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Renée DeLuca and Don Barkley
Renée DeLuca, Jack McAuliffe’s daughter, is our special guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. This is Renée’s first time on Brew Ha Ha. Her father is one of the most famous figures in craft brewing history. She is visiting Santa Rosa to attend the celebration at the Museum of Sonoma County this coming Saturday, July 20 from 4pm-8pm. It will be in the sculpture garden which is becoming a beer garden for the event. Don Barkley is also in the studio today. He was our in-studio guest on this episode just three weeks ago. This is part one of the podcast of their live radio show, featuring Renée DeLuca with Herlinda Heras and Steve Jaxon. In part two of the podcast, Don Barkley joins them in the studio. That episode is right here. 🍻
Brewer’s Daughter Beer Company
Renée DeLuca now runs the Brewer’s Daughter Beer Company which is producing the New Albion brand. She was able to revive the brand in 2011. By then, Jack had retired from beer and wasn’t interested or aware of the craft brew scene. She took him to visit the Great American Beer Festival in Denver and everyone wanted to meet him. Listen to how Renée tells about how she bonded with her father over the beer. Jack had never been to a beer fest. At one point, there was an awards ceremony for a home brewer who won the Sam Adams contest. At that time, Jim Koch, the founder of Sam Adams, revealed that he had retained the business rights to New Albion so that nobody else could do something unworthy with it.
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Today, the recognition has been coming from all corners. In 2019 they were in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Part of the exhibit FOOD: Transforming the American Table is dedicated to beer and New Albion is a big part of that story.
New Albion Beer Reborn
When Jim Koch invited them to come to Boston to make the beer again, she invited Don Barkley, who had the recipes. Renée tells the story of how Jim Koch returned the IP rights and the LLC to Jack. The New Albion beer will be served at the Museum of Sonoma County Beer Garden event from 4-8pm on Saturday, July 20. Brewers who will be pouring include Russian River Brewing, Moonlight Brewing, Lagunitas and Pond Farm.
Russian River Brewing Co. is open in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more.
Jack was in the Navy in the 1960s, where he worked as welder stationed in Scotland. There he learned to like the Porters, Ales and Stouts he found in Scotland. Discharged from the Navy in California, he decided he had to make those beers himself.