniper, coriander, tangerine and grapefruit all go into the botanical gin.
They were supposed to open on March 14, 2020, the day that the state closed down for Covid. The Drive was on the air that day when Governor Newsome made the announcement. They had a party ready for 600 people that they had to cancel.
Real Kentucky and Pennsylvania Learnin'
They actually went to Kentucky and Pennsylvania to learn how to distill. The guy who made their equipment directed them to two schools where he knew they would learn how to operate his equipment. The gin ages in new American white oak barrels. It looks like a Sauvignon Blanc. Scott calls it Christmas in a glass.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Their tasting room is at 464 Kenwood Court in Santa Rosa, open from 11am-4pm Fridays and Saturdays. It's across from Lithia Dodge, close to the studio. Their product is also in Bottle Barn, Wilibee’s, Oliver’s (soon) , Grossman’s and Perch and Plow.
The name Elk Fence comes from where they grow their barley, near a fence that separates 300 elk from all the dairy farmers out in Marin County where they live. Scott lives in Inverness and Gail lives in Point Reyes.
Shorty's Bunkhouse on KWMR
Gail also does a radio show on KWMR a listener-supported community station, on alternating Thursdays, 6:30pm–8:30pm. The show's name is Shorty’s Bunkhouse and she plays bluegrass, americana and more. Check out the sample 2-hour show on her show's website. She started on the radio in 1997. Their signal is strong and can be heard in Sonoma County too. Steve Jaxon knows that station and likes it. He heard Robert Earl Keen playing Merry Christmas from the Family for the first time and they realize it was on her show.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Next they taste the American single-malt whiskey. They won a silver medal this year for this at the American Distilling Institute. The American distilling Institute founder is Bill Owens. (He is also the man who took a famous picture of violence at the ill-fated Rolling Stones concert at Altamont.)
Next they shake up a cocktail called The Entitled Housewife, named after Becky Robinson, a performer that Herlinda also knows. Scott's original cocktail is made with their Golden Own barrel aged gin, Mr. Black coffee, some pecan liqueur, and club soda.
Scott and Gail are Elks and Herlinda is a Moose and may become an Elk now. The Elks Club of Petaluma should come to Elk Fence and elk it up.
Thu, 07 Dec 2023 - 26min - 254 - Kevin McGee, Anderson Valley Brewing Co.Herlinda Heras and Kevin McGee
Kevin McGee, President and CEO of Anderson Valley Brewing Co, AVBC, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha.
The foundation of brewery dates to 35 years ago. It is the world's first solar powered brewery. Kevin explains how they recently streamlined their lineup of IPAs, including their classic west coast IPA, Hop Ottin'. They are tasting the Coastal Ale which is a partnership with the Surfrider foundation.
Anderson Valley Brewing Co. will be taking over the ale stands at the Dickens Christmas Village in the Cow Palace in San Francisco. They will be pouring 11 different beers. Some of them are seasonal, like the Winter Solstice beer.
Herlinda describes the fun and excitement at the Dickens Christmas Village, including old fashioned Victorian games and a fencing school. There are character actors and skillful character portrayals of Charles Dickens himself as well as many characters from the story A Christmas Carol. They perform plays and there is tea time, to do a proper British tea and also a Sherlock Holmes mystery attraction too.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Boontling
The name of one of their beers, Baal Hornin' means good drinking in Boontling, the local dialect.
Since 1997, every year Anderson Valley Brewing Co. has hosted the Booneville Beer Festival. Proceeds going to hyper-local charities, within 10 or 20 miles of the brewery. Over the years they have raised over 1.8 million dollars. The next Beer Fest is Saturday, May 4, 2024.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
If you visit Booneville, don't try to drive home too late in the day. The road is perilous, but there are lots of lodging opportunities around.
The next tasting is the Winter Solstice beer. It is rich tasting and at 6.9% ABV it is stronger than the easy drinking varieties.
Beer plus deer = beer, hence Barkley the mascot of Anderson Valley Brewing Co., a bear with antlers.Thu, 30 Nov 2023 - 29min - 253 - Ava Kemper, Intern at Henhouse Brewing Co.Ava Kemper's Hello Hello Hello
Collin MacDonnell, of Henhouse Brewing Co. and Ava Kemper, intern, are our guests today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Ava Kemper holds a BS in Environmental Science and Management from UC Davis and is also a graduate of the UC Davis Master Brewers Certificate in Brewing Sciences program.
This year Ava has been an intern at Henhouse Brewing Co., where she developed and then brewed her own beer called Hello Hello Hello.
Collin tells about Henhouse Brewing Co.'s intentions in organizing their internship program with UC Davis. They wanted to create job opportunities for everyone and Ava's internship is the first one under the new program. Ava describes entering the UC Davis Master Brewer's program after starting to work in the field of her first degree, which is Environmental Science.
Ava's beer is called Hello Hello Hello. Its name comes from the title of a song by one of her favorite artists, Remi Wolf. Herlinda appreciates Hello Hello Hello, she calls it clean and aromatic, a perfectly balanced beer.
Henhouse's 12th Anniversary
Henhouse is coming up on its 12th anniversary. Since 2015 they have been located a short walk from where The Drive's radio studio is located, in a converted train car. Henhouse does support many local non-profits and they feel strongly about their position in the community.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
The release party for Hello Hello Hello is in the Henhouse Santa Rosa location on Friday, Nov. 17. They have also opened a room in Novato where they only play vinyl records. Collin is proud of this result of their internship program. They really wanted the internship to be a well rounded experience, not just about brewing. They wanted it to be about the beer business, so production, packaging, quality and field sales. Ava attended a Big Chicken marketing meeting and heard a presentation about financial statements too. It focusses on the entire business. Herlinda too recognizes the importance of the practical business side, including corporate contingency plans for the future.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.Thu, 16 Nov 2023 - 17min - 252 - Homerun PizzaHomerun Pizza Knuckle balls
Cynthia Caughie, owner of Homerun Pizza, joins us in the studio today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras.
Collin McDonnell and Ava Kemper from Henhouse Brewing Co. are also in today. Listen to their conversation with Herlinda and Steve Jaxon on this separate podcast episode, right here. Lauren Schwing from Alliance Medical Center is also staying in the studio, to talk about their Giving Tuesday initiatives associated with Henhouse and Homerun Pizza, after telling us about that also in the previous segment of The Drive.
Homerun Pizza has been around for 20 years and Cynthia Caughie has owned it for the last five years. She was a server there for 13 years and then had the opportunity to take ownership. That happened after the Tubbs fire. Her mantra is “Community supporting community.” Check out the Homerun Pizza website and socials to see Cynthia tell all about it.
They make their pizza dough and their sauce from scratch daily. Their signature dish is the Knuckle Ball. It is like a small round calzone, pizza crust stuffed with mozzarella cheese and either peperoni or bacon. Steve Jaxon gives the authentic Napoletano pronunciation “muzzarell” for mozzarella.* You can tell he heard the dialect around his home as a child, as many Italian Americans once did.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Homerun Pizza had a party in March and will have another party before the end of the year, to celebrate their 20th year in the community.
Baseball Names
They have a menu full of items that are named after something or someone in baseball, such as the Ty Cobb Salad.
On December 5, they will experiment with a bingo night. In honor of Ava Kemper and her Hello Hello Hello beer, they will have a full keg of it there that night.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Cynthia tells about how Homerun Pizza is going to celebrate its 20th anniversary with Giving Tuesday, by doing it every third Tuesday of the month. It is a way for them to show their gratitude to the community that supported them through the pandemic.
Lauren Schwing from Alliance Medical Center says it’s a good day when she can hang out around Homerun Pizza. They will have other community partners with raffle prizes on the Homerun Pizza Giving Tuesdays. It’s a great opportunity to get a great pizza and some presents all in the name of charity.
Phil Niekro, Hoyt Wilhelm and Charlie Hough never thought of this!
Homerun Pizza also offer frozen Knuckle Balls. If you purchase an order of frozen Knuckle Balls they will make a $5 donation to Alliance Medical Center. They make their pasta sauce from scratch. “It’s like my nonny’s,” says Cynthia. They have an extensive menu of wraps, salads, burgers and more. And if you like Ranch dressing, put some on a Knuckle Ball. Yum!
* The name of mozzarella cheese comes from the Italian verb ‘mozzare’ which means to cut a piece off of a larger piece of something. In this case, the cheesemakers have their hands in some very hot water,Thu, 16 Nov 2023 - 13min - 251 - Natalie Cilurzo on 2024 Russian River Brewing Co. PlansShadow of a Doubt
Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner of Russian River Brewing Co. joins Herlinda Heras and Steve Jaxon on Brew Ha Ha to talk about their plans for 2024.
2024 is going to be a big year for Russian River Brewing Co. First, it is their 20th anniversary. They opened on April 3, 2004, on 4th St. in Santa Rosa. They also released the first Pliny the Younger in 2005. The Pliny release dates are now March 22 – April 4. They do wholesale distribution on draft for retail customers in February, still.
Pliny the Younger is a super hoppy triple IPA, about 10.25% ABV. It started as a beer they made to drum up some business during the slow season. For several years they did this with no fanfare. But in 2010 people started communicating online, including at sites like RateBeer.com. The beer was rated one of the best beers in the world. Since then, it has grown into an international hit. For more about the 2023 Pliny the Younger, here is Natalie's BHH podcast episode from last February.
They do no advertising and its success is 100% consumer driven and they only made two batches at the Santa Rosa pub, so probably about 60 kegs. They always remind their team how important it is not to take its success for granted. It’s on tap for two weeks, and people can buy a limited amount. It gets pretty crowded on weekends.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Natalie describes the base recipe of Pliny the Younger as Pliny the Elder on steroids. It uses a lot of hops but almost every year there is a tweak to the hops chosen.
Shadow of a Doubt
They taste Shadow of a Doubt seasonal porter. It’s 9.9% and is named after an Alfred Hitchcock film that was shot in Santa Rosa in 1943.
One final announcement, Pliny will be running for President again, Pliny for President and Blind Pig for Veep. On December 12, it will be released on tap and then it will be brewed quarterly through election season. Blind Pig Brewing Company was the name of Vinny Cilurzo's first brewery, back in Temecula, California in 1994.Thu, 09 Nov 2023 - 13min - 250 - Sausalito Liquor Co. founder Scott JampolSausalito Liquor Company
Scott Jampol, the founder of Sausalito Liquor Company, is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras.
They are a brand-new company that launched about two and a half weeks ago. They begin by tasting Marin Coastal Gin, one of their three new products. It is made with ingredients that are locally sourced for a unique local flavor. Gin has to be juniper-forward, to be really gin. It has some Albanian and Italian juniper, as well as California citrus peel, and nori seaweed.
They found a local source of seaweed foraged off the coast in northern California.
The junipers in Europe have softer berries. Scott describes the differences between wild juniper and farmed juniper from California and Europe.
Scott has been working on getting the new company ready for about three years. They have a brand new website and they can ship to 48 states. He worked in marketing for tech companies including OpenTable where he was head of marketing. He wanted to do something local and community-oriented and physical, after all his time spent in marketing where things are less tangible.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Sausalito's Distilling History
He discovered that Sausalito had a distillery, from 1892 to 1963, when it burned down. At one time it was the largest distillery on the west coast.
The whiskeys are labeled “Unsinkable Whiskey” and there is Bourbon and Rye. The labels have a liberty ship on the label. Scott recognizes the Unsinkable mentality of northern California with his label. The bottles are 100% recycled glass.
“He’s w-r-y wry” – Herlinda
There are lots of flavors in this rye whiskey, which has finished in port wine barrels. The difference between Bourbon and Rye is that Bourbon has to be at least 50% corn, and Rye has to be at least 50% rye. Otherwise, many bourbons and ryes have different proportions of other ingredients and a broad spectrum of flavors.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They are just beginning to book its distribution network, so for the moment the best place to find them is the Sausalito Liquor Company website.Thu, 02 Nov 2023 - 24min - 249 - Ken Hartoonian’s Vintage Beer ShowKen Hartoonian calls in to Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras to talk about the Vintage Beer Show at 21st Amendment Brewery on Saturday Nov. 4 from 9am-1pm.
It is called the 39th Annual Western Regional Beer Can and Breweriana Show. Breweriana is anything brewery related. It can be a can, bottle, sign, coaster, bottle cap, neon sign or even some brewing equipment. The first show was held in Watsonville, hosted by the largest rose wholesaler in the state. They have extended the spirit of that show into an event where the public is invited to browse. A lot of brewers really appreciate brewing history. For example, there are lots of vintage beer signs at Russian River Brewing Co.
When Herlinda asks Ken about the most unusual item in his vast collection, he mentions a can of 7-Eleven beer, from 1959. It came from a long-defunct brewery in New Jersey and was only made for a short time before it was discontinued.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Why Breweriana?
Some collectors are willing to pay high prices for these items but they are not persons of average wealth. These people are just looking to diversify their assets, and some items can have demand among collectors. Some companies do keep collections of old products and labels for film productions, including beer labels.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Musical Beer Commercials of the 1950s
To keep up the spirit of the 39th annual Western Regional Beer Can and Breweriana Show, this edition of the Brew Ha Ha podcast features three examples of beer commercials from the 1950s. First, at 0:48, a musical ad for Pabst Blue Ribbon with a chorus and jazz band, in the key of E-flat. Then, at 5:30, an ad for Blatt's Beer, with music and singing this time in A-flat. Finally, after the end of the conversation, at 13:20, a Firesign moment followed by an ad for Valley Forge Beer. It features music in the key of G-flat, unless they wrote it out in F-sharp instead. We actually have no way of knowing which key they used, but it has to have been written out for the band and singers, one way or the other. This is a unique enharmonic moment in the universe of musical beer ads.Thu, 02 Nov 2023 - 14min - 248 - Wayne Wilson, Exalted Ruler of Petaluma Elks LodgeThe October 21, 2023 Oktoberfest event.
Wayne Wilson, the Exalted Ruler of the Petaluma Elks Lodge, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. The Petaluma Elks Lodge is sponsoring an Oktoberfest Beer Event on Saturday, October 21. The Elks are a charitable and fraternal organization, for men and women. This event is a fund raiser for The Elks National Foundation.
Wayne Wilson describes their activities like Veterans service projects. The Elks also have one of the largest scholarship programs in the country and the National Foundation supports that. They also get involved in drug use prevention and organized sports competition.
How the Elks Began
The Elks lodge started as a bunch of Broadway actors in the 1870s. They were called The Jolly Corks. The New York Blue Laws prohibited bars from being open on Sundays. As a private club they could serve alcohol after midnight on Saturday nights. They also developed a social and fraternal organization to help their members with issues like injuries and medical problems.
The original Elks held a vote to choose their mascot animal and it came down to a vote of 8-7 in favor of Elks over Buffaloes.
They just held the Purple Pig Poker Run which is a combination poker game and car and motorcycle rally. It raises money for mental health and medical support for kids in need.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
They have sold out tickets for the Oktoberfest Beer as of now so the best way to get in is as the guest of an Elks member. Anyone interested in the Elks can just come over and meet them.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Their events are an opportunity to socialize while also supporting their many charitable activities. They also put on Sunday Football Breakfasts. They get together with several TVs in a large facility and a patio out back with a barbeque. We also hear about the Mentor Me program and the Children’s Christmas Party.Thu, 19 Oct 2023 - 24min - 247 - Boney Fingers from Moonlight Brewing plus Local Brewing SFBrian Hunt from Moonlight Brewing and Regan Long from Local Brewing Co. of San Francisco join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. They are both on the show today to talk about events that are happening this Saturday, October 14.
Moonlight Brewing Co. has been around since 1992 and they are having a launch party on Saturday October 14 for a new beer called Boney Fingers.
Brews on the Bay
Brews on the Bay is also happening on October 14. It’s a beer festival happening on the USS Jeremiah O’Brien, a decommissioned naval ship in San Francisco harbor. Get tickets at eventbrite, at this link.
Local Brewing Co. of SF will be at Brews on the Bay this Saturday, Oct. 14. Brews on the Bay is focused on serving and promoting breweries based in San Francisco and in the Bay Area. Follow the links for tickets and list of participating breweries.
Boney Fingers
They taste some Boney Fingers, which is very dark, but is only 6.7% alcohol. Brian points out that it tastes like black coffee. The color comes from roasting the grains.
The proceeds from Brews on the Bay go to support the Jeremiah O’Brian.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They pour a Local Brewing SF beer called “69 Pils” which they started brewing during the pandemic. They used Australian Enigma hops, which are rarely used. Herlinda notices that it makes a strongly flavored beer even if the beer is light. Regan calls it, “nice and subdued.” It has a lower ABV at 5.1%. They won a medal at the North American Beer Awards a few years ago for this beer. Brian notices that this combination of hops provides a dry warmth and it is a delightful change from beers that tend to taste the same. They also taste Loud and Clear, their version of an IPA. They wanted it to be light bodied and not be bitter.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.Thu, 12 Oct 2023 - 22min - 246 - Asia Beer Championship 2023Herlinda & Steve
Brew Ha Ha welcomes Herlinda Heras back to the studio after her recent trip to Singapore where she was a judge at the Asia Beer Championship. There were judges coming from all over Asia and they tasted and judged beers from Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India and more.
Singapore is on the equator so it is a hot humid place and most popular beers there are the lighter lagers and pilsners.
We hear about Herlinda’s travel accident which curtailed her travel plans, caused her to have an experience with the Singapore health care system and then to cancel the second leg of her journey. The flight was 16 hours and she was in an uncomfortable seat. She regretted not wearing her compression socks. Herlinda recommends them to anyone.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Yuzu Ceylon Beer
Herlinda has brought Yuzu Ceylon beer, with the Yuzu, a common Asian fruit, and Ceylon tea. She has a lot of praise for the food in Singapore. There were amazing flavors everywhere, even including chicken feet. Even in the mornings, she needed more time at the buffet. There were different kinds of noodle bars on different days, and so many rice recipes it's overwhelming.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Singopore's international airport is well known among travellers as one of the best airports in the world. Herlinda sure thinks it's the coolest airport in the world. It is efficient, modern and comfortable. There is also a unique decor feature. In the middle of the airport they have a gigantic waterfall in a glass dome called the Jewel. Right at about 10:oo o'clock AM, a crown gathered at the Jewel because that is when the waterfall comes on.
Herlinda brought a bottle of Pliny the Elder at the judges’ reception and that attracted a lot of attention. It is amazing to see how Russian River Brewing Co.'s reputation is strong around the world.Mon, 09 Oct 2023 - 21min - 245 - cuVer Brewing Co., pronounced “koo-VAY”Hendrick Verspecht
Hendrick Verspecht from cuVer Brewing Co. is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon with guest host Peter Lopez sitting in for Herlinda Heras again today. Hendrick’s first time on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of September 16, 2021, just before cuVer opened. He was also on BHH on May 5, 2022. Now they are preparing to celebrate their second anniversary, on October 7, 2023.
They begin by tasting the award-winning cuVer signature Pepperwood Saison Ale.
Peter is a busy entrepreneur who runs Juncture Taproom and is a partner in Santa Rosa Pizzeria. Today he has brought some sandwiches from Santa Rosa Pizzeria. They are all named after something iconic in Santa Rosa. This panino is called Taylor Mountain. Another is Pierre’s French Dip.
cuVer is pronounced “koo-VAY.” (Cuver is the infinitive 'to ferment,' its past participle cuvée, 'fermented.' -ed.) When the Cushing family and the Verspecht family formed the partnership, they took the first letters of their two names and made cuVer. Hendrick tells that the French expresson “cuver son vin” literally means to ferment one's wine, but idiomatically it means to sleep off a hangover.
The Pepperwood Saison Ale was the first recipe that Hendrick ever made. It is a Belgian farmhouse ale flavored with California Bay Laurel and Meyer lemon peel. Those are ingredients are not available in Belgium so this is a real California Belgian version.
cuVer Second Anniversary: October 7
cuVer will be celebrating their second anniversary on October 7, 2023. Peter Lopez’ restaurant was one of their first customers. The anniversary celebration will feature a food truck, Lila’s Streetside Eats, and will go from 12 noon to 8 pm on October 7. They will also have a darts and cornhole tournament. They have a darts league every Tuesday night. The party will feature a competition where you can play to win cuVer merch.
They are located in Windsor at 7704 Bell Road. They are down the street from Barley and Bine. They are closed Monday and Wednesday. The other days, Tuesday and Thursday open from 5-8pm, Friday and Saturday 12 noon to 8pm and Sunday from 1-6pm.
The next beer they taste is a Belgian quadruple, which is even stronger then the Belgian Tripel.
Hendrick tells the story of how his father wanted Belgian beers after they moved to California, and he started home brewing, for themselves as much as for others. Hendrick also gives credit to Anderson Valley Brewing and North Coast Brewing and Russian River Brewing Co., who also make Belgian styles.Thu, 28 Sep 2023 - 14min - 244 - Fogbelt Brewing Co.Paul Hawley and Remy Martin, co-founders of Fogbelt Brewing Co. along with Fogbelt Brewing Co. Head Brewer J.P. Bellotti are our guests on Brew Ha Ha, with Peter Lopez sitting in for Herlinda Heras. Remy and Paul were last on Brew Ha Ha on this episode of August 18, 2022 to tell the Fogbelt story as of then.
Peter Lopez brought some Calzones from Santa Rosa Pizzeria, which he promised to Steve Jaxon the last time he was here with his partner Ignacio Ruiz.
Remy, Paul and J.P. brought a case of different Fogbelt beers, some Octoberfest, two West Coast IPAs, two Hazies and their flagship lager. Fogbelt has five wet hop beers, brewed with fresh hops harvested and used immediately.
Wet Hopped Beer
They use hops from local hop farmers, to support them. They like to make as many of these beers as they can, because they happen only in hop harvest season. The comparison is to fresh herbs versus dried herbs in the kitchen. They taste Fogbelt Wet Hoptober, brewed with freshly picked hops from a local hop farm, Blossom and Bine.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Hop farming has made a comeback in Northern California. Paul helped start the Norcal Hop Growers Alliance, to help bring hop farming back to California.
They also talk about Fogbelt Beer Camp at Wildhaven. It’s like an adult summer camp, a new spin on the beer festival. Wildhaven is a “glamping” resort in Healdsburg on the Russian River, with canvas tents and firepits. They have a falconer, they teach wilderness survival, and there will be good beer and victuals.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Fogbelt also has a relatively new spot in Healdsburg that they opened about a year ago. It’s called Fogbelt Station, because it’s on the tracks and there is a caboose on site. They have 15 beers on tap. Remy and Paul both grew up in Healdsburg. Both of them also have a strong family background in wine.
Thu, 21 Sep 2023 - 25min - 243 - Alexander Valley Hops plus Anderson Valley Brewing Co.Melissa Luci from Alexander Valley Hops and Fal Allen of Anderson Valley Brewing Co. visit Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Fal Allen has been on the show many times, the last time was this May 13, 2021 episode.
It is hop harvest season right now, as Melissa describes. Hops grow as long vines and need tall poles and wires to climb. A field of hops looks like a plantation of telephone poles.
Hops were grown from the late 1800s to about 1950 when the price collapsed. Alexander Valley Hops started in 2019 on a very long and skinny lot. They have an active Instagram page. The hops grow up poles that are 18-20 feet high. There is a top wire at that height. They want the plant (called bines) to reach that height by the summer solstice.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
The Lost Coast Fresh Hops Festival
On Saturday, October 14, from 2-8 PM is the Lost Coast Fresh Hops Festival, in Shelter Cove, CA. Here is their link on Brown Paper Tickets. All of the breweries up there have made a beer out of Alexander Valley Hop Farm's Chinook hops which thlost cey will open at the festival. For fresh hops, they need about 100 lbs for an 8 barrel batch. They try to use them within 24 hours. They give flavor and aroma that is very green, something that you can’t get with dry hops. Mad River Brewing is one of the sponsoring breweries.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Fal Allen has brought a bunch of Anderson Valley Brewing Co. beers. A lot of people were IPA obsessed for a few years, and that pendulum seems to be swinging back, so Pilsners are more and more popular now. They are tasting a Russian River Brewing Co. Hop Time Pale Ale which is made with fresh local hops, once a year at hop harvest. AVBC is also participating in a cooperative brewing project to benefit Maui.
One is called Salted Caramel Porter. It’s a 9.5% ABV beer that Fal describes as a dessert beer. If you like espresso and chocolate, you may like it.
Herlinda travels a lot and she will be in New York, Lithuania then Singapore.
Alexander Valley Hops served 16 breweries this year, the most ever for them.Fri, 15 Sep 2023 - 24min - 241 - Santa Rosa Pizzeria
Santa Rosa Pizzeria menu.
The co-owners of Santa Rosa Pizzeria, Peter Lopez and Ignacio Ruiz, join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Peter is a frequent guest and occasional co-host on Brew Ha Ha, here is Peter's most recent BHH episode, from March of this year.
Peter Lopez is back with Ignacio Ruiz, aka Nacho, as co-owners of the new Santa Rosa Pizzeria. They have been open for about a month. They are active on Facebook, at this link. Nacho tells the story of how he and Peter worked together in another restaurant, then they reconnected. Peter found a location that used to be under another name. Also, Barolo’s Pizza was there for about 15 years. So the place has a pizza pedigree. In less than a month they started!
The Art of Pizza
Peter also runs Juncture Taproom and Ignacio is also the controlling partner of Art’s Place, so he is also an ideal partner for Peter. Ignacio learned pizza while working in an Italian restaurant, and he also makes pizza at Art’s Place. Art was a master and taught the art to Ignacio. Art Ibleto’s kids still control the Pasta King name, so he steers clear of things like their famous ravioli. They do have an extensive wine and beer menu.
They named all the pizzas after Santa Rosa icons, including Jerry Robinson, former Raider and All-American UCLA Bruin linebacker of yesteryear.
Jerry Robinson (84) UCLA, 1978
Peter considers his place to be a family friendly taproom, with something for everyone of all ages. He wants people to feel comfortable and safe. They even have their own Charlie Brown statue. He originally named Juncture Taproom “Confluence.” Juncture is at the corner of Mission and Montgomery, close to Howard Park and Spring Lake, where Rincon Valley and Bennett Valley come together.
There is a great band called Igor and the Red Elvises plays there, they won Star Search with Ed McMahon on TV long before American Idol and The Voice. Then, they took the money, bought a van and went on tour. They still have a cult following.
Santa Rosa Pizzeria is open noon to 8 pm, and they do deliveries from 11:30 to 8:30.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Herlinda brought a guitar pick from the Beatles museum in Liverpool and she has lots more stories from Liverpool in the later part of the show.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.Thu, 07 Sep 2023 - 33min - 240 - Bryan Rengel, Old Caz plus Herlinda in LiverpoolBryan Rengel, co-founder of Old Caz Beer, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras in the studio today on Brew Ha Ha. Co-founder Tom Edwards was on California Wine Country on this episode on March 31, 2022. Also in this show we will hear from Herlinda Heras who is just back from a lightning trip to Liverpool, England last weekend.
Old Caz celebrated an anniversary last weekend. They shut the parking lot down on Saturday and had a standing room only party. Old Caz Beer is named after Old Cazadero Road. They are actually located in Rhonert Park. He and his partner met at Sonoma State on the rowing team. They were also into cycling and wanted to name a brewery after a road in west Sonoma County. They settled on Old Cazadero Road, because he describes it as a "six-mile death climb" with all kinds of exposure to sun and shade. It has all of west county in one beautiful six-mile hill.
From Scuba to Beer
After college Bryan worked as an underwater welder in the Gulf of Mexico, later in Africa and then in Alaska. He was the captain of a gold dredging boat in Alaska named the Midas, which is the name of their blonde beer today. After his second summer in Alaska, his friend Tom was working at Bear Republic and they decided to start a brewery together then.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
They have been in business for five years and have had the taproom for four years. "It's been a hell of a ride," says Bryan.
Their taproom is open every day of the week, weekdays 3-9, Saturdays noon - 10 and Sunday noon - 7. They have food trucks almost every day. Their goal is to have them seven days a week. Old Caz makes a lot of different varieties and Bryan says they make a beer for everyone. It's a long list. There is one called Orange Crush, an Imperial Kettle Sour. It is an 8% beer that tastes like a mimosa.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They taste their Bukovany Pivo, a Czech Pilsner. It just won Gold at the US Open. It is a crisp, clean refreshing Pilsner. Bryan says, "We only make crushable beer." It's another term they made up for a good beer that you will want a second and a third of.
Herlinda in Liverpool
Herlinda has arrived from SFO just today, having returned from England. She had to go to Liverpool for a chance to interview Frieda, the former manager of the Beatles' fan club. She met Pete Best when he played in Sonoma County. He has opened a Beatles Museum in Liverpool and Herlinda made their acquaintance. She hardly did any interviews at the time. She also got a chance to meet other people associated with the band. Herlinda describes a kind of present-day Beatlemania she experienced during the trip. "I'm kind of tired, actually," says Herlinda, without a hint of irony.
She also saw Burning Man from the sky flying in.
We don't do things normal, we do things 'extra credit.' - Bryan Rengel, Old Caz Beer
Bryan describes how Old Caz got a lot of free equipment from Craigslist. His partner Tom also tells that story on his CWC interview back in March, 2022. His new space in SOMA Village is under construction and they hope it is all ready by the end of the year.Thu, 31 Aug 2023 - 50min - 239 - Brew Ha Ha is Back with Russian River Brewing + Victory HouseBrew Ha Ha is back, with Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. and Jenny Ogston from Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter. The Drive with Steve Jaxon is back on the air, on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, weekdays 3-6 pm. The Drive is also streaming at TheDrive955.com. Brew Ha Ha is also back on Thursday afternoons on The Drive. Steve Jaxon is hosting today's episode, along with Herlinda Heras.
Herlinda Heras is just back from Finland where she was judging the Sahti competition there. She talks about being a judge at competitions around the world. Some are in countries with long beer traditions like Germany, Belgium and Poland. Others, like Portugal, are developing new brewing industries now. In Finland, the Sahti is a traditional brew that dates back to Viking times.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Jenny Ogston talks about how the Victory House is set up for the coming football season. They have over 40 TV screens just in the Victory House area of the Poppy Bank Epicenter.
Russian River Brewing News
Natalie Cilurzo has news about the Russian River Brewing Co. and their dog-friendly location in Windsor. The beer garden is open every day and the pub is open Wednesday through Sunday. The beer garden has lots of shade. They also have a couple of new statues from the Schultz Museum. She got a set, of Peppermint Pattie and Marcie playing frisbee. They are on display in the beer garden. There are pictures on the Russian River Brewing Instagram page.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Line Dancing at Victory House
Victory House now had Country line dancing, with free lessons on Tuesday nights and large events on Friday nights with DJs. They also have bingo on Wednesdays with Harry Duke and trivia on Thursdays. Poppy Bank Epicenter has everything from indoor soccer, basketball, volleyball, trampolines and bowling. They also have laser tag, virtual reality and a large arcade with lots of old and new games. They host big events and just had their largest one ever for 1500 guests. There is something to do for the whole family. They used to have axe throwing for about one eight-month period, which was fun and frightening.
Russian River Brewing Co. is approaching its twentieth anniversary next year of the downtown Santa Rosa pub. It is also the twentieth anniversary of Pliny the Younger. Natalie talks about a seasonal release called “It takes a lot of great beer to make great wine.” It is a light and refreshing hoppy blonde ale, about 5.25% alcohol.
Russian River Brewing Co. is finishing a construction project at the Windsor pub, turning one of their production spaces into a Lager house. They will brew more STS Pils and Velvet Glow Lager. The package will be a 6-pack of 12-ounce cans for the first time, which will be available in November or December.
Hop Time Harvest Ale is coming out soon, using all Alexander Valley grown hops. Also, Natalie and Vinny will be making their annual trip to the Pacific Northwest to select hops from this year’s harvest.Thu, 24 Aug 2023 - 31min - 238 - Tara Nurin: A Woman’s Place Is in the Brewhouse
This episode features Tara Nurin, author of A Woman's Place Is In the Brewhouse. It was originally recorded on November 4, 2021. The Drive has been on summer vacation and we haven't had new Brew Ha Ha shows. This is the last repeat episode before next week when The Drive returns to live radio, Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, Mon-Fri 3-6. The first new episode of Brew Ha Ha will be Thursday, August 24. Cheers!
Tara Nurin
Tara Nurin, author of A Woman's Place Is In The Brewhouse, joins Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke on Brew Ha Ha today. Mark Carpenter is away this week and Harry Duke is sitting in for Steve Jaxon. Tara Nurin is the Forbes magazine beer and spirits business writer. She has been working on this book for four years and she is finally on book tour!
She has a book signing event at Russian River Brewing Co. on December 16, 2021. Herlinda suggests she could do a special label beer for the occasion. Tara describes the book, the first to document the rich history of women in brewing. The book looks at economic, political and religious factors. There are interviews with all the prominent women in the brewing business over the last several decades, such as Natalie Cilurzo, CEO of Russian River Brewing Co.
New Albion
Most people do not know the whole story about the first new ground-up craft brewery in the US after Prohibition. It was called New Albion, founded in 1976 in the town of Sonoma. There were two women who worked with the founder Jack McAuliffe, and they did the funding and the accounting. They were hard to get for interviews but Tara met one of them, Susie, and features her story in the book.
Tara Nurin will be at Russian River Brewing Co. on December 16 (2023) for a book signing of "A Woman's Place Is In The Brewhouse: A forgotten history of alewives, brewsters, witches and CEOs."
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
See our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Visit our sponsor The Beverage People / Fermenter’s Warehouse for everything you would ever need to make beer and all kinds of other fermented foods and drinks, at home.Thu, 17 Aug 2023 - 12min - 237 - Bitter Girl Bitters plus Barber Lee Spirits
This episode features Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bitters and Mike Barber from Barber Lee Spirits. It was originally recorded on November 4, 2021. This is almost the end of Summer vacation for The Drive and Brew Ha Ha, so this is the second-to-last week of reruns while we don't have new shows. Next Monday, August 21, The Drive returns to live radio on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, Mon.-Fri 3-6. The first new episode of Brew Ha Ha will be Thursday, August 24. Cheers!
Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bitters and Mike Barber from Barber Lee Spirits distillery in Petaluma join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today on Brew Ha Ha. Also, Dustin Sullivan is in, to announce the opening of his second restaurant.
Erin Hinze was on Brew Ha Ha on this episode of May 17, 2018. Mike Barber’s wife organizes the Petaluma Holiday Food Fair. There are lots of vendors including Bitter Girl Bitters, The Spice Queen and many others. You can do Christmas shopping at the Petaluma Hotel and have a cocktail too.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Bitter Girl Bitters
Erin explains that her bitters, "...are designed to make cocktails taste amazing," using homegrown ingredients. All her bitters have a fun concept and a fun name. She brought one with coffee flavor today.
I like to say that bitters are a bartender’s salt and pepper, a concentrated flavoring additive that is meant to enhance a cocktail, to bring out the spirit and the flavors, to make it a little bit tastier. -Erin Hinze
For example, they are tasting some whiskey from Barber Lee Spirits, that has a little bit of maple shrub and some of these coffee bitters in it. The name of this Bitter flavor is Morning Wood, as it is based on coffee aged in oak barrels.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Barber Lee Spirits
Mike Barber of Barber Lee Spirits describes his single malt rye whiskey. It is 100% malted rye, a difficult and rare style for an American whiskey. It is what he started with seven years ago and is still the flagship product, among others. He and his wife have been making wine for the last seven years. His first barrel sold quickly and then he and his partners decided to build the distillery for real. They got a place and a still and they use all their own receipes and do every step themselves.
You can enjoy my entire micro-booze empire… I think it’s the coolest block in Sonoma County.” -Mike Barber.
Dustin Sullivan is opening Easy Rider restaurant in Petaluma, near Barber Lee Spirits. They have been open since Dec. 2021. He is a Californian and his partner and chef is from Virginia and knows Southern cooking. They plan to combine the best of Sonoma County farm production with Southern style recipes. For example, their Caprese salad us made with fried green tomatoes.
After the Moscow Mule, an Old Fashioned
The second cocktail is an Old Fashioned. Erin says the bitters are the aromatic finish on a cocktail. You need to sip on it to enjoy the aromatics and the combinations. “To me this is Thanksgiving in a glass.”
Mike Barber describes the other products.Thu, 10 Aug 2023 - 18min - 236 - Fresh Hops with Russian River Brewing Co.
We continue the Brew Ha Ha summer vacation with this repeat podcast of an episode from October 5, 2021, all about fresh hops, with Natalie and Vinny Cilurzo, co-owners of Russian River Brewing Co. Cheers!
Fresh Hops are front and center today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter, as we welcome Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Company. Vinnie and Natalie are the co-owners of Russian River Brewing Co. and they have brought a pack of fresh hops into the studio today. Now is a busy time, the hops are being harvested and there are special hoppy beers being made and enjoyed.
(This was recorded during Covid-19 times.)
The Russian River Brewing Co. Winds0r location and the Santa Rosa pub are both open. They have been using the parklette on 4th Street, which was done to allow social distancing for Covid precautions, and while they won't be there forever, they are using it and enjoying it for as long as possible. They also have some longer term construction plans to expand in Santa Rosa.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Vinnie says that RRBC has brought in a lot of fruit lately, peaches and grape pumice, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc, which they use in various fruity beers with some sour tartness. They have one called Hop Time, which is on tap and in cans in their brew pubs only. It's the only way to get it. They made a double batch in Santa Rosa. It uses wet hops so it is a bulky job, using locally grown hops from the Crane ranch. RRBC has a sour beer club, only for fans of that style, no hoppy beers.
"Next year, we will make Hop Time with barley that Ron and Erica Crane have grown, also. So that will make it a complete local beer," says Vinnie.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.Thu, 03 Aug 2023 - 6min - 235 - Irish Spirits Ambassador Susan BoyleSusan Boyle
Again as The Drive is on Summer vacation, here is a repeat of an episode of Brew Ha Ha, originally recorded on October 6, 2022, with Susan Boyle, the official Irish Spirits Ambassador. Cheers!
Susan Boyle, the Irish Spirits Ambassador is the guest of Herlinda Heras with Peter Lopez who is sitting in for Harry Duke on Brew Ha Ha today.
First, Harry Duke is calling in from a roadside attraction on Route 66 in Oklahoma, on his road trip. Oklahoma City has a thriving craft beer scene, and he’s “not in the land of IPAs anymore.” If he sees one or two on the board, it’s a surprise. The Pilsners and Lagers are more popular there among the craft brewers. They are going from their Fall beers to their Winter beers.
Ireland's Bord Bia
Bord Bia is the Irish Food Board, that oversees food and drink exports from Ireland. There is a renaissance going on in Irish distilling. After the low point of the 1960s there has been a great revival. Herlinda points out that Bourbon and Whiskey start off with the wort, the same way beer does, only they don’t add hops and they distill it instead of ferment.
Herlinda has brought a bottle of Guinness West Indies Porter. It is a historic recipe, which came from their corporate archives. There is a lot of brewing history in those documents. They have a whiskey called Lost Irish, a blended Irish whiskey. Irish whiskey can be aged in any kind of wood, such as chestnut or acacia, besides oak.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Susan's portfolio includes whiskeys, cream liqueurs, white spirits including gin and Irish Poitín (pronounced “potcheen”) sometimes also called Irish moonshine. Irish cream liqueur is one of three spirits whose name and origin are regulated, along with Irish whiskey and Irish Poitín.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
This whiskey has spent time in six different casks which impart a spectrum of flavors. It is drinkable and smooth with caramel, toffee and nuts in the flavors. "Everything tastes better with friends."Thu, 27 Jul 2023 - 36min - 234 - Mark Carpenter on Anchor Brewing’s History
Brew Ha Ha's Summer vacation continues with this repeat episode all about Anchor Brewing's history, featuring Mark Carpenter. This episode was originally recorded and published on May 2, 2019.
Today on Brew Ha Ha Steve Jaxon gets the whole story from Mark Carpenter about Anchor Brewing, its history and historical context, its production and its role in American brewing. (We were expecting guests from San Francisco’s Fort Point Beer Co. but they are stuck in traffic and will reschedule.)
Mark Carpenter (l) and the Anchor team in the '70s.
Mark Carpenter started working at Anchor Brewing in 1971 after he met its owner Fritz Maytag. He was looking for a more interesting and rewarding line of work and found that at Anchor. Mark retired a few years ago and Anchor's new brewmaster is Ramon Tamayo, who was also on the show recently.
Warm or Cold Beer?
Right now, Mark is tasting a Shadow of a Doubt Imperial Porter from Russian River Brewing Co. It’s warm but it’s fine, Mark says that if a beer is good it should be good at room temperature too.
"In warm countries they drink cold beer, in cold countries they drink warm beer." The beer is named after the Alfred Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt which was filmed in Santa Rosa in 1943.
Mark talks about the Fort Point, an interesting brewery, says Mark. They do a Kölsch. All over Germany, the towns had their own styles of beer. Then Lager beer was invented and they all switched to that. But Kolsch is a surviving local beer from the city of Cologne (called Köln in German). An Imperial Porter means it's a black beer. Compared to a Stout, a Porter is sweeter. It also has nice flavors. "Imperial" means it is higher in alcohol, this is 10%.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The Story of Anchor Brewing Co.
So without our expected guests, Steve invites Mark to tell the whole Anchor Brewing story which starts with what a city San Francisco was in the last 1960s. They were protesting the Vietnam War and there was an abundance of great music at venues like the Fillmore. Mark remembers the background of the city where people were looking for ways to do something more inspiring than his "normal" job.
Mark would visit any American city and visit its breweries. He visited Coors in Colorado and Pabst in Wisconsin and took brewery tours. Steve is from Detroit and asks if Mark visited Stroh's there, but he hasn't. Stroh's called itself "fire brewed" which was a common European process in the late 1800s where beer was heated in copper kettles heated by fire, not steam. Mark says that steam applies less heat than a gas flame which gives some caramel color and flavor that steam does not. Stroh's was the only beer in America that was fire brewed. Stroh's today is owned by Pabst but it's not the same and is not fire brewed anymore.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
The Importance of Good Luck
Mark always says he was lucky to get the job at Anchor. It was the smallest brewery in America at the time.Thu, 20 Jul 2023 - 20min - 233 - Herlinda Heras interviews Bob Brewer of AnchorWe have a special conversation with Bob Brewer, former Anchor Brewing employee, while The Drive and Brew Ha Ha are still on Summer vacation this year. There is sad news in the brewing industry, as Sapporo has announced that Anchor Brewing is closing. Here is the conversation that Herlinda Heras recorded on July 12 with Bob Brewer, who worked for Anchor for many years.
Bob Brewer was on Brew Ha Ha once before on this episode of February 17, 2020.
When Bob Brewer was originally hired at Anchor in 1985, he had been working for a beer wholesaler which also distributed Anchor, since about 1977. He was a draft beer installer and also did nearly everything to deliver beer, including carrying kegs around San Francisco. Bob would always say he had the best job in the world. “I get to deliver the best beer in the world to the best people in the world in the best city in the world.” He was working to support his wife who was getting a degree in petroleum engineering. She took a job in southern California and he made the move. When Mark Carpenter called to ask if he could become their distributor there, Fritz Maytag presented him with “the presumptive close” and he got the job. He also got some work experience in England, which had a completely different regulatory environment. There was a brewery which was making a beer that they called Steam, too. But he mostly concentrated on the local market. The international market was more to “show the flag” than to move lots of beer. “I don’t now whether the beer was the novelty or I was.” He worked with a famous English beer expert named Michael Jackson.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Visiting the Barley Farm in Washington
Fritz Maytag, who owned Anchor at the time, had a relationship with a farmer in southern Oregon who grew the barley that they used in the Christmas Ale. This was Fritz’ idea so that his staff could understand the origin of their ingredients. There was a famous bus trip to Yakima with Fritz and Anchor staff including Bob. They stopped at Mendocino Brewing Company for some Red Tail Ale, one of the original craft brewers. (It is now Hopland Tap run by Ron Lindenbusch, ex of Lagunitas.)
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
But “the elephant in the room” is the fact that Sapporo is closing Anchor. This feels like a loss in the family to Herlinda, and to many of us in the broad Anchor family. Fritz Maytag wanted to retire and sold the company to an investment group. They invested in the company and hired Bob as an ambassador. And then they sold to Sapporo. For most of the rest of this episode, Bob Brewer talks at length about the history of Anchor including some thoughts about the recent history and its closing.Thu, 13 Jul 2023 - 56min - 232 - Back to Mare Island Brewing Company
Ryan Gibbons and Kent Fortner.
With The Drive on Summer vacation, here is an encore presentation (which sounds more elegant than 'repeat') of this January, 2023 episode which is a personal favorite of Herlinda Heras.
Mare Island Brewing Company co-founders Ryan Gibbons and Kent Fortner join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mare Island was a naval shipyard since the earliest days of California and Herlinda was actually born there, since her father was in the US Navy. It was the oldest naval base west of the Mississippi, and also has the oldest golf course and one of the oldest Tiffany stained glass windows in the west, in its local church. Read about the history of Mare Island here.
Kent and Ryan founded Mare Island Brewing Co. after they met in the wine business. They are both professional wine makers. It is near the city of Vallejo and the city fathers asked him if he could move his winemaking operation there. The topography wasn’t right for that option, but when they met each other again in early 2013, they found the opportunity to open the brewery, on a shoestring.
Mare Island
Mare Island used to support the town of Vallejo, which fell on hard times after the base closure. The city has supported a lot of reinvestment and development of new businesses including the brewery.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
With their experience making wine, they wanted their beers to be balanced and to make traditional recipes without chasing trends. They also took the opportunity to place historical information about Mare Island on their labels. It was a center of military production. A long list of important systems was produced there, including submarines and aircraft carriers. The cans also all feature a ship in the design, with a short version of the story of that ship on the label.
Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options.
Mare Island Brewing Company locations
Mare Island Brewing Company has three locations. One is at the Vallejo Ferry terminal, in Vallejo, where you take the ferry to San Francisco. The Coal Shed Brewery is on Mare Island and the First Street Taphouse is in Benicia. They brew all the beer on Mare Island and they also host events there.
Their beers are named after ships. The labels have stories that tell the histories of the ships.Thu, 06 Jul 2023 - 33min - 231 - Suzanne Hagins, Horse and Plow CiderHerlinda & Suzanne
The Drive is on summer vacation and there is no new BHH show this week. So here is a show from last April featuring Suzanne Hagins from Horse and Plow Cider in Graton, to talk about the cider they make from apples grown locally in and around Sebastopol, California. Cheers!
Suzanne Hagins from Horse and Plow Cider in Graton is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras.
Horse and Plow makes cider and also wine. All of their cider comes from Sebastopol-grown apples. They are dry and naturally carbonated and they show the quality of the Sonoma County fruit. They are based on the famous Gravenstein apples that are mostly grown in Sebastopol. It is a blend of 12 different apple varieties and is very dry.
Horse and Plow started as a winery. The tasting room is off Hwy 116 between Graton and Sebastopol.
Cider and Mead are both good alternatives to wine and beer, for festive occasions and meals. They are tasting the Horse and Plow Farmhouse Cider. It is mostly Gravenstein apples and very dry.
Visit Horse and Plow
Horse and Plow ciders are at Bottle Barn and Whole Foods, Willibees, Pacific Market and Andy’s. Hwy 116, Gravenstein Hwy, close to Andy’s, open 12-5 Thursday through Monday. They accept reservations online or by phone. There are art shows and music performances. They do tasting flights of wines, ciders, and mixed flights. It is family and dog friendly.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Horse and Plow uses many unusual varieties of apples in their ciders, more than 30 varieties.
Cider is made like wine, which made it easy for them to add cider to their operation which was already licensed for wine. Fully half of their business at the tasting room is cider.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They also taste their Rosé made from 100-year-old dry-farmed Carignane vines located in Mendocino County. They pick the fruit early to preserve the acidity. There are strawberry flavors in the wine. They have one-liter refillable growlers that can be refilled with red or white wine or cider. Finally they taste their Pinot Noir, known for being fruit forward with a silky texture.Thu, 29 Jun 2023 - 19min - 230 - A Look Back at 2023 Pliny the YoungerHarry Duke & Natalie Cilurzo.
While The Drive is on vacation and there is no new BHH show today, here is a reissue of the show from last February 2, with the very first taste of the 2023 Pliny the Younger, featuring special guest Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. Enjoy!
Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Company joins Brew Ha Ha with the first growler of the Pliny the Younger 2023 edition.
Later, the subject changes to SF Beer Week, when Colin McDonald from Hen House Brewing and Gail Williams will also be on. (That portion of today’s live show has its own separate podcast page, here.)
Today’s episode of Brew Ha Ha continues a tradition of Russian River Brewing Co. bringing the new Pliny the Younger into the KSRO studios for its first tasting.
Here is last year’s 2022 release episode on the same occasion. Here is the BHH episode of the 2020 Pliny the Younger release. And here is the 2019 release episode too.
Cur linguam latinam non dicis?
Plinius Junior cervisia Americana celeberrima est. Hoc cervisiam multo lupulo conficit. Grati sumus quod viri et feminae cervisiam nostram amant dixit Natalia Cilurtius. *
A Triple IPA
Pliny the Younger is a Triple IPA, which means it is a lot hoppier and a little bit higher in alcohol than regular double IPA beers. It is actually a quadruple dry hopped beer. “There is a copious amount of hops in this beer, which gives it that beautiful luscious aroma.” The hops are Simcoe, Amarillo, Chinook, Citra, Mosaic, Nectaron, Warrior and Elixir. Elixir, “the strawberry hop,” was added last year. Nectaron is the new hop for 2023. It brings nectarine and candied citrus fruit flavors.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Pliny the Younger’s official release will happen from March 24 through April 6. During that time it will be on tap in Santa Rosa and Windsor. Guests will be limited to three 10-oz. pours and bottles will be available too, at the brewery. You can purchase bottles or sit down at the brewery. They started local distribution today and there are hundreds of locations serving it.
Rejection is their Valentine's Day Ale. It is on tap and in cans at their two locations.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
* Translation:
Why not say it in Latin?
Pliny the Younger is a very famous American beer. It is made with lots of hops. We are grateful that men and women love our beer, says Natalie Cilurzo.Thu, 22 Jun 2023 - 11min - 229 - The Anchor Brewing StoryWhile The Drive is on vacation, there is no new Brew Ha Ha episode this week. So, here is an encore presentation of our episode from November 17, 2022, featuring Dave Burkhart, the author of the book The Anchor Brewing Story which was just published at the time.
Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart and former Anchor brewing chief Mark Carpenter join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mark Carpenter is the former co-host of this show who began working at Anchor in 1971. Author Dave Burkhart has been with Anchor Brewing Co. for thirty-one and a half years. Very early in his tenure began collecting historical documentation of the brewery. His book, The Anchor Brewing Story, has just been published.
Mark and Dave agree that Anchor has a bright future since the new owners (Sapporo) are investing heavily in the company. Dave started at Anchor on a Monday and by the following Saturday, he started researching the company. In 2010, he took the title Anchor Historian. He describes finding out about the original owner Gottfried Breckle, who first went from Germany in 1852 to Valdivia, Chile. It was “the irresistible lure of gold” that brought him to California.
Anchor's Early History
A lot of this early family history is documented on this page of the Anchor Brewing website. Gottfried came to California in late 1953 or early 1854 and worked in the gold fields, then worked for a local brewery. He became an American citizen in 1854. He “did what everyone did in the gold rush, he reinvented himself.” Eventually he owned the Golden Gate Brewery in San Francisco, which burned down. He took the insurance money back to Germany and opened a brewery there. Then he came back to San Francisco and opened another brewery in the Russian Hill neighborhood. Then he sold it and invested in a saloon that they turned into brewery in 1871. That marks the beginning of the company that became Anchor in 1896.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
There were more than thirty breweries in San Francisco in the late 1800s and 847 drinking establishments in town, as well as many corner grocery stores in the city which also served beer in the back room.
The Anchor Pub
There is a pub now at Anchor Brewery that is a showcase for their panorama of beer recipes. One is Humming Ale, which uses Nelson hops. It’s the same recipe as Liberty Ale except that uses Cascade hops. That was the first IPA in California, although they did not want to call it that. Fritz Maytag, who was Anchor’s owner at the time of its late 1960s rebirth, wanted to make that type of beer that he remembered from his student days back east. It has a lot more hops than other beers at the time.
Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options.
Visit our sponsor Victory House online for their latest viewing and menu options.
Anchor Steam Beer
Steam Beer is called a California Common in the beer index books. There are several possible origins of the term Steam Beer. It is a California story and without Anchor there would be none of it. Lager beer needs cold conditions, so there was no ice in the city and they needed to make beer without it. They came up with the idea of a Cool Ship, a large shallow pan with a large surface area.Thu, 15 Jun 2023 - 35min - 228 - Maryensztadt BreweryMarcin & Artur visit Anchor Brewing in San Francisco.
The Drive is on vacation, so there is no new Brew Ha Ha show today. For this podcast episode we offer again this fun and revealing episode recorded last January 19, with Herlinda Heras' two guests from Maryensztadt Brewery in Poland, Marcin and Artur. Enjoy!
Marcin Malecki and Artur Napuripski of Maryensztadt Brewery in Poland are our guests today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Artur is the sales manager as well as a beer sommelier and brewery historian, and Marcin is the brewery's owner. Herlinda Heras has been a beer judge at the Polish national beer competition for the last few years, along with Artur. Herlinda invited them to California for a visit and for a collaboration at Anchor Brewing and a visit to some famous Sonoma County craft breweries.
Marcin tells about their visit to Brew Ha Ha sponsor Russian River Brewing Co. and how impressed he was with their Windsor location. They also visited Brian Hunt at Moonlight Brewing.
Grodzisz is a smoked wheat beer, which is a unique Polish style. It uses 100% oak-smoked malt. Herlinda finds it refreshing. Artur describes it as a unique style and says the malt is hard to find. Polish brewers stopped making it in 1993 but they revived it recently. Beechwood smoke has a different flavor, like ham or cheese. This oak smoke is more like a campfire and is more subtle.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Craft Brewing in Poland
The craft brewing industry is young in Poland. They began about ten years ago with an American IPA. The brewery’s name Maryensztadt is a small neighborhood in the heart of Warsaw, part of the old town. They wanted the brewery to be there, but they could not produce alcohol there. So they established the brewery in a small town very close to Warsaw. They try to make the brewery as “green” as possible, or sustainable, using as little energy and water as possible and recycling water. When they visited Russian River Brewing Co., they thought they would like to be that big in ten more years.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Marcin, Herlinda & Artur.
Marcin has always been interested in beer and was a consultant brewer before opening the brewery. Artur has been interested in beer since long before the craft beer revolution. He eventually became a beer judge and got a beer and cider judging certificate. He is studying for his mead certification too. Poland has a long tradition of making mead, and even the certifying body, JCP, does not know all about it. Poland is also a huge producer of apples, but not cider apples. There is a small but promising cider revolution going on, but the problem is getting the right apples. There is also a thriving hops production in Poland.
Herlinda told Mark Carpenter, former Brew Ha Ha co-host,Thu, 08 Jun 2023 - 22min - 227 - Humboldt Cider co-founder Tom HartTom Hart, co-founder of Humboldt Cider is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras, with special guest Peter Lopez. Peter is the founder of NorCal Beer Geeks and he also runs the Juncture Taproom in Santa Rosa.
Tom Hart started Humboldt Cider in 2014 with his partner. They saw an opportunity for cider and started learning how to make it for local events in small batches. For a location , they renovated an old milking barn. Most recently, they started canning during the pandemic. This was an initially forced transformation of their business but it has worked well.
First to be tasted is their Drysdale Cider, made with 4 different culinary apples, golden delicious, granny smith, fuji and gala. It classifies as a dry cider on the dryness scale.
Juncture Taproom
Juncture Taproom is celebrating its 6th anniversary. He has been planning this celebration for a long time. NorCal Beer Geeks and Humboldt Cider have made a collaboration called Sally’s Jamaica. It is flavored with Jamaica flower like the refreshing Mexican beverage which is made from Hibiscus flowers. It makes a light and dry apple cider. They are bringing in all the musicians and food vendors who are with them all year too, for the celebration. Juncture Taproom is located at 4357 Montgomery Drive, at the corner of Mission.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
They are also tasting the Cherry cider, flavored with two kinds of cherries, Montmorency for tartness and Morello for color. This won gold at GLINTCAP, the Great Lakes International Cider Competition, which is the biggest cider competition in the country. It won despite their fear of heat damage before the tasting.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
NorCal Beer Geeks collaborates with VetConnect, to help veterans with all kinds of personal services, including helping them navigate available services, because sometimes some veterans are not even aware that they are eligible for certain services.
The last Humboldt Cider product tasted today is the Gravenstein Cider, made with fruit from old trees in northern California, which used to be more abundant, and which produce the best cider out there.
Visit Humboldt Cider online at their website, their Faecbook or Intsagram.Thu, 01 Jun 2023 - 20min - 226 - Marty Nachel, author of Beer for DummiesAuthor Marty Nachel, author of Beer for Dummies, joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha, on the phone from Chicago. Marty has also written How to Judge Beer Like a Pro.
In order begin to judge beer like a pro, the first prerequisite is practice. However that’s not all. You have to know beer styles and be familiar with different off aromas and flavors as well. Herlinda agrees and adds that the scientific names of things are important to know, to understand beer at this level. For example, Brett, or Brettanomyces. (The term Brettanomyces comes from the Greek for “British fungus.”)
Marty has been in the craft brewing industry in many roles for more than thirty years. He first got interested in beer on a long weekend vacation to Toronto where he took a tour of the Molson brewing company. He had never tasted beer so fresh, and in so many styles in one sitting. The most interesting place he has judged beer is in South Africa. He was lucky to be working with a literary agent who knew the publishers of the for Dummies series. They had just done one on wine so they wanted one on beer too and Marty got the gig. There doesn’t seem to be one for Cider yet. Actually he self-published How to Judge Beer Like a Pro, on Amazon.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Marty is in Chicago which is home to some great lager style breweries. Goose Island is the local brewery with a brew pub on Clark St. Lagunitas has also opened a location in Chicago, which just reopened a few weeks ago. They made a big impression there when they opened, but since being acquired by Heineken, the novelty seems to have worn thin there.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.Thu, 01 Jun 2023 - 12min - 225 - Cooperage Brewing Co.Herlinda and Fridge
Nickolas Garson, AKA Fridge, sales rep from Cooperage Brewing joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. Cooperage is just about to celebrate 8 years as one of the premiere locations to get a beer in Santa Rosa. They are located on Airway Court between Piner and Hopper.
Their family-friendly location is open seven days a week, Monday through Thursday from 2 to 8 pm, Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 pm and Sunday from noon to 8 pm. Their website and socials have the updated daily food truck schedule. They went out of their way to make the location comfortable and beautiful. The bar is a long redwood tree trunk.
Cooperage’s founder Tyler helped Nickolas get to know and to enjoy craft beer and that led to him working in the craft beer industry. Nicholas was inspired by his first taste of good craft beer back in the day. It may be hard to remember today, but at one time, average beer in America was not very good at all, with little or no attention to freshness or flavor. Well, we took care of that, didn’t we?
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Cooperage Brewing 8th Anniversary
As part of their 8th anniversary, they have a band performing on June 10, Painted Waves, a local pop-rock band. The Coop Co-op is on the 11th with vendors and DJs.
The anniversary party itself is Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th with a rock climbing wall, face painters and mechanical bull riding. The vendors include vintage clothes and shoes and they are adding more and more to the list. It is a nice opportunity to help small local businesses. They have beer and yoga sessions. The price includes a beer after yoga.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
They have been tasting Lazy Cat lager, which was originally a staff collaboration. The name is based on their brewery cat named Beyonce. It is made with Luminosa hops, which has no pine or resin character. It has a tiny citrus undertone. They are also tasting the Mexican lager.
Nicholas brought Trimcoe, a new West Coast IPA. Cooperage Brewing beers are available in grocery stores as well as restaurants and bars all around Sonoma County.Thu, 25 May 2023 - 26min - 224 - Lo and Behold RestaurantLo & Behold Crispy Pork Spareribs
Laura Sanfilippo & Sean Raymond Kelley from Lo & Behold Bar Restaurant join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha.
Lo and Behold has three partner owners, who met while working for others. They thought Healdsburg had space for a casual place, large and spacious, with a great bar. Almost a year and a half ago, they opened Lo and Behold.
Sean Kelley grew up with his grandmother’s Sunday dinners. He ran kitchens in some prominent restaurants and then went to culinary school at Tante Marie’s in San Francisco. He wants his flavors to appear familiar and comfortable, but with extraordinary flavors.
The Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience includes spirits for the first time. Tickets are still available for the event.
It’s all Healdsburg bartenders, pairing “farm to glass.” Her partner Tara has a farm where they grow the herbs and flowers that they use, a nice long list of flavors. Sean has also brought a bunch of appetizers.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
They thought Healdsburg had space for a casual place, large and spacious, with a great bar. Lo and Behold has a nice selection of Italian Amaros, or Amari, either way, which are dark herbal liqueurs that vary between bitter and sweet. Every one of the bartenders has a special, original concoction for their Healdsburg event.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Global Comfort Food
Sean describes the restaurant as Global Comfort Food. For example, fried chicken is a winner all over the world. Harry asks what it was like opening a restaurant at the end of a pandemic. Laura thinks it may have been an ideal time. Also, they have been in Healdsburg for a long time and they had a lot of customer loyalty. They also have a nice patio. When people were ready to come back out, there they were. It was hard, but they had already worked through the entire pandemic. This is the first restaurant that the partners have ever owned themselves, after running restaurants for others for a long time.
Tomorrow, Friday May 18, from 4-7 PM at Lo and Behold, there is a Healdsburg Wine and Food Experience event. It is a stand-up meet and greet with Healdsburg’s best bartenders. The bartenders will be all at their own stations on the big patio.Thu, 18 May 2023 - 34min - 223 - Browar Fortuna and Browar Grodzisk of PolandHerlinda, Krzysztof and Marcin.
Marcin Ostajewski from Browar Fortuna and Krzysztof Panek from Browar Grodzisk in Poland join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha.
Krzsyztof and Marcin have just arrived from Nashville, where they attended the World Beer Cup. Both of their breweries are located in western Poland, not far from Posnan. Browar Grodzisk is based in Grodzisk Wielkopolski and Browar Fortuna is in Miłosław.
The Grodziskie style is Poland’s own, originating in the town of Grodzisk. It is a unique beer, the only one in the world brewed with 100 % wheat malt, smoked with oak wood. The brewing process is difficult and long and it has to take its time. Grodziskie is light and refreshing, with a unique flavor among beers on the lighter side.
Marcin tells about early 20th Century advertisements for this beer that refer to it as "Polish Champagne." There are samples of old Grodziskie ads here on Browar Grodzisk website. (This reminds me of Miller High Life, The Champagne of Bottled Beers, their old slogan. -cd)
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Grodziskie
Krzsyztof is quite serious about making Grodziskie as well as possible. He did extensive research in order to replicate the old equipment and he collected information from many people. The brewery fell into disuse after communism. Beginning in the 1990s, investors came in and closed breweries that were not cost-effective. Since lagers were in demand, beer consumers demanded that. Only later they were able to bring Grodziskie back when they re-founded the brewery.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Marcin talks about their home brew competition. The only rule is that beers in competition can’t use wild yeast, which would interfere with their brewing operation. The brewery will produce the winning recipe at the next year’s festival.
Krzsyztof describes how hard it was to find the right malt for Grodziskie. They found a malter just over the border in Czech Republic.
The home brewing community developed in Poland during communism when there was not enough good beer available commercially. When they brought Grodziskie beer back into production, the home brewers society was an important source of recipes, yeast and information.
Next they taste Komes, an idea that came from Krzysztof wondering what would happen if he took their award-winning Baltic Porter, and froze it. He kept it for 2 weeks in the deep freezer. Below the ice there was a condensed liquid, made of alcohol and all the flavor elements. They tasted it and decided it was extraordinary. Then they put it in whiskey barrels. After 4 or 5 years of the project, they have several hundred bottles. There isn't much of it, but now they do batches of about 1000 bottles.Thu, 11 May 2023 - 33min - 222 - Mercedes Hernandez of SOCO Market at FreshtivalHerlinda, Sayre & Mercedes
Mercedes Hernandez founder of the SOCO Market and Sayre Piotrkowski from HenHouse, are our guests on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras.
The Freshtival is this Saturday, May 6 at Somo Village in Rohnert Park. Get tickets here, they are going fast!
As the show begins they open a Moonlight Death and Taxes that is only a few days old. Brian Hunt from Moonlight and Vinny Cilurzo from Russian River were the pioneers of quality and freshness. Today the billboard outside Santa Rosa says Welcome to Fresh Beer Country.
The Importance of Freshness
Sayre talks about what they call second-half beer quality. The HenHouse company mission is to improve beer quality for the end consumer and to create wealth for our community. Freshness is the one quality metric that the consumer has access to. You can see if a beer is kept cold and you can see its date of production. These two factors are vital.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
The best place to get the freshest beer is this Saturday May 6 at Somo Village in Rohnert Park. The event is sponsored by the Bay Area Brewers Guild.
Brian Hunt says, "Fresh beer is like live music. Stale beer is like listening from the parking lot."
THE SOCO MARKET
Mercedes Hernandez describes how the SOCO Market started during the pandemic. Many Sonoma County businesses didn’t have a physical location so she invited eleven local makers to exhibit and sell together. It grew to over 60 vendors and then the city of Santa Rosa invited them to a market space in Old Courthouse Square that can have as many as 90. They have a market every month from April to August.
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The SOCO Market with its panorama of jewelry, plants and clothing vendors lends a fun and colorful atmosphere for the Freshtival. The Art of Freshness Gallery will be showing artists who have created label art for local brewers.
The first beer tasted was The Art of Freshness, which is the name of a beer and the theme of the festival. They also taste Matiné Idol. For the rest, go to the Freshtival!
Today's tastings on BHH.Thu, 04 May 2023 - 24min - 221 - 2023 Freshtival with Zach Kelly from HenHouseZach Kelly
The 2023 Freshtival is today's subject, as Zach Kelly, the brewmaster at HenHouse Brewery joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Fal Allen also calls in from Booneville later in the show.
The Freshtival takes place on May 6 at SOMO Village. Zach Kelly has been the brew master at HenHouse for about a year and a half now.
The Freshtival, May 6, 2023
In addition to all the breweries, many artists will be at the Freshtival, who are responsible for the art work for the labels on many craft beer cans. The Freshtival also features live bands, which makes it a great music festival as well. There is also a community market.
Visit HenHouse Brewing or Event Brite to get tickets and to see everything about the Freshtival.
They are tasting a Petit Saison beer from HenHouse which is only 4.5% alcohol. The term Saison beer refers to a beer with a low alcohol content, which would allow someone to enjoy it while also doing something else. Zach tells about how he made this beer for his wife. He experimented with recipes and since they went to New Zealand on their honeymoon, this beer uses all New Zealand hops. She didn’t know he brewed it for her, so he put on a May Day party at the brewery and presented it there. This particular beer was canned about three hours ago, speaking of fresh beer.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Zach Kelly spent about five years at Russian River, previously worked at Left Hand Brewing in Colorado, and started at Keegan Ales in New York.
This Beer Creates Opportunity
They are tasting Sonoma Sunshine, a dry-hopped Kolsch beer. (See the title picture) Their artist, Blanca, who designed the label, has also painted a mural in the tasting room.
The Brewers Guild is holding a mixer to promote The Inclusion Beer Project and the beer labeled This Beer Creates Opportunity. The project is dedicated to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and open access in the craft brewing industry.
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HenHouse is located at 322 Bellvue Ave. in Santa Rosa. They also have a location called the Palace of Barrels in Petaluma. They serve a beer called “Day Zero” which comes right off the production line. In the near future they will be opening a new location in Fairfax.Thu, 27 Apr 2023 - 18min - 220 - 25th Annual Booneville Beer FestFal Allen
Fal Allen of Anderson Valley Brewing Co. joins Harry Duke and Herlinda to discuss the Booneville Beer Fest, this Saturday in Booneville. Fal Allen is the brewmaster at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Booneville, which is sponsoring the 25th Annual Booneville Beer Fest. There will be 80 breweries there with at least 180 different beers.
All the proceeds go to local non-profits in the area. They have raised over $1.25 million dollars for local charities in the last quarter century.
There are also 4 bands and 10 food vendors, along with the 80 breweries, and lots of crafts for sale. There will also be cider brewers there. You can learn all about it at the Booneville Beer Fest web page, here.
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Anderson Valley just got named the most under-rated place to visit, for beer and wine. AVBC has been around for 45 years, but there are wineries in the area that are 100 years old. The hotels are booked for this event but there is no shortage of camping. Tickets are available at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company website, for this Saturday, April 29.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.Thu, 27 Apr 2023 - 4min - 219 - Eel River Brewing CompanyHerlinda & Ted.
Ted Vivatson from Eel River Brewing Company is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. He is the owner and co-founder of the brewery, which is located in Humboldt, California. They opened in 1995. About two years after that, they were pioneers in organic practices.
Ted grew up in Danville, California and was deployed in Germany in the US Army and there he got to know high quality beer. After he left the service, he noticed that there was no good local beer, so he and some friends set about to make some. Today Eel River is one of the oldest craft breweries in America.
He took a temporary job in the US Forest Service while studying engineering and home brewing. It wasn’t always easy to find ingredients and equipment back then before home brewing became popular. He took classes at UC Davis and the Siebel Institute. Now, he and the other craft brewing pioneers are seeing their children move into the same business.
They are tasting a beer called Climax which is named after a locomotive train. He made it to order for a friend who asked for a “naked” beer, meaning something plain and simple with no altered ingredients.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
It was really hard to find organic hops and grain back then. They found organic hops in New Zealand and they had to send someone down there to secure the first supply. This is a very simple beer with a low ABV and only 100 calories per serving.
The next beer tasted is a California Blonde Ale which has won 5 medals at the Great American Beer Fest. They also have opened their Amber Ale. Their first organic beers were limited by what ingredients were available.
Ted Vivatson was also a pioneer in hard selzer, and Herlinda and Harry agree that his hard selzer the best tasting one around. They worked on it for about two years, to develop the right recipe. Finally they got it right. It’s the only one naturally fermented.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.Thu, 20 Apr 2023 - 34min - 218 - Griffo Distillery and LagunitasHerlinda, Jenny and Bryan.
Bryan Donaldson from Lagunitas and Jenny Griffo from Griffo Distillery join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. Bryan Donaldson is the Brewing Innovation Manager at Lagunitas and Jenny Griffo is a co-founder of Griffo Distillery.
Lagunitas and Griffo Distillery have collaborated on a single malt whiskey accented with hops. The two companies are located a half a block away from each other. Jenny and Bryan describe the process of distilling the mashed beer with hops and then they barrel age it for three years.
They will only release 600 bottles of it. People who attend the party on Thursday the 27th of April will get some. The event will feature food and a selection of beers, at Lagunitas. Then, guests will take busses across the way to visit Griffo, for the continuation, following the creation of this whiskey. Guests will get a bottle of Still Waldos single malt whiskey. There will also be live music and specially made chocolates.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Tickets are available on the Griffo website. Tickets are going fast to the first eating at 5:30, and there will be a second seating at 7:30. There will only be 25 total tickets to each seating. There will also be tastings of the Waldos beer, which Lagunitas makes every year.
Lagunitas Waldos Special Ale Triple IPA
Bryan describes his career path, which includes a Masters in Brewing from Charlie Bamforth at UC Davis, and jobs at Lagunitas soon after. He has also developed a tea-based beverage for Lagunitas, which is completely alcohol-free. Bryan says he is most proud of Hoppy Refresher, which is a dry-hopped sparkling water.
Griffo Distillery is also constantly innovating. Their last new product was a cold-brewed coffee liqueur. Griffo also has pop-ups coming to the distillery. On April 28, Second Staff, a local catering company, will be serving Korean Fried Chicken. They are on Scott Street in Petaluma.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
This year’s Freshtival is scheduled for May 6 Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park. All of the beer there will be less than 7 days old. Information is available at the dedicated page on the Hen House website.Tue, 18 Apr 2023 - 25min - 217 - Indian Valley BrewingIndian Valley Brewing co-founders Joe and Matt Tachis visit Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today.
Their story begins in the 1950s when their father came back from Korea and went to work for Hamm’s brewery in San Francisco. He was their west coast sales manager, there was beer around the house.
From the back room to the taproom.
They started Indian Valley in 2017. They were home brewing with their father and brothers. People liked their beer, so they started the brewery in back of Joe’s electrical shop and started distributing to bars and restaurants. Now they have a taproom in Novato, near the Novato smart train station. The whole family was there to help along the way, to work on everything.
The taproom is open every day. There are some food trucks that park nearby. They have Mexican food on Friday nights, which gets a great turnout, and pizza and trivia on Thursday nights. It is open 3-8pm Mon.-Thurs., 3-9pm on Friday, 2-8pm on Saturday and 12-5pm on Sunday. Kids and dogs are welcome.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Joe likes the lighter beers, blondes, lagers and pilsners, and Matt likes “the maltier stuff” so ales and porters. They are tasting the Hazy Blonde Ale, it’s refreshing and light. This recipe came from their original home brewing activity. Next they taste the Hopalong, their flagship IPA. This is the brainchild of their brewer Sean Cochrane.
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Why they say "Keep your day job"
Joe and Matt still work their day jobs and Sean makes beer full time. The brothers still do a lot of work, since they have pro construction skills. They just finished installing a conventional system. They bought a used system that came with no information about how to operate it apart from the burners. Their brewing capacity is three barrels. Their beer is on tap for now at the taproom and they have a one-at-a-time 16-oz. canning machine. They usually have 12 or 13 taps at a time available, with some rotating in and out roughly monthly.
Some of their beers, like their father's favorite Scotch Ale, are always there, since the customers demand them. It is malty and dry. It's called Grumpa's which is a grandchild's variation on Grandpa. It won Battle of the Brews for best ale, and best in show too, the year before. At the most recent edition of the competition, they were on the new equipment which was not quite perfectly set up, and they didn't win.
The taproom has wood panelling which keeps the room quiet, compared to rooms with concrete walls which make a noisier locale. This is a choice, so people can hear each other's conversation.Thu, 13 Apr 2023 - 25min - 216 - Anchor’s San Pancho Mexican LagerAnchor Brewing San Pancho Mexican lager
Dane Volek from Anchor Brewing calls in to Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras to talk about their new San Pancho Mexican lager. Dane is the new Brewmaster at Anchor Brewing, so he has the job that used to belong to Brew Ha Ha founding father Mark Carpenter.
Joe and Matt Tachis from Indian Valley Brewing in Novato are also in the studio today during Dane’s call. Their full interview with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras is available on their own podcast page, here.
San Pancho is a Mexican style lager with natural lime flavors. They did some test releases in the brew house which went well, and the folks around the brew house liked it too. The label on the can is inspired by Mexican mural art.
The recipe begins with pale malt and some flaked corn and makes a refreshing dry beer.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Anchor Brewing is also where Herlinda’s guests from Poland did a collaboration brew last January, mentioned in this Brew Ha Ha episode. Dane describes the Baltic Porter they made that day, using Anchor’s yeast. Marcin Malecki and Artur Napuripski of Maryensztadt Brewery in Poland have invited Dane to Poland to do another collaboration there.
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For this baseball season, Anchor Brewing is working with the San Francisco Giants. Their beer is at the ballpark and they might do an Anchor Day promotion this year. We also hear about the artist who did the San Pancho Mexican Lager beer label who is from Mexico City. The label is also inspired by the kind of mural art in the Mission district of San Francisco. They may also do this kind of artwork on their IPA. Anchor is getting ready for the busy summer season. The public taproom is open Wednesdays through Sundays. They have 24 taps which are about half their usual commercial beers and the others serve many other smaller batches and experiments that they also produce.Thu, 13 Apr 2023 - 8min - 215 - Horse and Plow CiderHerlinda & Suzanne
Suzanne Hagins from Horse and Plow Cider in Graton is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras.
Horse and Plow makes cider and also wine. All of their cider comes from Sebastopol-grown apples. They are dry and naturally carbonated and they show the quality of the Sonoma County fruit. They are based on the famous Gravenstein apples that are mostly grown in Sebastopol. It is a blend of 12 different apple varieties and is very dry.
Horse and Plow started as a winery. The tasting room is off Hwy 116 between Graton and Sebastopol.
Cider and Mead are both good alternatives to wine and beer, for festive occasions and meals. They are tasting the Horse and Plow Farmhouse Cider. It is mostly Gravenstein apples and very dry.
Visit Horse and Plow
Horse and Plow ciders are at Bottle Barn and Whole Foods, Willibees, Pacific Market and Andy’s. Hwy 116, Gravenstein Hwy, close to Andy’s, open 12-5 Thursday through Monday. They accept reservations online or by phone. There are art shows and music performances. They do tasting flights of wines, ciders, and mixed flights. It is family and dog friendly.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Horse and Plow uses many unusual varieties of apples in their ciders, more than 30 varieties.
Cider is made like wine, which made it easy for them to add cider to their operation which was already licensed for wine. Fully half of their business at the tasting room is cider.
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They also taste their Rosé made from 100-year-old dry-farmed Carignane vines located in Mendocino County. They pick the fruit early to preserve the acidity. There are strawberry flavors in the wine. They have one-liter refillable growlers that can be refilled with red or white wine or cider. Finally they taste their Pinot Noir, known for being fruit forward with a silky texture.Thu, 06 Apr 2023 - 19min - 214 - Heidrun MeaderyGordon Hull
Gordon Hull from Heidrun Meadery in Pt. Reyes Station joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Heidrun Meadery is a 26-year-old company. They are open 7 days a week, from 5 to 11. They specialize in Mead, which is wine made with honey instead of grapes. Their mead is unique because it is sparkling, made the same way as champagne. They also make different flavors of mead from different varieties of honey. They also have beehives and make honey that they use to make mead. Their meadery is a converted dairy farm.
A Unique Style of Mead
They are the only producer of champagne-style mead in the world. They make a base wine that is still, in stainless steel tanks. Before bottling they add sugar and get a secondary fermentation to create a natural effervescence. Mead is the oldest fermented beverage in the world. It predates beer and wine by thousands of years.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
In the studio they are tasting a mead that Gordon sent them, made from honey that comes from Tanzania, which has a very distinct flavor. The honey comes from the African bees which are very aggressive. Because of that, the people who extract the honey use smoke to distract the bees, and the smoke plays a part in the flavor of the honey. It has a distinct, peaty, pine-resin flavor. He describes it as a cross between a fine champagne and a peaty Scotch whiskey.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Heidrun Meads are available at Bottle Barn.
In Norse mythology, Odin is the highest god and lives in Valhalla. He lives by drinking mead which comes from his mythological goat called Heidrun.Thu, 06 Apr 2023 - 9min - 213 - Flagship Taproom, Ghost Town Brewing, Civilization BrewingMatt, James & Cassius.
Herlinda Heras visits Ghost Town Brewing in Oakland, plus we have three other guests on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today. Matt Inlow from Flagship Taproom, Cassius Camus from Battle of the Brews and James Holt, owner of Civilization Brewing are also in the studio.
The Battle of the Brews is Saturday April 1, from 1 to 5 pm. It is the 26th annual beer event hosted by the Active 20-30 of Santa Rosa. In addition to a fund raising event it is a BJCP Judged beer event. It has also evolved into a barbeque competition. It is held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. In the Grace Pavillion Building there will be 65 different breweries and a large stage with a succession of bands. There will be food and drink galore, too.
Flagship Taproom
Matt Inlow from Flagship Taproom will also be at Battle of the Brews. This will be the brewery's third time there. At the Flagship Taproom they have a great menu, and since the Battle of the Brews needs 500 servings of an item, they chose their rosemary smoked pork tenderloin sandwich, for the competition. Picture smoked pork tenderloin, with freshly made aioli sauce, melted brie and arugula all on a soft brioche bun. They have a wood-fired smoker for tri-tip, chicken thighs and pork ribs.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
There are three locations of Flagship Taproom. A group of friends opened the first one opened in Cotati in 2016. There are 20 rotating beer taps and they do barbeque. They also like events, so they have trivia nights, tap takeovers, comedy shows, with indoor and outdoor events. They are also in downtown Santa Rosa, at 446 B Street. Then at the end of April 2022 they opened a location on the Windsor Town Green. They are at 1001 McClelland Drive.
Ghost Town Brewing
Herlinda Heras calls in from Oakland where she is visiting Ghost Town Brewing. It is near the Oakland Coliseum where the A’s play. Ghost Town has been around for about 10 years but became famous during the pandemic after they started canning their beer. Herlinda will be a judge at the Battle of the Brews. Herlinda has been a beer judge at several international competitions and it is fun for her to be judging in her own backyard for once.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
The next beer they taste is called Super Lemon Haze. Their different hazy beers are named after different bud strains, like Pineapple Express and Moon Rocks. It’s a simple beer with great aroma and fruity flavor from 100% Citra hops. It is always a top seller.
Civilization Brewing
Civilization Brewing is located at 490 Mendocino Ave. at the corner of Ross St. (where the old Local Barrel used to be). They have decorated it with a lot of "weird stuff" from junk shops and antique dealers. They have arcade games and big statues, and an old cathode ray tv tube for playing the really old video games. The last beer is the Peach Rhubarb Sour.Thu, 30 Mar 2023 - 26min - 212 - 2023 Pliny the Younger with Natalie CilurzoHarry & Natalie.
Natalie Cilurzo brings the 2023 Pliny the Younger from Russian River Brewing Co. to Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today.
This is the 19th presentation of the new Pliny the Younger. This version is a little bit different than the one that premiered in February. The Pliny the Younger base recipe is fairly stable, at about 10.25% ABV, but there is a tweak to the hops and this year that is a new hop from New Zealand called Nectaron. Vinny decided to put a little more bittering hops into the second mix. The hop aroma is brilliant and beautiful and the flavors really shine through.
The New Release Schedule
In February they did a limited release. The first Friday in February used to be the launch date. Last year they had to postpone distribution due to a Covid outbreak, and what they found out was that their accounts appreciated the rollout this way, so they will continue to release for wholesale, draft only, in February and then in person, on draft and in bottles, for their brewpubs only, in late March.
Natalie describes about a four-month process they have to manage for the release event. There is merchandise galore to design and order, the label, packaging, timing and logistics for all that, wristbands, et cetera. There are 28,000 unique wristbands, marked with date and location, with four pull tabs. The first three tabs are redeemable for one 10-ounce pour. The fourth, or B tab, allows the bearer to purchase two bottles to go. A lot of people enjoy the social event, including meeting people in line.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
There are usually 20 beers on tap at Russian River Brewing Co. in addition to Pliny the Younger. They are releasing Hopfather IPA and a sour peach beer, tomorrow.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Herlinda and Natalie were at the California Craft Brewers Association conference this week. On the last day, the final talk had Natalie, Vinny and Ken Grossman on stage talking about the beer business and then they served a taste of Pliny for everyone, which was a big hit.
There is a cheese tasting too, for people waiting in line. The California Artisan Cheese Festival is at the Fairgrounds, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Cowgirl Creamery, Cypress Grove and others will be there.Thu, 23 Mar 2023 - 34min - 211 - Kapu Bar New in PetalumaHerlinda and Bee.
Kapu Bar house manager Bee Baker is our in-studio guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today.
Kapu Bar has taken over the Tuttle’s Drug Store location in downtown Petaluma. They have done extensive redecoration and it is a marvel to see. The first weekend they were open in January they had over 1000 people through the front door. Business has been brisk and there is a line out the door almost every day.
The first use of Tiki décor was Don the Beachcomber’s, which opened in Los Angeles in 1934, after Prohibition ended but well before the beginning of WWII. Tiki designs became popular in California after the War, when returning servicemen brought back more and more Polynesian-inspired designs. There have been many famous Tiki-styled restaurants and bars, which Bee describes as “escapism.”
At the bar they make all of their syrups in-house from scratch. From the kitchen, they have an extensive menu that even includes Spam, and of course there is special glassware and ceramic ware to match the drinks.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Tiki Design
Kapu Bar’s designer, Bamboo Ben, is the grandson of one of the head designers of the Disneyland Tiki Room, as well as the Swiss Family Robinson House and the Jungle Cruise. They have plans to adapt an outdoor area as well. Bamboo Ben’s son Blake has carved Tikis out of the reclaimed wood from their outside fence. They wear “aloha” shirts and they don’t spare the accessories and decorations. Here is a look at the interior, on the Kapu Bar website.
"It doesn’t get more West Coast than a Tiki Bar." - Herlinda
They have Poke Nachos on the menu. They source the freshest Ahi they can source, which their chefs cut and dress for Poke, with all their flavors. It is one of their most popular menu items. Bee has also brought a lot of other treats, including the spicy Chinese style peanuts. They are boiled with ginger, onion, star anice, citrus peel, bay leaf and peppercorn. After boiling they are tossed in a ginger-scallion sauce, with a bit of sesame. They are tasty but messy. There is a discussion of their extensive menu which is also online, here. The Banana Split “is for the young at heart.”
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Kapu Bar is located at 132 Keller St. in Petaluma. For reservations, go to Open Table. The bar is first-come first served, with no reservations.Thu, 16 Mar 2023 - 24min - 210 - Peter Lopez and Tyler Laverty in studio
Peter and Tyler.
Peter Lopez and Tyler Laverty join Harry Duke on Brew Ha Ha today. Co-host Herlinda Heras is visiting England and will call into the studio. We begin with a phone call from Herlinda who is in England to be a judge in the British Pie Awards.
Herlinda Heras is in England judging the British Pie Awards again. We also hear about her travels to breweries in different places. She also got lost and ended up in the oldest pub in England. It is in Nottingham, under an 800-year-old castle. She is in the town of Milton Mowbray which is not very far from London. She will also visit a brewery in Wales. We will hear all about it when she is back on Brew Ha Ha next week.
Tyler Laverty is back on the Brew Ha Ha to remember the Third Street Aleworks Taproom. Their last day of operation was yesterday. We have covered the closing of the Third Street Aleworks in a couple of recent podcasts, in this episode and also here.
Peter Lopez was there yesterday and “it was definitely a lovefest.” The taproom is closed but the beer label will continue. They will produce beer for distribution to retail and hospitality markets in northern California.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
How the Transition Began
During Covid, they started distributing more and more in cans and kegs. As they adapted and changed, that has continued to be successful. However, the downtown business environment is difficult. Crowds are smaller and spending is down. There are a lot of factors, but ultimately, when the lease was up, they decided to continue making changes and adapt as a brand.
They are optimistic about having expanded their distribution and they are focusing on a couple of core brands. They hope to have their new production facility up and running next year. They plan to have a small taproom at the new brewery too.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
They will continue to make Bodega Head IPA and Annandale Pale Ale, Blarney Sisters Dry Irish Stout, Italian Style Pilsner, Mr. Mosaic Double IPA and Raspberry Tart Pastry Kettle Sour. They have won a lot of medals at GABF and Beer World Cup. Blarney alone has won 13 medals.
Their beers are available in lots of major retail locations throughout Sonoma and Marin Counties as well as Bottle Barn.Thu, 09 Mar 2023 - 21min - 209 - Tara Jasper, SipSong SpiritsHerlinda & Tara Jasper
Tara Jasper, owner and creative force behind SipSong Spirits, is back on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today. The last time she was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of July 30, 2020. Tara grew up among the coastal redwoods of northern California. After studying culinary arts and raising a family, she started making gin. She begins by shaking up a cocktail with SipSong Spring Gin, one of her seasonal gins and they toast to all the hospitality and medical workers.
All their botanicals are harvested in early spring in Sonoma County. There are all kinds of juniper. In Finland, they use juniper as part of the flavoring of Sahti. Our ornamental juniper berries are shaped like mace balls. The ones in Finland were soft and become sappy and stick when you break them open. SipSong gins often win blind tastings among gin fans. She enjoys the idea of making gin without a lot of fussing around like in a busy kitchen, and then being able to share her work all over the place.
The Ah-Ha Moment
When she started making gin, she didn’t know if she could make a gin that she would enjoy more than her favorite gin. Monkey 47 was her favorite at the time. It was $65 for a 375 ml bottle. In a blind tasting of her gin against that one, she preferred her own. That was her “ah-ha moment” when she decided she wanted to get a still and start making gin.
“We have some amazing local distillers in this area. We’re very lucky. It’s so cool. This is no longer wine country. This is booze country," says Tara Jasper.
She met someone who had the same still she wanted, but only used it part time. Since then, she has been using it, sometimes on short notice when the Spring blossoms are ready.
Fight Like A Girl
Tara is also a pilot and she holds tastings in an airplane hanger. She is also active in women’s health care awareness, especially regarding the BRCA gene and how important it is to know if one is a carrier. Tara is a breast cancer survivor and she supports Fight like a Girl, a breast cancer support community.
There is an old Prohibition law that makes shipping of spirits illegal. During the pandemic, that law was suspended but only temporarily. She suggests that people express their preferences to their elected officials, to allow shipping of spirits permanently.
Indira gin won a double gold, which means every judge gave it a gold. It is flavored with botanicals and people love it in a Gibson. Another friend has suggested that she make gin with hops.Thu, 02 Mar 2023 - 32min - 208 - Mike Schnebeck from Fort Point Beer Co.Mike Schnebeck of Fort Point Beer Co.
Mike Schnebeck from San Francisco's Fort Point Beer Co. visits Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today. Fort Point is an independent San Francisco beer company. They have become one of San Francisco's best known independent breweries by following their calling to make craft beer more accessible.
Herlinda begins by describing the Fort Point SF Beer Week Dim Sum beer and cider pairing. She mentions their Kolsch beers, which is their specialty. The owners started with Mill Valley Brewing Company, which started in 2010 and then Fort Point started in 2013.
Fort Point has two locations, one is the Ferry Building taproom and the other main taproom is on Valencia St. in the Mission district. There they have a San Francisco seafood menu in addition to their beers.
The Fort Point Mission
Fort Point’s mission “...is to make really balanced approachable and nuanced beer,” what they call good beer for everyone. They take classic existing styles that they add a twist to. Mike worked for Beer Works based in San Diego, where he developed his interest in craft beer. Beer Works gave him an opportunity to brew beer. Today they are the largest independent brewer in the city.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Mike’s title of director of brewing innovation is basically an R&D position. He shifted into this more creative role after managing the day-to-day operation. Some of his current recipes date back to his time at Beer Works. They will make about 27,000 barrels this year.
Fort Point’s signature beer is the KSA, Kolsch style ale. He thought their Park Pale Ale would be the flagship but the customers had other preferences. He did visit Cologne, Germany to study the local beer, which is where Kolsch style beer comes from.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Fort Point has just launched 2 ciders, Super Dry and Super Natural, a Rosé-inspired cider. A lot of breweries are expanding their product line. Several have added selzers but Fort Point has chosen to add cider to their production.
They liked dry cider. Many ciders sold as dry were not really that dry. They spent some time developing their recipe to make it dry the way he wants it. It is “bone dry” says Herlinda.
At the Dim Sum event, the dry cider went very well with all the Asian dishes. The cider went very well with dishes like Crispy Pork Rib and Peking Duck.
SUPER NATURAL CIDER
The Super Natural cider is described as Rosé-inspired. They add hibiscus and rose hip to the cider base, which give a nice light pink-orange color. The ciders have been out for about a month so far, so they are starting to appear on shelves in stores like Hole Fudes. They are, or will be, available on draft in local restaurants.
They also taste a hazy IPA called Lobos. It’s funny how hazy beers are popular now, but Mike explains that the industry has figured out how to make those beers now. Mark Carpenter, who was head brewer at Anchor for more than 40 years, remarked that he worked hard to make the beer clear and never hazy, and the reversal of tastes is surprising and ironic. In England they have hazies called Scrumpies.
There is a beer called Yuzu KSA which is their Kolsch with Yuzu,Thu, 23 Feb 2023 - 25min - 207 - Spirits Sales Overtake Beer, with Tara NurinTara Nurin
Tara Nurin calls in to Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras, to talk about spirits sales and her article in Wine Enthusiast magazine. It shows Spirits replacing Beer as the largest share of the alcoholic beverages market. It’s not a majority of spending, but a plurality by a small margin. The article is on the website of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Its title is "Move Over, Beer: Spirits Are Now Alcohol's Biggest U.S. Money Maker.
The article states that, "sales for 2022 show spirits now claim a record-breaking 42.1% of revenue in the alcohol market, compared to beer’s shrinking 41.9% and wine's stagnant 16 %." Of course, beer is at a disadvantage in counting dollar share, compare a $10 pack of beer to a $100 bottle of some luxury spirits. Beer will still sell more volume due to its nature.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
There may be some influence from the pandemic on this result. However, spirits have been gaining market share for the last thirteen years. Also, previous generations were less prone to experimentation and innovation as people are today. Also, there are more ready-to-drink beverages which are very hot right now, such as hard selzers. The more expensive of these are spirits-based, as opposed to malt-based. The new drinks are known as "RTD" which stands for Ready To Drink. The fact that this term is also applicable to beer and wine is possibly lost on the authors of the term.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
RTDs are growing faster than other segments of the alcoholic beverage industry. New products are launching with higher and higher prices, which may be a bad sign for brewers.Thu, 23 Feb 2023 - 8min - 206 - Beer City Festival in Santa RosaTonic Immobility from Old Possum Brewing
Matt Wilson from the Santa Rosa Beer City Festival is here, so is Sandro Tamburin from Old Possum Brewing, to join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha.
This year’s Beer City Festival is on Saturday February 25, in Courthouse Square in Santa Rosa, from 11am to 4pm. Local brewers will be there, such as Russian River, Bear Republic, Hen House, Lagunitas, Old Possum and Third Street Aleworks.
Brews News
There is big news in the beer business this week, since Bear Republic has sold most of its assets and brands to Drake’s Brewery, which is based in San Leandro. Peter Lopez, founder of Norcal Beer Geeks, calls in to talk about the deal. Peter is also proprietor of Juncture Taproom in Santa Rosa. Racer 5 was the first IPA he ever tasted and he respects how Richard Norgrove led the charge to make northern California the hop capital of the world. “Now I know we have found a great partner,” says Richard Norgrove. “The merger with Drake’s can be a win-win, for sure,” says Peter.
Beer City Festival
The Beer City Festival has running events in the morning, before the beer events later on. There are three races, a half marathon, a 10K and a 5K. The beer event is from noon to 4pm, but the races start at 8 am. There is a VIP tasting from 11 to noon. Tickets are available online, $60 for Beer City admission and $20 for designated drivers who aren’t partaking. There are separate entry fees for the races, see the Run Beer City website, here. There are games, performers, food and music, and it is pet and kid friendly.
Old Possum will be there with its flagship Garibaldi IPA.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
Tonic Immobility is the new Old Possum beer, being released on Friday. Tonic immobility is the scientific name of how the Possums pretend to be dead. It is 10.2% alcohol by volume, which is very high. Sandro is experimenting with a new hop called Pink, from Idaho. Stay tuned.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Herlinda asks Matt about Ghost Town Brewing, which has won some big awards recently, and will be at the Beer City festival in Santa Rosa. There are circus performers in the crowd, and there will be bands playing music, to create atmosphere. The event is in a public area and it’s open to the public, and so are the food trucks. Only the tasting is ticketed. It’s also a good day to follow the beer trail.Thu, 16 Feb 2023 - 34min - 205 - Barebottle Brewing co-founder Lester KogaBarebottle Brewing Company co-founder Lester Koga is in the studio with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today.
There are three Barebottle Brewing locations and the one in Bernal Heights is very family friendly, which Lester explains. He visited Germany and France frequently and discovered the German beer gardens. These are large public parks with different stalls offering beer, sausages, pretzels, etc. It is an integrated communal space where alcohol is present as a normal part of life and not some kind of heavily regulated vice.
Family and Pet Friendly in Bernal Heights
In the Bernal Heights location the brewing operation is right in the same space with the hospitality space. He wants his guests to be able to bring their kids and their dogs. Conscious of the business side of brewing, they also noticed that their brand was popular in the south Bay Area so they opened a location in Santa Clara. Lester mentioned having been a guest on KNBR, a Bay Area sports station, and he considers that to be a sign of how craft brewing is deeply integrate with the local culture.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Click the logo to visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more info.
A dark beer goes with chocolate so that is a pairing that they do, in a collaboration with Zocalo, a local chocolate maker.
Next they taste a west coast IPA that Barebottle Brewing made in collaboration with Ghost Town. They just canned it yesterday. Lester likes Ghost Town for how they accentuate the bitter flavors in their beers.
Visit our sponsor Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter online, for their latest viewing and menu options.
Wine too!
Barebottle Brewing makes a wide variety of beers and he has brought several into the studio today. They also make wine, also under the Barebottle label. There is a sparkling pet nat from Anderson Valley, and also Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They use about 14 tons of grapes per season and just did some Syrah and cool climate whites, Albariño and Vermentino from Buelton in Santa Barbara County. They also have some Barbera from Amador County.Thu, 09 Feb 2023 - 18min
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