The Brew Crew is taking a break this week and there is no new show, so for the podcast here is a show that was first aired and recorded on Nov. 4, 2021. Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bitters and Mike Barber from Barber Lee Spirits distillery in Petaluma join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today on Brew Ha Ha. Also, Dustin Sullivan is in, to announce the opening of his second restaurant. Erin was on Brew Ha Ha three and a half years ago, on this episode of May 17, 2018. Mike Barber’s wife organizes the Petaluma Holiday Food Fair. There are lots of vendors including Bitter Girl Bitters, The Spice Queen and many others. You can do Christmas shopping at the Petaluma Hotel and have a cocktail too. (The 2021 edition took place on Nov. 23; look for the 2022 edition at […]

The Wine Country Distillery Festival takes center stage on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today, with Lindsay Musco and Doralice Handal. Lindsay Musco is the founder of the Wine Country Distillery Festival and Doralice Handal is representing Les Dames d’Escoffier today. Together they are hosting the VIP section at the Wine Country Distillery Festival. Chris Matthise, from Sonoma Brothers Distilling is also in, with beverages. The Wine Country Distillery Festival is August 13 at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, on the East Lawn. This time it is an outdoor summertime event and this is a new location for them. They will have more vendors, a stage with live music, a cocktail competition and a silent auction to benefit the Robert Ferguson Observatory. Tickets for the VIP Oasis section are $123 and regular admission is $88. They also offer […]

Keita Tominaga from the renowned Japanese restaurant Hana, in Rhonert Park is our guest on Brew Ha Ha today. Steve Jaxon is in the studio for the interview, as are Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Keita is the oldest son of Ken Tominaga, who founded Hana. He has been cooking since he was 19 and has been the executive chef at Hana for over a year. His father passed away last May and everyone mourns his loss and misses him very much. Ken Tominaga opened Hana before Keita was born. Originally the place was very small, and was based on traditional Japanese menu. Gradually it became so well known that it is considered perhaps the best Japanese restaurant in northern California. The Hana Sake Bar Hana has a Sake bar, which is a newer part of the restaurant. Long after opening, when they remodeled […]

Beer Lands 2022 organizer Dave Maclean is back on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras, to talk about this year’s festival. Outside Lands will take place on August 5-7, 2022, and one of its many attractions is Beer Lands, a celebration of the Bay Area’s ever-evolving craft beer community. Dave was on Brew Ha Ha last year too, for the same reason. The Outside Lands festival is back, and so is Beer Lands, as a part of it. After last year’s edition in October (which was foggier and chillier) this year it is back to the summertime. Dave is one of the owners of Admiral Malting, which is one of the first new floor malting facilities in California since Prohibition, and maybe beyond. They supply a lot of the craft brewing industry. Beer Lands is two big tented areas with refrigerated […]

Don Winkle joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. He is an attorney whose clients include craft breweries. The last time Don was on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of May 16, 2019. There is a new California law in effect July 1 of this year that mandates a new alcohol server test for licensed retailers. In a highly regulated industry it is important for businesses to keep track of new laws like this. The ABC has clear guidance on their website. In Don’s opinion, the ABC has done a good job with their website and the information is clear and easy to find. They have also shown a lot of flexibility during the pandemic, including relaxing some rules. There is a bill to keep cocktails to go available in the state legislature. Don describes how he matched his interest […]

Faron’s New Orleans Style BBQ chef Faron Bailey and his friend and collaborator Sandro Tamburin from Old Possum Brewing are our guests on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras today. The Old Possum Instagram page has the most up-to-the-minute news about menus and music at Old Possum Brewery. Faron’s New Orleans Style BBQ & Sides He describes the New Orleans style, which pertains to the sides as much as the barbeque meats. He is from New Orleans and his family comes from North Carolina. There the barbeque has vinegar flavors, while Kansas City style is a thicker tomato based sauce. In his personal style, he looks for a perfect balance between spice, sweetness and citrus acidity in his. They serve traditional New Orleans sides like collard greens, red beans and rice and potato salad. Old Possum Brewing will showcase Faron’s menu […]

Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras welcomes Captain Joe Stewart of Northern Sonoma County Fire District, here to describe Wine Country to the Rescue. The fund raising event is at Trentadue Winery in Geyserville Saturday July 16th. It is a charity auction and dinner-dance to benefit firefighters from Geyserville, Cloverdale and Healdsburg. They protect a 300-square mile rural area, specializing in rural fire protection. They do fuel reduction work for the benefit of the community in lots of areas. It is labor intensive and requires careful use of resources. Wine Country to the Rescue contributes to this work. This year they will start a scholarship fund for young people in northern Sonoma County who are considering going into the fire service or forestry. They also sponsor Community Organized to Prepare for Emergencies, called COPE. They ensure that people know about evacuation […]

Almanac Beer Company’s Kevin Scoles and Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. join Brew Ha Ha hosts Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke. Kevin is assistant director of sales at Almanac Brewing and Russian River Brewing Co. is a Brew Ha Ha sponsor. They begin with two Russian River Brewing Co. beers. Citra Flash Mob IPA is mostly Citra hop and was just canned this week. Blind Pig IPA is a classic west coast style, a clear beer about 6.4% ABV. Blind Pig is close to Vinny Cilurzo’s original recipe started at his original brewery, Blind Pig Brewing Co. in Temecula, which he opened in 1994. Flow Pale Ale Almanac Beer Co. is introducing Flow Pale Ale, their new west coast style pale ale. Herlinda remembers tasting the third R&D batch. It’s light bodied, with a clean finish. The Flow Fest on July 9 will […]

Soundscape Brewing Co. founder Ashley Harrell joins Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke in the studio on Brew Ha Ha today. The Freshtival is this Saturday, June 25. It is a production of Hen House Brewing and an updated list of breweries is on the Hen House Freshtival web page. There are breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego and every beer will be no more than 7 days old. Ashley got to beer from other avenues. She studied music in college and as an art song and opera singer, her dream was to sing on Broadway. She worked behind a bar while living in New York City and pursuing a career in musical theater. Having developed an interest in craft beer, she then worked a brewery and started home brewing. Now she is looking for commercial space in Benicia. As an […]

Colin from HenHouse Brewing is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Harry Duke today. HenHouse is one of the organizers of the June 25 Freshtival, which is a HenHouse production to showcase freshness. Tickets are going fast. They will be bringing in about 160 different fresh beers from 80 or more brewers. No beer served on June 25 will be more than a week old. There will be breweries from as far away as Portland and San Diego. Herlinda asks Colin to explain what makes a beer fresh. Colin talks about how people know instinctively that fresh food is better and that food that is left out will rot, smell bad and not be appetizing. The same is true of beer. The basic principle applies to beer as to any food. Colin explains that the big factor is oxygen, which […]