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Seven Orange County breweries participated in this year’s Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Days, which took place on and around International Women’s Day on March 8.

First, some info about the origin and development of PBCBD: The idea for what began as International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day (IWCBD) came from the UK’s Sophie De Ronde, head brewer at Burnt Mill Brewery in Suffolk. She and other members of Project Venus (a UK based female brewers association) would regularly get together for collaboration brews. With the help of the U.S. based Pink Boots Society, the idea of taking these collaborative efforts global, as a way of promoting and building relations between women in the brewing industry, became a reality. International Women’s Day was decided upon as the logical date to mark the event, first held on March 8, 2014.

Since that time it has morphed into Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day (PBCBD). Pink Boots Society members come together every year (typically on or around March 8) at breweries around the world to support, encourage, bring awareness to and raise funds for women to advance their careers in the brewing industry. A portion of the proceeds from sales of “Unite” collaboration beers goes to fund educational scholarships for Pink Boots Society members.

A partnership with Yakima Chief Hops was formed in 2018. Each year, during the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, a new hop blend is chosen/ created by PBS Members, which YCH scales up for purchase. YCH in-turn donates $3 from every pound sold to the Pink Boots Society for further funding of education and programming. Please support Pink Boots Society members by enjoying these beers wherever your beer travels bring you.

During this year’s Orange County brew days, I met with PBS OC Chapter member Mary Jane “MJ” S. Doddridge to get the run down on the Pink Boots Collaboration brews that took place in OC. She attended six of the seven Orange County brew days in addition to others around the Southland. MJ is an avid craft beer enthusiast, who first found out about the Pink Boots Society from Anaheim’s Barbara Gerovac. She is currently part of the Gamecraft Brewing (Support Droid) team and is Finance Liaison for Pink Boots Society Orange County Chapter.

Beers were brewed in at least seven OC breweries and would have been flowing at area tap houses and the breweries that participated this year if not for the COVID-19 crisis. The 2020 PB/YCH hop blend (chosen by over 100 Pink Boots members) consists of one part Azacca, one part El Dorado, two parts Idaho Gem, and two parts Loral hops, a mix that will reportedly exude tropical, citrus and piney qualities. It seems to be especially

suited for IPA, given that all six of the OC breweries that used this year’s hop mix made some form of IPA.

Anaheim Brewery’s owner/brewer and Pink Boots member Barbara Gerovac, staff and PBS members participated in brewing this year’s rendition of Unite Belgian Tripel on March 4. They utilized the 2018 YCH blend that has worked so-well in the Belgian-style tripel formulation in past years. In addition to benefitting Pink Boots Society, a portion of Anaheim’s Unite proceeds will also go to the Orange County Family Justice Center and its efforts that support the community.

Backstreet Brewery in Anaheim provided a unique twist for their brew day. In addition to inviting Pink Boots Society members to participate in the March 5 brew, BSB had the wonderful idea of including the next generation of potential brewers. Backstreet’s PBCBD also became Teach Your Daughter to Brew Day. Utilizing the PBS/YCH 2020 hop blend and choice Vienna malts, Baby Boots IPA was created in a collaboration of brewers Tim Barro & Bob Weden, as well as the daughters and ladies of BSB and PBS-OC.

On March 6, in Laguna Hills, Gamecraft Brewing’s head brewer Andrew Moy hosted the Pink Boots OC and the group brewed Unplanned Variable, a 6.1% ABV hazy IPA. The beer was released for offsite purchase and consumption on March 24. It was originally named as a tribute to The Outer Worlds (an action role playing game) and to the brewing process, where things don’t always go according to plan. Adjustments and adaptation are necessary when unplanned variables come into play. Released in the midst of the COVID-19 chaos, the name took on additional meaning.

At Karl Strauss Brewing in Anaheim, Jarrod Davis and the brewers and women from Karl Strauss Anaheim, Costa Mesa and Los Angeles gathered with Pink Boots members at KS Anaheim on March 5 to brew a Hazy IPA.

Lost Winds Brewing in San Clemente hosted the PBS women on March 3 and brewed Pink Boots Hazy Double IPA with head brewer Brandon Winneker.

Then, on Saturday, March 7, OC Pink Boots Chapter members arrived in full force to take part in Riip Beer Co’s IPA brew day in Huntington Beach. Head brewer Ian McCall was outfitted with at least one “pink boot” during their brew. Still on the mend, he displayed his Pink Boots spirit by sporting a pink cast on his left foot. Staying with the theme, Cast a Pink Shadow (West Coast IPA) was brewed.

International Women’s Day, March 8, was the Pink Boots brew day at Stereo Brewing in Placentia. Owner/brewer Rick Smets and assistant brewer Dylan Macsata assisted the ladies of Stereo and Pink Boots OC to brew Rebel Rebel Haze, a David Bowie-inspired hazy IPA.

While most breweries had release parties planned for late March and early April, the unplanned COVID-19 variable has affected most of those initial plans. In the meantime, if you see any Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day beers on any of your local brewery to-go lists, be sure to order, support and enjoy via social distancing.

Stay safe, stay strong and think pink!

Beer Paper’s newly minted OC Columnist David Mulvihill thirsts to experience and promote the best of what craft beer has to offer. He also covers Southern California for SoCal Food & Beverage Professional Magazine and provides business-side support (reporting, excise tax, policies & personnel) to local breweries and brewers guilds. david@socalcraftbeer. com.

Imagine if your favorite artist was reduced to a canvas 5” x 8” in size.  Then subtract from that, more space, that is taken up with governmental warnings and other required information as well as a barcode.  Would they be able to design an eye-catching label that was both pretty and functional?

To get answers to that question, I e-mailed with beer writer, brand designer and beer label designer Kelly Erickson, co-owner of Craft Media Solutions in Los Angeles, on how the whole process works up to the point where that first label is stuck to the can or glued to the bottle.

BEER PAPER: How does the process of designing a label work with a brewery?  How much leeway do you have?  What is the back and forth like?

ERICKSON: We dedicate a considerable amount of time to brand discovery when we first start working with a client. Like most small businesses, not many breweries have the resources to develop brand strategy when they first get started, so we often find that they are thinking about the larger picture of their brand for the first time. We talk about the company’s core values and ethos and how they would like to be visually represented, but also how they would like the customer to experience their product or brand. Once we’ve established the brand roadmap, we start talking details about each label – sometimes even participating in the brainstorming of the beer names themselves.

In the design process, I really take my time creating multiple concepts that are as complete as possible and that provide vastly different options to choose from. The amount of creative license I have for each label really depends on the brewery – I have one client that has a pre-determined template and style, and another that is more interested in more wild, out-of-the-box designs. Sometimes I knock it out of the park in the first round of concepts, and others require multiple revisions before getting approval. So, it depends on the client and my level of design inspiration! I try to tap into their mindset but also keep in mind that the customer experience is very important if they want the product to sell. With how competitive shelf space is, and the amount of visual noise you see in the IPA section, achieving brand vs. consumer purchase behavior is our biggest challenge.

BEER PAPER: What information do you get before you start working on a label?

ERICKSON: In addition to those overall brand elements, I make sure we are on the same page with the overall “look and feel” or theme of the product. For instance, there is a new series of Dry River Brewing bottles coming out that feature photographs of parts of the LA River (which has been part of the brand story since the beginning) but are more architectural focused than what they had previously done. They want to tell a story of this urban river and a stark contrast between concrete and nature. It’s a very different style of art from what I’ve been doing for LA Ale Works, which are 16oz.cans but they also have a brand style that’s more illustration-driven; so from them I get the beer name and style, and maybe an example of what they like before I start on the concepts.

BEER PAPER: What do beer consumers NOT know about the difficulty in designing for a consumer product?

ERICKSON: You have to think three-dimensionally when designing a product like beer labels – and that can be challenging! I make sure to print out my concepts and make physical mockups to ensure each line of text or graphical element is where it needs to be. I even take those mockups to a local beer store, put them on the shelf and make sure I like how it sits. You want to make sure important design elements (like important text – ABV, etc) aren’t being covered up by a shelf or price tag holder, and that the colors or layout stand out next to competitors.

There are also so many legal details you have to include when designing consumer products – something I learned about in my first graphic design job many, many years ago producing private labels for a grocery store chain. If you want to get label approval, you have to consider font sizes, legibility and other required statements including brewery location, alcohol warnings, fluid ounces, etc. You’d be surprised at how many breweries forget to put these required items on their packaging, some even forget to put on a UPC code.

Preparing files for press is also quite challenging, particularly if you’re doing custom print jobs with spot UV or foil stamping. I was just working on a piece that has multiple layers of opaque white elements in the background, so that some of the printing on the label looks clear (so you see the can shining through) and other elements have different gradients of color with a bit of metallic from the can. It’s hard to explain but even harder to picture when you have this layered Illustrator file in front of you. But methods like that end up producing a unique label that stands out on the shelf but doesn’t require expensive printing processes.

You also have to send these labels in about 3-4 weeks in advance, so it does take a lot of preparation and planning to make sure the beer release aligns with your printer’s schedules.

BEER PAPER: Do you prefer a can or bottle?  And do you like a 12 oz or a 16oz?

ERICKSON: Depends on the style! Sours typically sell better in bottles, while the lagers and ales tend to do better packaged in cans. I prefer 12oz cans when I’m drinking alone, but 16oz cans have so much more room to play with when I’m designing them.

BEER PAPER: Any Easter Eggs planted in the artwork?

ERICKSON: A while back I was watching (for the second time) the Netflix documentary about the Fyre Festival when I texted Kip of LA Ale Works about doing a label for it since it was such a huge part of the zeitgeist at the time. As a result, Orange Crushed Dreams was born, with a label that mimicked the orange tile (that was used by the festival in a viral marketing attempt) and it looked just like as screen capture of an Instagram post. The LA Ale Works team actually created an Instagram account that was printed on the label called @pabloescobarsisland and was posting on that account using similar imagery used by Fyre Festival. It was probably the most fun can release marketing I participated in – even if it didn’t go crazy viral!

As for the rest of the labels I produce, they pretty much all have a story behind them whether it’s a throwback from my childhood or an experience of my clients. I’m trying not to be too gimmicky but I’m also not ashamed if one or two slips through.

BEER PAPER: What label(s) would you like to “re-design” or “re-think”? 

ERICKSON: There are so many great labels out there BUT I’d love to have a crack at any label that portrays women or people of color in misogynistic or racist ways. I would like to see more labels celebrating women not as objects but in positions of success and celebration and power, or as just a person. For instance, Bottle Logic’s Recursion IPA label portrays a female scientist who is not over-sexualized and is just one example of how you can put women on your label without objectifying them. It’s not that hard!

BEER PAPER: What labels have you done and what do you have coming?

ERICKSON: While I’m excited to start pitching some collaborations with other breweries around Southern California and beyond, I have a couple of clients I’m doing consistent work with. Scrappalicious Juicy IPA just came out of LA Ale Works, which features a custom illustration of their brewery cat Scrappy. I’m looking forward to seeing a new version of the Sum Sum label, a summer ale with a very summery vibe in the design. We had some really great success with Shoulder Pads last year – a very purple, 90s inspired theme I did for the Pink Boots brew. This year’s Shoulder Pads has a slightly different design, which I’ll tweak each year but maintain the same overall concept. Lastly, new Dry River’s bottles should be hitting the shelves soon and I really recommend grabbing some of those – the Saison (called Ex Materia) is really tasting amazing!

Sean Inman has been writing about craft beer in Los Angeles since 2009.  His daily beer posts are on the Beer Search Party blog.  He also writes a monthly beer column for Food GPS.

Beware the Ides of March. On Sunday, March 15, California’s Governor Newsom held a press conference focused on managing COVID-19, the virus that has affected how we are currently living our lives. The following statement made during the conference was especially pertinent to multitudes in the beer and brewing industry, as well as restaurants and bars.

Governor Newsom: “We are directing that all bars, nightclubs, wineries, brewpubs and the like be closed in the State of California. We believe that this is a non-essential function in our state and we believe that it is appropriate under the circumstances to move in that direction.”

After watching and listening to the entire press conference, realizing that the above directive would affect so many people in an industry that I have grown very close to, I was seriously concerned. The unfolding threat of COVID-19 was relatively new to us all at time and the directive gave rise to strong questions. Were basic rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness being challenged? While it’s obvious (to most) that alcoholic beverages aren’t by themselves life-sustaining, didn’t the powers-that-be understand people’s jobs and small businesses are? On the surface this statement inferred that thousands of small businesses and thousands of jobs Californians perform for a living are non-essential functions. Livelihoods depend on these “non-essential functions” as does California’s economy.

Following, are a few statistics on just one of these non-essential segments (from the CA Craft Brewers Association). The Craft Brewing Industry supports more than 61,335 jobs across our state. As of October, 2019 there were 1,039 craft breweries in CA. They contributed over $9.01 billion to the state’s economy in 2018.

Overcoming Challenges

In the days that followed it became more apparent that increased distancing and isolation would be necessary by every individual and business in order to kick virus butt. Restaurants that, for a few days, were allowed to remain open in most locales, were also required to close. To-go sales would now be the only option for restaurants, pubs, breweries, and bars. Note that the California ABC also stepped up on March 19, in light of the crisis and in favor of the businesses it licenses, by instituting Regulatory Relief from restrictions on things like off-site sales and deliveries by on-site licensees.

Given this column’s focus on beer, let’s return to the breweries and brewpubs and their ongoing efforts to stay in business, one growler, crowler, six-pack or four-pack at a time. Local breweries and brewpubs quickly rallied to change the way they conducted their daily business. Social media presence was increased to communicate and promote sales for offsite consumption, including home deliveries. Package deals and quantity discounts have also been offered by many brewers as further incentive for increased sales. Many brewers enhanced pre-order ability through partnering with ordering apps and websites (toasttab.com; Toast TakeOut app, etc.). Loyal customers and patrons began individual efforts and quests to support their local breweries. Purchases and spreading of the word commenced. The necessary closing of taprooms and restaurants meant most staff were laid off or furloughed.

I stopped by Artifex (San Clemente) on March 17 for a crowler fill and found owners Nicholas Cordato and Johnny Johur toasting and bidding a hopefully short farewell to their sales and tasting room staff members. A few days later, when picking up some preordered crowlers, I witnessed a strangely different sort of deja vu that brought me back to the time period when Nicholas and Johnny were running the brewery sans employees in the early days of Artifex. They, as most owners and brewers across California, the U.S. and the world are looking to do whatever they can to weather this storm and come out the other side intact.

Joining the Effort

Please do whatever you can to assist in the efforts to support our local breweries and businesses. In addition to ordering beer for pickup, consider purchasing gift cards and merchandise. Any financial help brewers receive today will aid in their continuance after this mess is behind us.

And, every little bit does help. The Brown Family’s Savagewood Brewing in San Diego recently reported the following. “We did the math. [The sale of] Just 40 cans a day will keep the lights on and beer flowing. So please tell your friends!”

El Segundo Brewing experienced such an overwhelming response in beer orders that it had to adjust its same-day order pickup to next-day pickup.

Distilleries and breweries across the nation are also cooperating in a temporary shift to manufacture hand sanitizer. One example: Blinking Owl Distillery in Santa Ana has contacted and placed social media calls out to local brewers for mash and/or batches of beer that could be distilled for making hand sanitizer: “Local BREWERIES, come partner! We need mashes faster than we can make them for hand sanitizer. Let’s Talk! If you have any bad batches, we can distill it immediately for hand sanitizer and keep your breweries producing! Let’s make this a community effort to meet the insane demand.”

Many uncertainties still exist at the time of this writing on March 21; six days that have seemed like an eternity. There’s comfort in knowing that we, as family, friends, neighbors, associates and residents are here to provide whatever help and support we can to assure a fruitful tomorrow.

Addendum

I had to chuckle when seeing a recent post from a friend that contained a photo of a card Molson Coors representatives presently carry in conducting their daily work: “I am an employee of Molson Coors Beverage Company. We provide multiple “Essential Businesses” including grocery stores, convenient stores and restaurants with supplies necessary for their operation. As a result, we are an “Essential Business” and I am allowed to travel to and from work under the existing public health order.”

Destination San Juan Capistrano. Most famous for the swallows that migrate there each year like clockwork, it may soon become even better known for the swallows of the sublime beers being brewed at Docent by brothers Bryan and Brett Giesen. Docent Brewing, turning an ancient three years old this month, is one of the best kept secrets in California brewing.

I was impressed the first time I visited years ago and, like most stellar brewers, Giesen’s beers get better every single time I venture south. On my recent visit for this interview, I asked Bryan Giesen, head brewer,

if there was some San Juan secret to his success. He smiled and answered, “Brewing with intent.”

I found his assessment intriguing,

so asked him to explain the concept. Giesen offered, “Brewing with intent is to capture a thought, a feeling, an inspiration in a glass. Some form of liquid communication.  To bring the spirit of what drives us as humans to create to every brew.”

Two years ago, at the World Beer Cup held in Nashville, Docent took home a silver medal for their extraordinary pale ale, Double Nickels. Bryan Giesen, award-winning homebrewer turned pro, has way more than that up his sleeve. His tap list at Docent is extensive. And it is exquisite.

DRENNON: Where were you raised and how did that form you into the person you are today?

GIESEN: Born and raised on the mean streets of South Orange County. A lot of skateboarding and beach days. Pleasant place to grow up. The summer going into my 8th grade year, though, my family moved to Arizona.

It was a tough age to be uprooted and I responded by perfecting my own brand of teen angst and dabbling in a bit of mischief. It was definitely a time that shaped who I am now as I learned a lot about navigating new landscape and personalities and relied heavily on music to keep my bearings. Oddly enough AZ was also where I had the first taste of craft beer or ‘microbrew’ as they called it then. We eventually made it back home to California where I finished high school and then did the “what the hell next” shuffle.

DRENNON: What were your passions as a kid?

GIESEN: Music above all else. You can chart my musical tastes throughout history by how I dressed at the time. Yes, unfortunately, even during the hip hop years. Had a couple of teenage bands – played some loud tunes with a lot of heart and little skill. Skateboarding and its culture were a big part of my life. Once we got over little league and such there was this incredibly different team energy and
camaraderie skateboarding provided. Along with a dash of rebellious punk rock ethos that was very enticing at the time. Lots of fond memories of skating with friends from morning to night and frequently running from strip mall security guards. I also read a lot.

DRENNON: What profession did you think you would end up in as a young person?

enough AZ was also where I had the first taste of craft beer or ‘microbrew’ as they called it then. We eventually made it back home to California where I finished high school and then did the “what the hell next” shuffle.

DRENNON: What were your passions as a kid?

GIESEN: Music above all else. You can chart my musical tastes throughout history by how I dressed at the time.

Yes, unfortunately, even during the hip hop years. Had a couple of teenage bands – played some loud tunes with a lot of heart and little skill. Skateboarding and its culture were a big part of my life. Once we got over little league and such there was this incredibly different team energy and camaraderie skateboarding provided. Along with a dash of rebellious punk rock ethos that was very enticing at the time. Lots of fond memories of skating with friends from morning to night and frequently running from strip mall security guards. I also read a lot.

DRENNON: What profession did you think you would end up in as a young person?

GIESEN: Depends on what age I was when you asked me. I think Jedi Knight was the first career goal. I still dream about being a musician.

DRENNON: Where, how and when did you get into beer and brewing?

GIESEN: I discovered good beer fairly young. A friend’s older brother turned us onto the remarkable Grant’s Apple Honey Ale. That was one of those flavor experiences that imprints itself. After that

it wasn’t easy for us kids trying to ‘pimp’ good beer outside of the grocery store. I always have gravitated away from the macro stuff and was intrigued by these very different flavors and aromas this ‘other’ beer provided. At some point in life

you discover something that compels you to want to learn how it is made. Around the mid 2000’s

I began a rather academic pursuit of all things beer. I read Michael Jackson, Randy Mosher and Stan Heironymous and became intrigued with styles from around the world.  This eventually led to seeking out these classics which then led to looking around closer to home. Specifically, my

own kitchen with the idea that I could replicate, or at least approximate, these famous brews. My local homebrew shop O’Sheas of Laguna Niguel was indispensable in my education. I made some great friends there and progressed quickly thanks to that

crew. Homebrewing flipped a switch in me. Interest turned to borderline obsession and a sticky stove followed. To be able to create a thing that you and others enjoy is a special kind of thrill and is still a major motivator for me.

DRENNON: When did you realize you were really good at it?

GIESEN: I started with a couple of kits and quickly realized this wasn’t brewing. Developed my first grain up recipe and decided to compete and get some real feedback. The first recipe I wrote was a reddish IPA called ‘the Damned Tide’ and scored

a 2nd place ribbon from the fair. Lots of air guitar and headbanging ensued.   It was enough to get  me to think there was something to my connection to brewing. That was kindling for sure. I had a pretty good streak over the next 5-6 years and won a decent number of awards.  Each award I won was for a different beer which was a point of pride. To have a repertoire was always important to me.

During that time, I had the epiphany that this was my calling. Over the next few years of honing skills in the backyard and garage I had several close calls with going pro and then finally I met the right group

of guys to pull something special together. Scott Cortelessa, Brian Hendon, and Joe Wilshire were already a couple years into the journey when we crossed paths.

DRENNON: So yeah. How did you meet up those three guys (the Docent owners) and end up being hired as the brewer?

GIESEN: There is some kismet and some tragedy to the story. Back in 2015 my brother Brett worked with my future partner Joe’s son, Stew. Brett had mentioned me brewing at home and Stew got my info to pass onto his dad who was planning a brewery right in our backyard!  I talked with Joe over the phone and planned to meet with the other partners Brian and Scott to sample beers. The next week Stew passed away in a tragic car accident. I never had the good fortune to meet Stew but he changed my life forever. I didn’t expect to hear from Joe again but then I got a call on my birthday a little over a year later. It was a surreal moment, and Joe was telling me that they were picking up the pieces and moving forward. We scheduled a meeting and I gathered just about every brew I had archived and the latest batches for the big evening. I remember thinking this may be the last chance I had to make this real. Beers were carefully poured and tasting notes handed out and I felt really good about the reception. As we were courting each other it was apparent we had a lot more in common than beer and truly enjoyed each other’s company.

I found a bond form very quickly as we embarked on starting San Juan Capistrano’s first brewery. My partners took a chance on an ambitious and shaggy homebrewer and I took

DRENNON: What is your philosophy as a brewer?

GIESEN: I suppose my philosophy is rather selfish. Essentially – what do a leap from a cozy and comfortable career to see if my dream held wort.

I want in my glass? I hope to have something on the board for everyone at any given time – but I design beer for my own cheap thrills and tend to rely on the instincts that got me this far to grow an audience.  I think that is essential to find one’s voice. I have been incredibly fortunate to be handed

complete creative control to follow the muse where it takes me. I explore the styles that inspire me and try to invent my own. Drinkability is important to me. Range – having a good color wheel on the taps is important to me. Taking the four fundamental ingredients of beer to exciting places while dabbling in weirdness every once in a while. The word ‘philosophy’ reeks of dogma, though, and I have pledged to be forever open to learn and grow. Docent beers may never be ‘done.’ We’ll try and improve with every turn.

DRENNON: You have been adamant that you will not brew hazy beer. Can you tell our readers why you have adopted such a strong position on it?

GIESEN: Why, Daniel Drennon, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to stir up some drama.

I was homebrewing hazy IPAs way before it was cool man! To be clear (ahem), I have not been outspoken about my opinion on hazies. I wouldn’t venture to tell people what they should like. Obviously, you’ve noticed a lack of hazy here as plenty of other patrons have, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Of course, I am aware of them and have had a few I enjoyed.

Simply put, I won’t brew anything my heart is not in. I can hear music that was written to sell records in the first few notes if you get me. Sincerity is an essential ingredient. The goal is to create something permanent.  Not to fall in line but to contribute to this craft and carve our name in the mighty trunk of beer.

DRENNON: Your assistant brewer is your younger brother Brett. How did that come about and what are the pros and cons of working with someone so close to you?

GIESEN: Working with my brother has been an absolute gift. Brett was staying up with me until the wee hours in the garage brewing test batches for Docent. He showed up on day one to swing hammers our first day of construction without asking. He earned himself the first bartending position at the brewery and then gave up better money and a lot of flirty females to come schlep hoses behind the scenes with me. Slowly taking things in, learning the process, developing his palate. There is a lot of very specific details in the brewing process. It helps to be able to relate these to someone you can tell is with it or not. I can be very picky about how things are done but the important part is the why. Brett gets that.  The brother connection lends itself to a lot of unspoken communication where we instinctively have each other’s back with all these tasks firing at once any given day. If I lose my temper and raise my voice, there are no hurt feelings. Nowadays, though, I’ll go to do something and it’s already done, and done correctly. I don’t get to yell as much anymore, sadly. All of a sudden, he’s writing recipes, brewing some really delicious beer and inspiring me. The first to arrive and the last to go. Bert, as we call him, is as vital as malted barley to this operation.

DRENNON: Docent turns three years old this month. Where do you see Docent in another five years?

GIESEN: These three years have gone by in such a blink it is hard to comprehend what the next five years will bring. I am very proud of what we’ve accomplished in a short time. We are canning some of our regular offerings for the first time which is very exciting. A major reward for me so far are the friendships made and the people we’ve helped connect here.

That is a profoundly fulfilling aspect to starting a brewery that I didn’t really anticipate. We transformed a plain old dusty warehouse near the creek in San Juan Capistrano into a little community hub down here. I’d like to see us create more unique venues to host that same camaraderie and expand on our vision of a public house. Not only to spread the beer, but the Docent culture to new and thirsty locales. My crystal ball shows more field trips, more friendships and more beers but no one is promised tomorrow. (Giesen grins with a twinkle in his eye) We’ll probably start making seltzer and sell out to the man.

DRENNON: If you sat down with an aspiring brewer, what advice would you give them?

GIESEN: Be prepared to work longer and harder than you’ve been told or can imagine. Don’t forget to take the time to enjoy what you’ve helped create. Be prepared to share a beer and a laugh with a friend on your 14th hour. Be prepared to have your ego regularly tickled. Be prepared to have  something you’ve painstakingly crafted anonymously shit upon. Be prepared to have your will power and restraint tested. Be forever thankful you’ve been tasked with carrying on such a righteous and noble tradition.

DRENNON: If you were to describe yourself in one word or phrase, what would it be?

GIESEN: Grateful.

Docent’s 3rd anniversary party, dubbed “Field Trip Fest,” will take place on Saturday, March 14 in San Juan Capistrano and feature live music, food, and beer from Docent as well as 20 other brewery homies. Tix are available at the brewery and online at www.fieldtripfest.com

When I last wrote about Homage two years ago, I used much of the following narrative — which I’m happy to report still applies today. Critically acclaimed back then, the buzz around Homage just keeps getting stronger and anticipation is sky high for their new location to open in Chinatown sometime in 2020.

The name for Homage Brewing comes from owner/founder Matthew Xavier Garcia wanting to acknowledge and pay tribute to the influences in his life, from music to movies, as well the artists that provided inspiration. Garcia, himself a guitar player for the now-defunct hard-core metal band A LOVE ENDS SUICIDE, speaks to a sense of humility and his debt to others in the genesis of Homage Brewing.

Formed with his wife Lauren and fellow professional musician turned head brewer Jeremiah Bignell, Garcia tells me Homage recognizes innovation and channels that spirit in everything they do. They are heavily influenced by iconic Belgian breweries such as Cantillon, 3 Fonteinen, and De Struise. Garcia met Bignell, calling him a “sour homebrewing legend,” at one of Chris Quiroga’s legendary Woodshop bottle share events. Garcia had been homebrewing since 2011 and immediately conceived the idea for Homage Brewing.

Garcia exuded, “I had been touring the country in a band, so I knew about branding, marketing and creating a culture. All that stuff formed who I am. My generation feels you don’t have to go to school to make something of yourself. When the music door closed, the beer door opened. I felt the same kind of spark I felt with music. You have to have the mindset of an artist when you undertake brewing. You understand how to create something from nothing. Once you understand a formula, it is the same for creating a song as it is for creating a base beer. I know structure and I know rearranging structure.”

Garcia, now 33 years old, started playing music in high school in West Covina and A LOVE ENDS SUICIDE enjoyed a very successful five year-run from 2003-2008 before disbanding (literally). After high school, he moved to Pasadena. There he had a four-year managerial stint at Congregation Ale House from 2012-2016. He continued to evolve his knowledge of everything beer and everything beer business.

Homage Brewing opened in May 2016 in Pomona between The Glass House and the venerable Fox Theatre music venues. That undeniable nexus between the artistry of playing music and brewing beer just keeps manifesting itself. Homage became what I call a “buzz brewery” right out of the gate, developing fans and critical acclaim much like a new band with a hit song.

I ask what’s been his philosophy on Homage beer styles.  I can tell he likes the question by the excitement on his face. “Sours were always my jam. For Homage, me and Jeremiah’s goal is to take a blank canvas, then start blending with a nice aged hop and oak character, wild yeast character, low acidity, minerality, and, most of all, that it is all balanced. Not too tart. We really hang our hats on a well-balanced sour so you don’t have to pucker up. I hold our beers up to being as complex as a fine wine.”

I point out that Homage, like so many other Belgian-influenced and/or sour-centric breweries, has navigated into the swelling sea of haze-makers. He smiles. “I was hesitant to get into the hazy IPA thing but it came to the point where it became a challenge to do it and then it became fun to pull off doing it as well as anyone else. It was a chance to push myself to do something new. It’s a style that is here to stay and we’re proud of the beers we’re making.”

I ask Garcia to describe himself and who he is for our readers. He thinks about it for a moment and responds, “The way I look at myself is that I am highly motivated with a true love for traditionalism and culture. What I am trying to do with Homage is create a feeling. When you go to Europe…Belgium…there is a feeling that you get. When you come to Homage, I want you to feel like you are having a unique experience.”

DRENNON: Since we last featured you in 2018, what is new with Homage?

GARCIA: A few new projects have been in motion since then. Firstly, we have steadily grown our barrel program to around a hundred oak barrels, and have seen tremendous results in the maturity of our house wild cultures adding beautiful nuances and depth to our beers. Our barrel program has also allowed us to explore new avenues of fermentation using not as common fruits such as grapes and apples, and even the skins of these fruits, which lead to very unique examples of mixed fermentation Saisons. We couldn’t be more excited to release these experiments. These ideas have been in the works for sometime now, and you’ll definitely be seeing them throughout 2020. We’ve also built upon our vision of marketing traditional styles ales and lagers while keeping up with current trends. We’ve been lucky to travel and collaborate with some of the best in the business over the past year, and you can definitely see the influence it has had on us. The wheels are always turning trying to find new ways to keep our beers exciting and ever evolving. Lastly, our Chinatown, Los Angeles expansion project is nearing completion. This has been a project that has been in the works for the past two years.

DRENNON: We are all too familiar with the myriad permit requirements a new brewery faces when opening in the City of Los Angeles. How is your highly-anticipated Chinatown location coming along?

GARCIA:  We’ve definitely had our challenges, but each month that goes by the finish line seems to become more clear. I’m not quite ready to set a date yet, but it’s getting close.

DRENNON: What will be the respective sizes of your new space, your brew system and your tasting room?

GARCiA: Our new space will be 5,000 square feet and feature a 15 bbl brew system. Roughly half the space is dedicated to the tasting room, while the other half will be dedicated to production and barrel aging.

DRENNON: Will you have a kitchen and, if so, what kind of menu do you envision?

GARCIA: We will have a kitchen. We’re really excited to grow our brand into culinary. You can expect the same desire and passion to create unique and delicious offerings with quality ingredients to pair in harmony with our ales and lagers. Being surrounded by the exploding food scene in LA, there are so many talented chefs and restaurants, which makes LA a destination for some of the best food in the world. We plan to integrate the same values and artistic approach inspired by different cuisines globally and locally.

DRENNON: Any chance we will continue to see lagers/pilsners by Homage at your new brewery?

Garcia: Absolutely! Lagers have been a core focus in our beer program over the past two years. We intend to build on this program furthermore with more space to do so. We currently have a house lager/ fan favorite that we try to keep on tap in Pomona at all times called Pilsner Tristeza. It’s our take on an unfiltered North German style Pilsner. These Pilsners have lots of snappy hops with a clean noble bitterness, and pour clear straw yellow with notes of light bready malts. It’s literally the perfect beer! Aside from our Saisons, IPA’s, and Stouts, we also have strong love for English style session ales. We’ve showcased them on cask as well as nitro at our Pomona location and will continue to offer these styles at both locations.

DRENNON: Recently, Homage has emerged as a local leader in so-called “fruited beers.” What do you see as the misperceptions and/or misrepresentations of this style and what is your approach?

GARCIA: One misperception I’ve always felt indifferent about is the classification of farmhouse style saisons, brett ales, and oak aged mixed fermentation ales as a whole being classified or labeled as “Sour Ales”. I mean, sure, certain wild yeasts produce acid, but if blended with care and attention to balance, the term sour is something that misrepresents what these beers are, in my opinion. An incredibly complex Lambic style beer can get placed in the same “sour” category as a one-dimensional Berliner Weisse, even though they are not even remotely close in terms of flavor. It also turns certain people off just knowing it can possibly be tart. Since we’ve opened our doors nearly 4 years ago, our intention and approach with mixed fermentation ales is to create a complex ale with restrained acidity, rustic funk, and bright fruit characteristics. Similar to the balance you’d expect in Lambic or wine.

Another word that is over used is “hybrid”. It’s been imperative for us to help guide our consumers on how to perceive and define our aged hop Saisons with grapes or apples. We tend to shy away from using the word “hybrid”. In my opinion, using the word “hybrid” is somewhat misconstrued and doesn’t accurately describe what we’re trying to accomplish with our ales. We are still just making ale, but incorporating traditional and non-traditional techniques utilized by wine makers, Belgian brewers, and cider makers.

Our approach to grapes is quite similar to most of our other fruited offerings. We blend to taste, then make adjustments based off of the specific characteristics of the fruit, which include acidity, tannins, and texture.

We’ll be releasing a perfect example of an ale aged in oak with Sauvignon Blanc grape must called, “Colour Orange” in the next month. We pressed the fruit and did a skin contact partial fermentation with the grapes for 10 days, spontaneously fermenting the juice using only native wild yeast from the grape skins. We then blended ales from hand-picked barrels and allowed our house wild yeast to continue the fermentation until completion. Be sure to keep your eyes on this one!

DRENNON: What have been your biggest lessons learned since you opened your Pomona spot and now having faced the challenge of opening in LA?

GARCIA: Wow, so many lessons, but I’d have to say always expecting double the costs than what you originally budget for. It’s advice that I’ve been told over and over but it really doesn’t hit you until your midway through the project.

DRENNON: Where do you see Homage in ten years?

GARCIA: Our goal is to keep pushing towards new ways to experiment with fermentation. The sky is the limit really, and I can see us exploring many different avenues with fermentation, food, and design, to further our desire to stay innovative, creative, and consistent.

DRENNON: In a sea, some would even say flood, of independent craft brewery options, what do you feel makes Homage stand out as a destination beer fans should seek to discover?

One thing I seek out when traveling is what makes certain brands and businesses appealing or successful. At the core of every successful business; values, structure, and culture are always something that stick out and resonate with me. Being treated with great hospitality, seeing attention to detail, as well as the artistry, execution, and passion behind your product are integral. I feel like Homage keeps these core values at the heart of everything we do, and if you’re someone who can appreciate that approach, Homage is a place that’ll be worth a visit.

I still remember the day I first met Artifex co-owners Tom and Nic Cordato along with co-owner brewer Johnny Johur. I was on one my many pilgrimages south to enjoy the world class beer and signature pies at Pizza Port San Clemente. The three, seated at the downstairs bar next to me, informed me that they were about to open their own brewery just across the 5 freeway in San Clemente.

I still remember the day I first met Artifex co-owners Tom and Nic Cordato along with co-owner brewer Johnny Johur. I was on one my many pilgrimages south to enjoy the world class beer and signature pies at Pizza Port San Clemente. The three, seated at the downstairs bar next to me, informed me that they were about to open their own brewery just across the 5 freeway in San Clemente.

That was around the time when the “we’re opening a brewery” explosion was starting its phenomenal chain reaction that has us at an astounding 1000 breweries in California today. So, I was neither surprised nor initially impressed. Just another group jumping on the craft beer bandwagon or so I thought.

They invited me to check out ARTIFEX once they opened. I made a mental note and we parted ways.
When I made the trek to visit Artifex five years ago this December, I was super impressed. Tom and Nic, the father/son duo who run the business side are down to Earth and make everyone who walks through their doors feel warmly welcomed and Johnny Johur, who honed his brewing chops at Pizza Port and then Mother Earth, came right out of the gate brewing exceptional beer. There is artistry at Artifex.

DRENNON: When, where and how did you THREE meet one another?

NIC: I met my Dad, Elder, when I was born. Johnny and I have been friends since junior high school in Encinitas. He actually got me my second job as a busser/host at Las Olas Cardiff when I was 16. We both worked there throughout high school and college, serving, bartending and managing. Actually, a funny story is that if Johnny never got fired from Las Olas, he would have never gotten his job at Pizza Port Solana Beach and we most likely wouldn’t have a brewery today.

JOHNNY: Over the years, Nic and I have traveled, been roommates and, thankfully, both developed a passion for craft beer.

TOM: I met Johnny through Nic, when they were both going to the same middle school and high school. So, Johnny is sort of like one of my kids.

DRENNON: What led to the decision to open a brewery?

TOM: I had the good fortune to be able to take some time off of work, thanks to mother-in-law, Ginny. During that time, I found a restaurant site that had been closed for a couple of years and I thought it would make a great brew pub. Nic was getting out of his retail shops and I asked him if he was interested. His answer was ‘yes’ and he told me Johnny was brewing for Pizza Port and Mother Earth.

NIC: We wanted to become rich and travel the world, never work another day in our lives…duh, isn’t that the only reason you open a brewery?
[laughing] No, it’s been a dream of mine to open a brewery for a long time. Being able to do it with my Dad and my best friend is a really great feeling.

DRENNON: Tell us about your backgrounds, both before beer and then getting into beer.

JOHNNY: I am a native San Diegan who graduated from San Diego
State University with a degree in International Business. I was fortunate enough to land a job at Pizza Port Solana Beach while at school, and befriended the then head brewer who introduced to and taught me about making craft beer. Looking back, I can’t believe how lucky I was to get a crash course in brewing from the award-winning Pizza Port crew. After almost 4 years at Port, I took a job with Mother Earth Brew Co in Vista. These four years were also invaluable for my brewing education. Production brewing and packaging were new avenues for me to learn about and explore and have helped to shape how Artifex is run today.

NIC: Directly out of college I opened a Hydroponic store in Oceanside, ran it for about a year when we decided to open another one in Encinitas. After four years in the industry, I decided to sell the business and dive into the beer industry. While I had the stores in Encinitas, my dad was semi-retired and still wanted to open up something for himself. That is when we all came together and started talking about opening Artifex. We sat down one night at Pizza Port Solana Beach and about a year after that date is when we signed the lease in San Clemente to open Artifex.

TOM: I spent most of my life in the restaurant industry, working for other people and large corporations. I was introduced to Scott and Lee, the owners of Callahan’s and San Diego Brewing Company, and really liked what they were doing way back in the 90s. Thinking about my own venture into craft beer had always been a dream.

DRENNON: How and why did you choose the name Artifex?
JOHNNY: This was the hardest part of opening
a brewery! After many hours of debating, many dollars spent on designs, plenty of arguments
and lots of beers, we finally landed on the name Artifex. Artifex is Latin for craftsman or someone who works with their hands. We all felt like this accurately described the way we planned on making our beer. Second, we loved the simplicity of the logo. Just three lines were needed to create an image that we felt was unique and memorable.

DRENNON: Why San Clemente?
NIC: We saw an opportunity to dive into the Orange County beer community instead of going to San Diego where we all were living. Five years ago, the OC beer community was just taking off and we felt that being in San Clemente, we could still distribute our beer to San Diego and all of OC in a day. We quickly grew the self-distributing business and for the first year we sold 75% of our beer to San Diego county, since Johnny and myself still knew a lot of beer buyers and business owners in SD. OC was a little bit harder to crack, but once we broke into it this community, it was and has been great.

DRENNON: You are five years in. What lessons have you learned?
TOM: Do you have several hours??? More lessons than you have room to print [All laugh].

NIC: The best lesson that I have learned is to be patient. When things get complicated just take a step back, relax and then act accordingly.

JOHNNY: We knew going into this venture that it wasn’t going to be easy, and it hasn’t been. But I still believe to this day, that I work in the best industry in the world with amazing partners and employees, incredibly talented fellow breweries, living in paradise, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

DRENNON: Knowing what you know now, if you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?

JOHNNY: If you’ve toured our facility, then you know how small our space actually is. We have crammed tanks and equipment into every possible corner and maximized every possible inch. We have moved tanks more times than I can count and we are constantly rearranging things as we grow. If I could change one thing, it would be the building. I am beyond envious of the breweries with huge ceilings and massive cellars. Maybe someday…

DRENNON: Johnny. As the brewer, who and or what have been your major influences?

JOHNNY: I feel pretty fortunate to have spent my initial years in the industry around some of the best brewers out there. Jeff Bagby and Tomme Arthur have been making beers that I respect and have appreciated for years. Dan Love taught me about how to run a business as a brewer, which was and still is invaluable to me. It’s hard not to be influenced daily by the innovative and boundary-pushing beers that some of my fellow SoCal brewers are creating.

DRENNON: Are you where you thought you would be as a brewery from your initial vision?

NIC: Very much so, yes. We have grown our beer production every year by 50% since we first opened. And now recently, just purchased a canning line and we’re opening another tasting room in downtown San Clemente
on Del Mar Street. This is a very competitive industry to be in right now in Southern California and I am very happy with the growth. We started out self-distributing, and a little over a year ago we signed on with Craft Los Angeles and Craft San Diego (a distributor partnership) that is allowing us to reach more places in the southern California footprint. The biggest news we just received is that our cans will be on the shelves in some major grocery chains come spring 2020.

JOHNNY: Yeah, I’d like to think
so. We have stuck to our principles of making a high-end quality product and taking care of our customers and employees.

DRENNON: Where do you see Artifex in another five years?

NIC: We are almost maxed out with production space and it will feel good to sit back and just drive the ship for a couple years instead of building
it. Seems like since we opened, we have expanded and expanded every year. Don’t get me wrong. It is very fun doing that but now finally all the pieces are in place to turn and burn and really focus on making quality beer that people enjoy.
Another tasting room would be nice too, and maybe a food element at our existing brewing facility. Welp! Here we go again talking about expansion.

TOM: And coming from a restaurant background, we wouldn’t mind adding several more tasting rooms, and eventually a restaurant [smiling].

DRENNON: The proliferation of breweries over the past five years has continually sliced the beer drinker pie thinner and thinner. What is your strategy for staying sound and relevant?

JOHNNY: We have always prided ourselves on making the best product possible. If we continue to do this, and if we continue to put our customers and employees first, then I believe Artifex will remain relevant for many years to come.

NIC: Stay current with the times and not be afraid to try new things when it comes to brewing techniques or opening different concepts involving beer.

DRENNON: Is there an Artifex identity, whether it be the styles you brew or the way you conduct business?

TOM: We think it’s some of both. The styles we brew are what we like and it seems people like them too. They are straight forward and drinkable. We would like to think we treat our customers like we would like to be treated, with respect, honesty, a smile and an understanding that, without our customers, we wouldn’t be doing what we love.

JOHNNY: I’d like to think there is some “Artifex DNA” in our beers. This is a combination of our brewing techniques as well as the styles we like to brew and present to the customer. We love hops. You can bet on half of our tasting room selections to be West Coast IPAs, Double IPAs, Juicy IPAs, etc. I pride myself on being well rounded too. Our Irish Red is a personal favorite and I can’t get enough of Artifexican, our Mexican Lager. I’d like to think we have an option for any style of beer drinker.

NIC: We make a wide variety of beers from reds, blondes, stouts…and obviously hoppy beers are what sell the best for us and we make the most of them. But our favorite beer we drink and make is hands down Artifexican. Any brewer/brewery owner would probably say the same thing too. IPA’s are great, but all we really want is a great lager.
We like to keep our employees feeling like they are a part of our family because without them we wouldn’t be here. All three owners are still active in the day to day running of the business and brewing, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon. This is our business, our passion, and our living and we love every single day of it.

DRENNON: If you had to describe Artifex in one word or phrase, what would it be?

JOHNNY: Quality.

NIC: Community.

TOM: Family.

As Olympic athletes, Rebecca and Eric Giddens are used to winning medals.

Their Kern River Brewing Company (KRBC), just went off at last month’s Great American Beer Festival, taking home two Golds, two Silvers, and being named Best Brewery Group in the United States.

They met in Wisconsin at a kayaking camp. Rebecca was 12 and Eric was 16. They would see each other off and on throughout the years at kayak competitions. Rebecca made the U.S. Junior Team about the time Eric was transitioning from the Junior team to the U.S. Men’s Team. They toured the world together racing and supporting one another (Men and Women do not compete in the same events in Whitewater Kayaking). Eric was on the U.S. team for over a decade and managed to win one World Cup race and make the 1996 Olympic Team in Atlanta, his home town. He is the canoe/kayak TV analyst for NBC on their summer Olympics coverage.

Rebecca in Eric’s impressive shadow? Ms. Giddens, a native of Green Bay (appropriately Titletown, USA) has hauled in an incredible eight World Cup and World Championship medals, made the 2000 and 2004 Olympic teams, and brought home a Silver Medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
In the wake of being named Best Brewery Group, I asked the two to tell their story to BEER PAPER.

DRENNON: The leap from Olympic athletes to brewery owners is a fascinating one. How did you decide to open a brewery and why Kernville of all places?

ERIC: We were living in San Diego while I was getting my Ph.D. at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Rebecca was training for the 2004 Olympics. We spent a lot of time on the Kern River, which is the nearest whitewater river to San Diego, and fell in love with the area. We tossed around the idea of opening a business in Kernville and a brewery made the most sense. Craft beer was beginning to make a resurgence in the early 2000’s and San Diego was on the forefront of that movement. It seemed like a great fit for Kernville which needed a place for people
to congregate after their outdoor adventures.

After Rebecca won a Silver medal in Athens and I finished my Ph.D., we started looking towards our next phase in life. Kernville seemed like a great place to move to and we decided to give the brewery a try. We figured if we failed, we would fail quickly and we could always plug back into “normal” life. We ended up partnering with Kyle Smith, who has since moved on to start his own brewery. Kyle was a homebrewer and a firefighter in the U.S. Forest Service and the three of us went all in on trying to make KRBC a success.

DRENNON: What year was that and how would you describe the California beer scene at that time?

ERIC: We started the business in 2005, bought the property and began converting an old building into a brewery. It had been, in order, an after-school club for kids (called
the Just for Fun Club), two different Mexican restaurants, a fruit stand and an antique shop. Needless to say, it needed a lot of work before we could open.

REBECCA: We rebuilt the original building with the help of friends and family. In May of 2006 just before opening we threw a party for all of the volunteers and we had 80 people from our community, all of whom had a large hand in helping us build KRBC, join us for a soft opening on the house. If you ever catch an event at KRBC filled with locals you can see why we made this our home…amazing people!

ERIC: The craft beer scene in San Diego was developing; the craft beer scene in Kernville was non-existent. It’s funny, we talked with a lot of breweries down in San Diego in the year or so leading up to our decision to start the brewery. They all said that the brewpub model was the way to go; there was no money in a production brewery. Now we go down there and some of those same folks have huge, sparkling facilities. Of course, we know they were being straight with us at the time, but things sure changed in a hurry in Southern California. In the end, we think the brewpub model was appropriate for Kernville. It gave us a chance to get people in for some food and introduce them to craft beer. Soon we had all the locals drinking IPA and the rest is history.

REBECCA: It was a pretty proud day when we were able to pull Bud Light from the tap lineup!

DRENNON: What were your initial short-term and long-term goals for KRBC?

REBECCA: Traveling through Colorado and California we noticed that most outdoor mountain towns had successful brew pubs that acted as a gathering place for customers to share their adventures. Our goal was to create this environment for Kernville. We’re so proud to walk into KRBC today and see our customers sharing time with their family and friends, coming in after climbing, biking, kayaking, fishing, camping, hiking, rafting – it feels like a wonderful extended family.

DRENNON: As the West Coast IPA craze was ascending into a near-obsession in California, KRBC began showing up on everyone’s radar with two phenomenal beers – Just Outstanding and Citra double IPA.

ERIC: Just Outstanding, which we named after a local mountain bike trail, was one of Kyle’s homebrew recipes. That was the garage beer that really made us think we could pull the whole thing off; delicious and very innovative for the time. It was a true joy to watch as we were able to move people on from our gateway blonde and red beers and create a town full of hop-heads. There is even a rumor that one Daniel Drennon happened to list this beer among his favorites (Note: The reference is that this author listed Just Outstanding as one of “The Five Best IPAs in the World” for an LA Weekly article in 2011). Citra Double IPA, which in retrospect was a pretty uninspired name, came about as we played with this relatively new hop back in 2010. Right out of the gate, we recognized that it was a special hop and a special beer. People began to take notice and soon it caught fire on the beer forums and started pulling in some accolades around the beer world.

DRENNON: Citra took home some medals that escalated fans desire for the beer to near-Pliny-like status with folks driving to Kernville and camping out in your parking lot for the bi-annual release: summer when it was 100 degrees and winter when it was ten degrees! What the Hell did you think about that?

ERIC: Our first inkling that things were about to get weird was when Citra beat out Pliny the Younger for the People’s Choice award at the Bistro Double IPA festival, an honor that it had held for many years. Citra then went on a four-year streak of its own. After that, Citra delivered us our first medal, a Gold at GABF, and the hype train was in full motion. Obviously, we were over the moon that people were stoked on our beer. It helped put us on the beer map, but in some ways, it was a double-edged sword.We started releasing it in 22 oz bottles and draft at the brewery only. We were still operating off of a 7 bbl brewing system then and it seemed like a great way to use our limited quantity of this beer to get people to come experience our brewpub. It was pretty cool at first when we pulled up to work before the first beer release and there was already a line; evidently some had camped out the night before. That soon turned into panic as the number of people in line continued to grow and a quick count indicated that we would not have enough bottles of Citra Double IPA to go around. It is still one of the harder things we ever had to do when we walked through the line and explained to folks who had driven hours to get to Kernville that they would not be bringing bottles of Citra home.

DRENNON: What year was the Citra GABF Gold medal and what years did it win at the Bistro IPA Fest?

ERIC: GABF Gold was 2011 and Bistro People’s Choice was 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

DRENNON: That’s quite a gap between those medals and your incredible achievement this year. Winning medals isn’t the end all, be all, but once you’ve done it, and especially as world class competitive athletes, I would imagine it becomes a goal that becomes increasingly difficult with
the explosion of breweries in California and the country. Was there a strategy to get back to winning medals?

ERIC: There were likely a few factors that contributed to our absence from the GABF stage for so long. First and foremost, our philosophy was to make beer that we liked, not necessarily brewing to style. We would simply go through the beers we had available and send in the ones we thought were good into the competition, even if they did not fit the category guidelines. Apparently waiting for the judges to come around to our views was not a particularly good strategy.You are right in that we have some competitiveness in our DNA. Somewhere around 2017 we decided that we were not going to make progress on winning beer medals unless we changed our approach. We now had our 20 bbl production system where we could brew our flagship hoppy beers, allowing us to turn the 7 bbl system into more of a playground for experimentation. Before that, it was common for Just Outstanding to occupy 3 of our 5 fermenters. We went from sometimes 6 or 8 beers on tap before we opened our production facility to as many as 20 now. We began to focus on having a variety of beers available to pub customers and went through each recipe, making changes as we went. Just Outstanding was pretty much the only beer off limits. The result is that we started winning medals again at various competitions. Highlights include winning a Silver for Brown Claw
at GABF in 2018 and doubling up at the Bistro DIPA/TIPA festival in 2019; a Gold for Double Chuuurch in the DIPA category and a Bronze for Y.U.B. Trippin’ in the TIPA Category. You are correct in your statement that winning medals is not the end all,
be all, but it felt good to get rolling again; mainly for our brew team that had yet to experience much success in competition.

DRENNON: What does being named GABF 2019 Brewery Group of the Year mean to you?

ERIC: To be named one of the top breweries out of the almost 2300 breweries that competed in GABF is pretty astounding to us. We always knew we had a special place, but to be recognized in this way helped validate our beliefs and reassure us that we were not delusional. The locals and staff have been so proud of these awards, and they should be; they all helped make it possible.
In general, the quality of beers across the country has improved dramatically since we opened in 2006. It is humbling to look across the auditorium at the number of people who devote their lives to making quality beer. To get any sort of recognition at GABF is a dream come true for most brewers. To win a brewery of the year award is next level and something we are still trying to process.

REBECCA: We’re well aware this will probably never happen again, so we might as well live it up and enjoy the moment!

DRENNON: GABF features Gold, Silver and Bronze medals being announced in 107 style categories. KRBC took home Gold in Session IPA for your Gravity Check, followed by Silver in Double Hoppy Red Ale for Side Hike, then Gold in Belgian-Style Blonde or Pale Ale for Nenette, and finally another Silver in Brown Porter for Brown Claw. Tell us
your emotions as you heard them announced as medal winners.

ERIC: One interesting fact is that
all four of these beers either did not exist or had different recipes than the previous year. Even Brown Claw, which won a Silver in 2018, had a different malt bill and hop bill. With that said, these four beers were, in our view, the best of the 10 we submitted for competition. We chose these, along with Double Chuuurch and Pumps Bumps ‘N Rollers Kolsch, to pour at the festival in the hopes that one of them might just bring in a medal. We would never have expected what ended up happening in that auditorium in Denver.

Gravity Check was our first beer to come up for an award in category 17, Session IPA. The original Gravity Check recipe, admittedly one of our favorite beers, was pretty much a S.M.A.S.H. beer with Pilsner Malt and Mosaic. We completely changed this beer around for the competition with both the malt and hop bill and knew instantly we had hit it right on. Right out of the tank, I loved this beer. I told the crew that “if there is a better Session IPA out there, I want it because it will be my new favorite beer”. We had spent the afternoon previous to the award ceremony at Cannonball Creek Brewing in Golden and had the pleasure of drinking “Trump Hands,” their award-winning Session IPA. When they announced that beer for Silver, I got slightly depressed, knowing there was only one more slot available on the board. When Chris said “And the Gold Medal goes to Grav…” I shot up out of my seat and let out an inappropriately loud “woo hoo!”. Luckily, he finished the sentence with “…ity Check, Kern River Brewing Company” otherwise it would have been rather embarrassing. We celebrated up on stage and I told the rest of the crew “That was awesome, we got our medal. We can go home now”.
After that we had a couple of categories roll by without a hit. Then it started to get surreal. We got a Silver for Side Hike Double Hoppy Red, Category 69. A beer we designed specifically for the comp and was a collaborative effort with the whole brew team. Holy Crap, a Gold and a Silver in the Same GABF. We had just doubled our historical total. Another fist bump with Charlie (Papazian). Best Day Ever!
We celebrated on the way back to our seats with the folks from Beachwood and Green Cheek. I flashed Evan Price the Green Cheek t-shirt that I was wearing under my KRBC flannel to raucous applause. We barely got seated again when Category 86, Belgian Blonde came up. We knew we had a good beer entered, but it seemed silly to be hoping for any more medals. Bronze, no luck. Silver, nope, oh well… Gold to Nenette. What? Kern River doesn’t even make Belgian Style beers. This one blew our minds. Our first GABF Gold medal for a non-hoppy beer. We were waiting in line to receive the medal for Nenette and I started doing the math. I was pretty sure we were going to get a Brewery of the Year award. Normally they present this when you pick up your last medal for the ceremony, so I was kind of expecting them to announce it prior to us taking the stage. When they didn’t announce anything, I said to myself, “Holy Crap. We are getting another medal, and I’m pretty sure it’s for Brown Claw”. I didn’t mention anything to anybody else; it just seemed too ridiculous to even say out loud.
Category 97, Brown Porter, rolled around and, sure enough, Brown Claw was announced for Silver. Shortly after we got in line, they paused the medal announcements to announce Brewery Group and Brewer of the year. It was pretty special to have Brandon Berube, our new head brewer, and Emily Kirkpatrick, a brewer who started off with us as a dishwasher when she was a teenager, there with us. It was their first GABF and it turned out to be a pretty memorable one. We were bummed to not have the rest of the brew team there, especially Andrew Karle, our other brewer, but we were pretty sure the whole team was celebrating back in Kernville.

I think we are most proud of the fact that we won medals in a wide variety of styles; from hoppy to malty to a fermentation-driven Belgian-style. To be recognized across this broad spectrum of beers does not happen by accident and we hope it reflects the care and attention we put into all of our beers.

REBECCA: Eric’s worked so hard on the Gravity Check recipe. He’s been obsessing over it for a couple of years now. This last batch, he finally felt like we nailed it – he was so proud to enter it into the GABF. By the time they named the Bronze and Silver, my hopes were down for this beer so when they called our name a completely uncontrolled yelp came out of me. We truly could have walked away with just the one medal and been very happy campers. When Side Hike came up for silver, I was super proud of our team. Brandon Berube had recently joined us as our new Head Brewer and this was a recipe that we did not have set for the competition. He and Eric were able to collaborate on this beer, make some major changes from our last hoppy red and the result was a delicious hoppy red – glad the judges noticed too! Nenette is a beer we have to keep on tap. Our customers adore this beer and it gives us variety (important to mix it up since we’re known as being an IPA-centric brewery). We’re always striving to dial in this recipe so that the one consistent Belgian beer we brew is top notch. The feedback from our customers is the reason we entered this beer into GABF, so a big shout to our Nenette drinkers for keeping us inspired to do our best. At GABF we were pouring at a
“Meet the Brewers” booth and I had volunteered to go back and pour before the ceremony ended. We didn’t have volunteers so I knew that I had to be back in time. Ten minutes to pour time I looked at Eric and said “I can’t leave yet. I need to stay for Brown Claw. I promise I’ll run to our booth right after they call the brown porter category.” I was hoping Brown Claw would win a medal and was so stoked when they called our name. I had not been counting others medals nor did I realize there was still a group category to win so I had no idea that we were also going to receive the Brewery Group of the Year award. I honestly felt like I was having the best dream ever when they called it and tried to wake myself up to be sure it was real. Never did I imagine that we’d be “one of those breweries” we’ve watched year after year popping back up on stage. We’ve worked really hard to do our best. Each one of the beers that medaled made it to where it was because of our whole team. Recipes were made but that’s not why we won medals. We won because our whole crew participated, worked hard and worked together. We trained and trusted our brewers to do their best and that’s what they did; Emily, Andrew and Brandon you rocked it. And then of course we’re well aware that it doesn’t stop there – Tami, Brian, Truelove, Valdez you help baby the beer every step of the way! Chelsea, Melissa, Kelly and Megan you keep us all in line! Jacob, your chef skills and leadership keep our customers coming back for more! Finally, the drive and vibe that our whole staff generates keeps us striving for the best! If you can’t tell, I’m blown away by the crew we work with and both Eric and I truly count our lucky stars every day! I’m so proud KRBC could take the Brewery Group of the Year Award back to such a deserving crew made up of amazing individuals!

DRENNON: Tell us about The Backyard expansion. Why and when did you do it?
We started thinking about expanding around 2013. There was quite a demand for our beer and we were working hard to keep the taps supplied at the pub and sending out limited amounts of beer to Southern California. We were routinely turning down requests for beer and that
was probably the main motivator to expand; to get more Kern River beer out in the market and raise awareness of our little mountain town. Somehow, we forgot the pains of building the first brewery and the fact that we swore never to do that again. After a year or so of planning and 2 years of construction we finished the brewery, literally in the backyard of the old brewery. This, incidentally, is why we were awarded “Brewery Group” of the year. We technically have two brewing locations and two licenses, even though they are only steps apart. We are quite possibly the smallest brewery group out there.

DRENNON: Does KRBC have a brewing philosophy?

ERIC: Besides being obsessed with quality, we really try to focus on drinkability. Making beers that are balanced and well-crafted so that people can simply enjoy drinking a glass. It sounds silly, but in an age where many beers are designed to
be aggressive or ground breaking, sometimes it is nice to have the person across the table, not the beer, be the focus of your attention.

DRENNON: How has your background as world-class competitive athletes influenced the way in which you run a brewery?

REBECCA: If there is one thing that Eric and I have learned from 15 years plus of racing at an Olympic level, it’s that setting goals and rigorous training sets one up for success. In 2017 we had a goal to brew to style, enter beers in competitions and use the judges notes as well as listen to constructive criticism to make quality changes to our recipes. Eric has a background in science so we also spent a lot of time and money on our quality control program. While brewing is of course an art, the science goes hand in hand if you’re striving for award winning beers. While whitewater slalom kayaking in an individual sport one of the most important things that we learned as athletes was that it takes the whole team working hard and treating each other with respect to come out on top. Over the past few years our number one mission, over winning medals, was to have a true team. We knew that with good people on our side that cared about each other and our business that we had the best chance at success. We would never be where we are today without our amazing staff and we couldn’t be prouder. On stage at GABF, Eric and I discussed that this couldn’t have happened to
a better KRBC team. We have the most selfless, caring and hardworking individuals that we’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. We wished that we could have had our whole staff on stage with us – we couldn’t wait to get home to celebrate with everyone!

DRENNON: What have been your most important lessons learned over your first 13 years?

ERIC: Perhaps the biggest lesson
is perseverance. We have had success over the years, but it has not been without some pretty daunting obstacles. Building something from the ground up has been a learning process and we often got it wrong before we got it right. At the end of the day, regardless of whether you moved forwards or backwards, you have to show up the next day and try to improve. Another thing that is important is to try to always do things the right way. If you have good intentions, you won’t second guess yourself if things go awry.

DRENNON: How do you feel about experimentation in new styles or doing twists on existing styles?

REBECCA: I am always pushing to try something new and different. Eric enjoys the challenge and research. Now we also have Brandon who’s excited to create and collaborate!

ERIC: If you are not evolving, you are getting stagnant. That does not mean that you have to chase every trend (I’m looking at you, Milkshake IPA, which I know Rebecca will make us brew), but learning something new is always a fun challenge. It’s also important for us to have a variety of things on tap at the pub so that anyone can find something they like. For example, we make a Hard Seltzer for the pub. Not because we want to get rich quick, but because we would rather make our gluten free option for customers than buy it from someone else. Who would have thought that fermenting simple sugar could be so interesting.

DRENNON: Do you plan to do any collaborations and, if so, why do you like collaborating?

ERIC: We have our “Hops for Homies” program that focuses on collaborating with other breweries. We love it; we get to invite brewers to Kernville and get out on the river or a trail and show-off the Kern River Valley. We also get to exchange ideas and just talk beer. We also enjoy going to other breweries to see how they do things. Invariably we come back with new ideas and new motivations.

DRENNON: Between talent and work ethic, which is more important?

REBECCA: Talent is important, however, we quickly learned that for us (and our goal of working as a team) work ethic beats out talent any day. Usually with a good work ethic one understands the need to learn each day, work for the good of the company and of course be a good team member.

DRENNON: If you each had to describe yourself in one word or phrase, what would it be?

REBECCA: (smiling) Determined.

ERIC: Lucky A.F.

“Who the F@#k Is Jeff Bagby?!” adorned many a t-shirt worn by the Pizza Port brewers at the Great American Beer Festival several years back. It was somewhat of a rhetorical question for most in attendance, but for those who may be a little lean on their craft brewing history, allow me to give you a quick, but distinguished summary.

Jeff Bagby is a California native who’s been a craft brewer in the greater San Diego area for roughly 20 years. His humble beginnings as a homebrewer migrated into the professional sphere with a purposeful evolution. Armed with a sharp palate, deep curiosity, and strong work ethic, Jeff became (and is) one of best brewers in the world. First at Oggi’s, then at Pizza Port Carlsbad, and the eponymous Bagby Beer Company, Jeff has quantitively proven his abilities with an almost unmatched count of World Beer Cup and Great American Beer Festival medals. The breadth of Jeff’s brewing ability is echoed in the wide variety of styles that you’ll always find at his pub.

Jeff continues to serve as an inspiration to many brewers around the world.

His abilities as a brewer are matched by his generosity as a person and

huge willingness to openly share his methods. By no small measure, I became a professional brewer because of Jeff’s mentoring, friendship, and continued support. But my voice

is hardly isolated here. Jeff’s name and reputation are synonymous with world-class beer. And when it comes to West Coast-style IPA, Jeff is one of its originators and perfecters.

That’s who the f@#k Jeff Bagby is!

SHRAGO: As one of the pioneers

of west coast-style IPAs, what are some of your favorite examples being produced today?

BAGBY: Russian River – Blind Pig, Sierra Nevada – Torpedo, Boneyard – RPM, Hollister – The Pope, Firestone Walker – Union Jack, and Societe – The Apprentice.

SHRAGO: What are some of those most rewarding aspects of owning your own brewery/business?

BAGBY: Receiving feedback from people that have more than just a positive experience with Bagby Beer in some way. Whether they learned something, experienced something that they never had before, or even just that they identify with, and appreciate what we are doing.

SHRAGO: What are some of your passions unrelated to beer that people may or may not know about?

BAGBY: Spending time with Dande and our beagles and cat. Also, cocktails and spirits have become more of a passion in the last few years, even though it is sort of related to beer.

SHRAGO: Is there a style of beer you feel you’re a long way from mastering?

BAGBY: I feel like I still have a long way to go when it comes to really nailing lagers. Many processes required to make true lager require specialized equipment to accomplish the precision lagers really need. While I love these styles, and have enjoyed brewing (and drinking) them, I just don’t have a lot of experience with some of the necessary equipment yet to get our lagers where I’d love them to be. I believe committing to these styles means embracing some of the most difficult brewing that there is, which keeps me excited to continue increasing my knowledge and improving the way that we make lager at Bagby Beer.

SHRAGO: What are some beers that you have been enjoying for decades that still give you a sense of wonder?

BAGBY: I’ve enjoyed a lot of beers over the years but I can’t think of any that give me a sense of wonder. I will say that many of the changes in the industry in the last few years have been interesting to witness, especially when I look back on where it began for me, what was important in those early days, and how far things have shifted since then.

SHRAGO: What new and emerging trends/fields/styles/ingredients are you most excited about in brewing?

BAGBY: What I really hope for is the return to an appreciation for and celebration of classic and proper styles. As a brewer, I fell in love with beer styles from all over the world, and always tried to gain a sense of the culture and history through the beers, the brewers and these awesome places all over the world. It was always our goal to bring those experiences to our guests at Bagby through the beer.

What is sad to me is that more brewers are focusing on what is “trendy,” “new” or “innovative;” it feels like the industry is actually becoming less diverse and more homogenized when it comes to what beers are available to expose the craft beer drinker to. The stories are less important, the context is lost, the focus has shifted to whatever is newest, whatever is most likely to trade for some other beer far away, whatever is the most compelling to post

on social media. And, as there are fewer brewers and breweries caring about these classic styles, beer drinkers are missing out on a huge and rich aspect of beer: the deep roots, important relationships and a real connection to beer on a global scale, which to us is so important.

SHRAGO: Do you have any atypical sources of inspiration for your brewing?

BAGBY: Not really. I am always inspired by classic or original beers and/or breweries that I feel have brewed, or continue to brew, beers that define a style.

SHRAGO: You have a strong reputation for winning awards across a broad range of styles, so when creating a new recipe, what’s your general methodology?

BAGBY: I always seek out, taste and research beers that are landmarks and style-defining. When I can

I also try to visit the breweries and regions that are brewing certain styles so that I can talk with the brewers about their processes and ingredients.

I can then taste the beers as close to or at the source, and enjoy them in a cultural context, which is very important.

SHRAGO: Is there anything in brewing (the beer itself) that you consider off-limits?

BAGBY: For us, even though we love the styles and get asked all the time when we’re going to start, we didn’t design any part of our brewery to produce traditional lambic and/or gueuze. So, because we aren’t configured for this, and therefore cannot produce them properly, I consider those styles off- limits for us right now. Maybe someday we will have the ability to produce them in a way that honors the legacy, tradition and methods of these incredible beers.

SHRAGO: What should people know about you and your wife Dande that continue to shape

the world-class beers and memorable customer experiences with Bagby Beer?

BAGBY: What we hope people know is that everything that they experience while they are at Bagby, or they are drinking our beer somewhere, was done with a purpose. Everything that we do is the result of a past experience that we’ve had. Our goal is that everyone has an experience that enriches them in some way, makes them think differently about something, or challenges them a little bit. We’re also constantly working to improve the experience, get a little bit better, every day. Often these tweaks are a result of travel to other places, inspired by how problems are solved, how really terrific places are able to execute at their best level, and achieve a fantastic experience for everyone. Nothing makes us more fired up than having a really fun, quality experience, working to understand

it, and applying what we learn to our place. It’s enriching to us, and we hope it translates to our people, first with our staff, and ultimately to our guests.

Born in Northern California, Julian Shrago was

an aerospace engineer for over a decade before becoming a craft brewer. Along with his business partners, Gabe Gordon & Lena Perleman, they opened Beachwood BBQ & Brewing in Long Beach in 2011. The pub was recognized in 2013 as Mid- Sized Brewpub of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, 2014 Large Brewpub of the Year at the Great American Beer Festival, & 2016 World Champion Large Brewpub at the World Beer Cup. Beachwood has expanded its brewing operations with Beachwood Blendery, along with a production facility in Huntington Beach, CA.

Yet again, the Golden State led the pack at this year’s Great American Beer Festival, mining Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Rocky Mountain State’s capital city at the fest’s awards ceremony on September 22 – Out of more than 8,600 entered beers (including the Pro-Am and Collaboration entries) from 49 states (Mississippi sat this one out) and the District of Columbia, California breweries took home 73 medals — more than twice the amount of the next winningest contender, GABF’s home state of Colorado, which won 32. Last year, California’s tally was 57.

In a sign of the ever-increasing number of breweries in Beer Paper’s coverage area — ranging from up in SLO to out in San Berdoo — and the ever- improving quality of their wares, beermakers in our region scored 33 awards — a record haul of just over 45% of all of California’s bounty! Divided by “precious medals,” there were 11 Gold, 10 Silver and 12 Bronze. Orange County was our big winner, with 11 medals, followed closely by LA with nine. Five other counties shared the remaining 13 (see below for complete list).

And unsurprisingly, those medals were spread amongst 30 breweries. Only three of them won two awards each: Orange’s Green Cheek, Placentia’s Stereo and Buellton’s Figueroa Mountain (although its Westlake Village brewery won one also).

This year’s GABF was anticipated as — and will likely be remembered for — the first accredited competition in which those ubiquitous so-called New England-style hazy, hoppy beers finally got some respect. They also got a style-guide description, formulated by the Brewers Association (which puts on the fest), and therefore could finally be judged in their own three categories: Juicy or Hazy Pale, IPA and Double IPA. Congrats, haze fans; your favorite brews now have their own beer styles.

Little wonder that there were some 673 cloudy brews entered in those three Juicy or Hazy categories, with 391 alone in the IPA section — making it the most competitive beer category at GABF and dethroning the previous

top-ranking style, American-Style IPA (311 entries), for the first time in over a decade.

Ironically, of the nine awards presented in that trio of categories, not one medal went to a New England brewery.

However, leave it to California breweries — the originators of the West Coast IPA (or American-Style IPA, in BA parlance), the unabashed bitterness of which arguably provoked the decidedly un-bitter East Coast haze craze in the first place — to excel at versions of its reactionary nemesis of beer styles.

Indeed, while Chicago’s Alarmist Brewing took the coveted Gold among Juicy or Hazy IPAs with its Le Jus (Golden State brewers were shut out), it was California that had a win, a place and a show in the other two hazy categories. Our own Black Market Brewing of Temecula grabbed the Gold among hazy DIPAs for its straightforwardly titled New England Style Double IPA, while Northern California’s Alvarado Street Brewing (Salinas) burnished the Bronze for Contains No Juice. And Kings Brewing, straight outta Rancho Cucamonga, snagged the Silver in hazy Pales with Sippin’ on Dank 2.0.

At the Festival session following

the awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon, Black Market’s brewmaster Kyle Boruff was happy pouring pitcher after pitcher of his winning brew, as well as Pina Colada and Neopolitan milkshake variations (all of which were extremely tasty). Was he surprised by his win? “I would

say excited; I had great confidence in this beer,” he responded. “I know everyone’s throwing out their best for GABF, especially Double IPAs,

which is one of the most entered for a new category. It’s really great to know that in the first time for this category, we got Gold. We get to set a standard for other brewers trying to create the style, and help out other breweries in the future with what we’re trying to accomplish.”

The American-Style IPA, now the second largest GABF category, is still highly competitive, and Green Cheek Beer bagged a Bronze for its entry, West Coast IPA Is Dead.

Always known for his cheekily named brews, co-owner/brewmaster Evan Price (who judged the competition this year and did not have a booth

at the show), explained that he took that name from a comment he heard made by Paul Jones, co-founder and managing director of Manchester, UK’s Cloudwater Brewing, describing his preference for hazy IPAs. “I didn’t even care if I won,” Price conceded. “I just wanted to see that name projected up on the screen at the awards.” He got his wish (and the appropriate laughter from the audience), along with his medal. Green Cheek brought home another Bronze in the English Mild category for Fools and Babies.

Another competitive category is American-Style Strong Pale Ale, and George Peterson, owner of Central Coast Brewing in San Luis Obsipo, was delighted to win Bronze for the style (the beer had won Gold at the World Beer Cup in 2016). “It’s always fun to win a medal,” he commented, pointing out that other beers he was pouring at his booth — including Monterey Street Pale Ale and General Schwarz Black Lager — were previous award winners at GABF or WBC. “We’re trying to stay at the top of our game.”

CCB was also pouring a hazy IPA, the aptly named Dude…It’s Not Even Hazy, but Peterson decided not to enter it this year. “We wanted to see how that category played out, because there’s so much diversity,” he explained. “This year alone, we’ve done seven or eight of those beers, and everyone fights about which one is their favorite. They’re all different, and everyone has different tastes — including the judges. When you don’t have a defined style like that, it’s a wild card.”

When asked about his umpteenth medal (a Silver) for Udder Love in the Cream Stout category, which has earned multiple honors at past GABFs and WBCs, Huntington Beach’s Beachwood Brewing co-owner and brewmaster Julian Shrago said he does not take those awards for granted.

He was more excited about, and interested in talking up, his colleagues at Beachwood Blendery, Harrison McCabe and Ryan Fields, for their Gold win in the Belgian-Style Lambic category of the Gueuze-inspired Funk Yeah.

To this writer’s taste, it was the closest-to-authentic American-made Gueuze since Isabelle Proximus, the collaborative Gueuze from Lost

Abbey, Avery, Allagash, Dogfish Head and Russian River, was released 10 years ago. From the cheesy nose to the funky finish, it seems to be precisely the kind of I-can’t-believe-it’s-not- Belgian beer Beachwood co-owner Gabriel Gordon envisioned when he launched the Blendery four years ago.

“This medal is as much Ryan’s as it is mine; he’s departing Beachwood

soon, but he’s been the best,” McCabe offered when inquired about his win in the Lambic category. “Funk Yeah

is a one-, two- and three-year blend; it’s not spontaneous. This is the very first blend of this beer, and the fact that it won is really awesome. We had a one-year blend of this beer; it was called Chaos Is a Friend of Mine, and it won a Silver medal here two years

ago. That was the one-year component. As it ages, it loses a little bit of the fruitiness, the funk intensity increases, and the acid profile is a little sharper

— but not crazy, very balanced.”

Last year, Beachwood Blendery won a Bronze for Dia de los Mangos. “We’re three for three in our GABF entries.” McCabe added. “We’re proud of all those beers.”

Following are this year’s winning beers, (style categories) and breweries,

by county, in Beer Paper country:

Orange County

Gold Medals:

Grandpa Tractor (Dortmunder or German-Style Oktoberfest) – Barley Forge Brewing, Costa Mesa

Nobility (Imperial India Pale Ale) –

Noble Ale Works, Anaheim

Silver Medals:

Robot (Imperial India Pale Ale) – Stereo Brewing Co., Placentia

Black the Riipper (American- Style Black Ale) – Riip Beer Co., Huntington Beach

Udder Love (Sweet or Cream Stout)

– Beachwood Brewing, Huntington

Beach

Bronze Medals:

Mischief (American Belgo-Style Ale)

– The Bruery, Placentia

Lumino (American-Style Lager or Malt Liquor), Unsung Brewing Co. – Tustin

West Coast IPA is Dead! (American- Style India Pale Ale) – Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange

Fools & Babies (English-Style Mild Ale) – Green Cheek Beer Co., Orange

Hayshaker (Classic Saison) –

Gunwhale Ales, Costa Mesa

Wall of Sound (Oatmeal Stout) – Stereo Brewing Co., Placentia

Los Angeles County

Gold:

Happy Days (Imperial Red Ale) –

Claremont Craft Ales, Claremont

Get Up Offa That Brown (English- Style Brown Ale) – Golden Road Brewing, LA

Funk Yeah (Belgian-Style Lambic or Sour Ale) – Beachwood Blendery, Long Beach

Silver:

It’s My Island (Classic Irish-Style Dry Stout) – Pocock Brewing Co., Santa Clarita

The Shroud (Imperial Stout) – Bravery Brewing, Lancaster

Skag (Scottish Ale) – 6th and La Brea,

Los Angeles Bronze:

Kumquat Saison (Belgian-Style Fruit Beer) – Smog City Brewing, Torrance

Figtoberfest (Dortmunder or German- Style Oktoberfest) – Figueroa Mountain Brewing, Westlake Village

Bear Temper (Barley Wine-Style

Ale) – Trustworthy (formerly Verdugo

West) Brewing Co., Burbank

Riverside County

Gold:

Raspberry Twist Lager (American- Style Fruit Beer) – Garage Brewing Co., Temecula

New England Style Double IPA (Juicy or Hazy Imperial or Double India Pale Ale) – Black Market Brewing Co., Temecula

Silver:

TAPS Irish Red (Irish-Style Red Ale)

– TAPS Fish House and Brewery,

Corona

San Bernardino County

Gold:

Belgian Honey Blonde (Honey Beer) – No Clue Brew Craft Brewery, Rancho Cucamonga

Silver:

Sippin’ on Dank 2.0 (Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale) – Kings Brewing Co., Rancho Cucamonga

Ventura County

Gold:

MadeWest Standard (Golden or Blonde Ale) – MadeWest Brewing Co., Ventura

Silver:

Neighborhood (American-Style Pale Ale) – Ventura Coast Brewing Co., Ventura

Bronze:

Nighthawk (Dark Lager) – Enegren

Brewing Co., Moorpark Santa Barbara County Gold:

Feral Brute (Experimental Beer), Firestone Walker Barrelworks, Buellton

Davy Brown Ale (American-Style Brown Ale) Figueroa Mountain Brewing, Buellton

San Luis Obispo County

Bronze:

Hoppy Poppy IPA (English-Style India Pale Ale) – Figueroa Mountain Brewing, Buellton

San Luis Obispo County Silver:

• Pixie Dusted (Collaboration Competition) – Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Paso Robles and Firestone Walker Barrelworks, Buellton

Bronze:

Lucky Day (American-Style Strong Pale Ale) – Central Coast Brewing Co., San Luis Obispo

• Shared award

Jimmy Han’s eclectic bars reflect who he is: A native Angeleno whose very personality is formed by the events and history of LA. From his long-running One Night Stand brewery nights to some of the best food in the beer biz, Han has established himself as one of LA’s craft pioneers. A trend-setter. A leader.

What I really mean to say is, “Get in Jimmy Han’s Beer Belly!” The original seven-year old Beer Belly is in Koreatown. Younger sibling Belly is in downtown Long Beach and features a hidden Tiki Bar in the back. And Jimmy Han? He’s just cool. Stylish. Laid back. But sharp. Business savvy. People smart.

His eclectic bars reflect who he is: A native Angeleno whose very personality is formed by the events and history of LA. From his long- running One Night Stand brewery nights to some of the best food in the beer biz, Han has established himself as one of LA’s craft pioneers. A trend-setter. A leader.

DRENNON: Where did you grow up and how did it impact who you are today?

HAN: I was born and raised in Los Angeles so the history of LA definitely shaped who I am. I was primarily raised in Koreatown and to see the landscape develop to one of the most dense and electric nightlife areas

has been fun. Everything from the Northridge Earthquake to the LA Riots were very eye-opening for me, and watching people band together and rebuild after such big disasters really shaped how I viewed community.

Where did you go to school and what did you study?

I bounced around a couple private schools in Koreatown before going into the LAUSD public schools in the 4th grade. I started at Roscomare Elementary in Bel-Air and then

got into the Gifted And Talented Enrichment G.A.T.E. program and then eventually into the Highly Gifted Magnet program. I only got into the GATE program because I was such a trouble-maker and they tested me to see if I was either mentally-challenged or bored. I’m glad I ended up having a good reason for being a trouble-maker.

I finished 6th Grade at San Jose elementary in Mission Hills and Middle School at Portola in Tarzana. The Magnet schools were in the San Fernando Valley so I would get bussed up from Koreatown. Being in school with everyone from the smartest of kids to the less fortunate families definitely opened up my eyes to real world life. Like losing my backpack with all my school gear and my Walkman on the first day of school in 7th grade. That’s when I learned to

never let my stuff out of my sight. And then the rough LA street life continued until I went to college. I went to Bravo Medical Magnet High School next to LA County Hospital and then Fairfax High for my senior year.

Bravo was a brand new school at that time and I thought I might be interested in the medical field. Senior year in Fairfax was so I could ditch everyday with my best friends and get into trouble. I was basically done with all my high school studying and college testing by senior year. Then I ended up going to UC Riverside and bounced around a bunch of majors until I finished with a BA in Psychology on the 5-year program. I

almost dropped out of college because I wanted to start working in real estate but I decided to finish for my parents. I thought that even if I made a bunch of money and bought them nice things like a car or house, it still wouldn’t be

as meaningful to them as handing them a college diploma. I’m glad with the decision I made.

Did you know early on you wanted to be a restauranteur and bar owner or was that a happy accident?

I think growing up in Los Angeles and partying in K-town my whole life, I always dreamed of owning a club or bar. I always thought it would be a sports bar. We still need a legit one in Koreatown. But I also believe in following your passion and at the time, I was just more passionate about

craft beer than anything else. I thought about a wine bar or a champagne bar or a Korean fusion bar. But the more and more I got into the local beer community, it was a no-brainer. I wanted a craft beer bar.

So obviously you fell in love with craft beer at some point. When was that?

One of the aha moments was when I was sitting drinking an Anchor Steam and reading the bottle about their process for Steam Beer. I found it so interesting about the different brewing process that made my Anchor Steam beer so tasty. So I decided to dive into the rabbit hole a lot more often and seek out as many different styles and beers as I could. Soon after I had a daily ritual of sitting down in solitude with a new beer, poured into my favorite glass, and enjoying, smelling, looking, tasting, and mouth-feeling my beer into tasting notes and also reading about what other people thought about the same beer on Beer Advocate. It was almost meditative and spiritual but also very educational and enlightening. The buzz was a nice perk as well.

How did you come up with the idea for Beer Belly and, of course, the cool name?

After we had decided to open a craft beer bar, there were a bunch of names at the top of list like The Library, or The Barn, or my personal favorite, 99 bottles. But no matter which name I’d imagine sticking with, they all got old and played out after a couple weeks. But there was one name that I never got tired of. Beer Belly. It was playful and felt right.

Had there been other breweries, brewpubs or beer bars that inspired you?

The original craft beer bars in LA were extremely inspirational to me. They proved to me that it could be done and still be very cool. The OG’s for me are Father’s Office, Verdugo Bar, Surly Goat, Tony’s Darts Away, Blue Palms and 33 Degrees Alehouse.

Beer Belly in Koreatown is one of our older craft joints at a whopping seven years old. How have you seen the beer scene in LA evolve over that time?

7 years old on May 20th. I really really wanted to open on April 20th, 2011, but we got delayed a month. When

we first opened in 2011 in Koreatown, most of our customers didn’t know what an IPA was. Now they only drink hazies! JK. But watching the local craft scene explode into what it is today is bonkers. In 2011, there wasn’t enough local beer being made to keep all 12 of our taps hyper-local. Now there’s so much beer available that

it’s hard to get all the good beer on a regular rotation!

You opened a second Belly in downtown Long Beach. Why?

We chose Long Beach because of the strong community there. People are so proud to be from Long Beach. They’re like, “We aren’t from LA, we aren’t from OC…WE’RE FROM LONG

BEACH!” And I’m all about that kind of community. There are also a lot of beer industry people that live in Long Beach. I took that as a sign. And being next to arguably the best brewery Beachwood and The Blendery on the “Barley Block” was the deal-closer for me.

You bought Frank N Hanks a few years back and also curate the craft beer program for Coachella as well as the annual Eat Drink Vegan festival. Seems like a helluva lot of work!

I’ve been fortunate to take the things that I’ve learned from Beer Belly and parlay that into things like a dive-bar by Beer Belly in Koreatown called Frank N Hanks and a Tiki Bar in the back of BB Long Beach and curating craft beer and beverages for Goldenvoice festivals like Coachella and Eat Drink Vegan. It’s an honor  to take this craft beer journey and

continue to do what I love. The latest project is being invited to open a food and beer stand in the new LAFC Los Angeles Football Club stadium, Banc of California Stadium, in downtown Los Angeles. It’s a beautiful stadium designed by Gensler and having a new soccer team in LA has been quite the experience. I was lucky enough to be allowed to curate a small craft beer list even though big beer companies have huge sponsorships in the stadium.

Similar to festivals, it’s always nice to see something carved out for local independent breweries and to be able to have some market place for consumers in the important fight against corporate big beer. Watching

LAFC build their home and club from the ground up reminds me a lot of how the local craft beer scene was built. The community starts in the streets and is inclusive of everyone.

People get together and gather around the things they are passionate about. Doesn’t matter what you do and where you came from. It’s down-to-earth, very welcoming, and a strong sense of community. Even beyond the amazing fruited sours and the hoppy pilsners, I’m thankful for all the people that

I have met along the way and I’m honored to call all these people my friends, family, community.

That’s so LA.