J Nikol Jackson-Beckham is our guest today on the Brew Ha Ha podcast, with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. She is a scholar, writer and equity and inclusion strategist for the craft beer industry. She is also the newly-appointed Diversity Ambassador for the Brewers Association. She is based in Richmond, VA. She was an undergraduate at Virginia Tech in the late 90s and had a job in a bar that served many different kinds of beer. They offered her some to taste and she would select the most expensive ones, and got to know the best beers that way. Jump-cut to today, and in her professional role as head of beer diversity, she helps organization become more inclusive, equitable and to reach more people in the community. Dr. J Nicol Jackson-Beckham was recently named Imbibe Magazine’s 2020 Beer Person of the Year and has appeared in […]

Natalie Cilurzo and Ron Lindenbusch join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras today on the Brew Ha Ha podcast. Natalie is co-owner of Russian River Brewing Company, with her husband Vinny Cilurzo. Ron Lindenbusch was one of the key people working with Tony Magee at Lagunitas Brewing Co. Russian River Brewing Co. is open for take-out food and beverage service. Their 4th Street Santa Rosa Brewpub is open and they are also continuing this service at their Windsor location. Since the Coronavirus restrictions are still in place, although less strict than before. They can operate 11:30am to 7:30pm in Windsor and 11am to 8pm on 4th Street. You can visit their website then call (707) 545-BEER to place your order. Herlinda introduces the Pliny The Elder for President 2020 beer, in cans. Natalie says this is a Pliny with a twist, it’s hoppier. They just […]

Today’s Brew Ha Ha podcast is an interview with English food historian Marc Meltonville, on the telephone from England, talking with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Marc is the consulting food and drink historian for the historic royal palaces in the UK. So he knows a lot about what people were brewing and eating and drinking in different periods of history. Marc Meltonville jokes that being a Consulting Food Historian doesn’t feel like a real job. He entered the field when he was working in a museum and was approached for a Tudor food project. He mentions that during the 1918 flu pandemic, they did not shut the pubs, even when they closed over venues. The British pub licensing laws close the pubs from 3pm to 6pm and they close again at 10pm. Herlinda mentions that a lot of our familiar alcoholic beverages actually […]

Russian River Brewing Company has special takeout offers for customers during Coronavirus confinement and Natalie Cilurzo is on the phone to tell Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras about it all, on the Brew Ha Ha podcast today. The downtown pub is open daily from 11-8 for pick-up orders. Visit the website for the menu and call (707) 545-BEER to order for delivery in and around Santa Rosa. They are all wearing masks, keeping distance and sanitizing everything so they have a safe environment. They are able to ship beer directly to customers but only inside California. They are also shipping bottles to supermarkets and grocery stores, so business is still down but not by as much as they feared at first. Steve Jaxon reads the report that Pliny the Younger brought in a record 5.1 million dollars to the local economy in February 2020, according […]

Ken Grossman from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is today’s guest on the Brew Ha Ha podcast with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter, with Herlinda Heras also on the line. Steve asks Ken to describe how Coronavirus has affected them. Ken explains that they shuttered their restaurants, tours, gift stores and events operations. They are trying to remake their business by doing take-out food in their restaurants and they are doing other things to keep their people on staff. They are selling beer online at their website. They are also trying to help in the local community. Two weeks ago the local hospital reached out saying they were having trouble finding a PCR machine for Covid-19 testing. They have a sophisticated laboratory and do PCR sampling daily on their beer as part of their QC, to look for wild yeast or bacteria or other potential […]

Neil Witte from Cicerone Certification Program joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras today on the Brew Ha Ha podcast. He trains people to become what is commonly known as a Beer Sommelier. Herlinda holds the first degree certificate. Neil Witte started as a home brewer and got his first brewery job in 1997 in Kansas City, then for another larger brewer in the same city. He worked for three years as a brewer then as a quality control manager visiting bars and restaurants making sure the beer was top quality. He took beer certification programs and did a lot of private study. Now he works for the Cicerone Certification Program as the chief trainer. Etymology, Definitions and Pronunciation of Cicerone Cicerone means “guide” in Italian. (1) It commonly refers to an Italian tour guide. “Cicerone” is Italian for the Latin name Cicero. Marcus Tullius […]

Gregg Schaffer is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Gregg Schaffer and his brother Jeff are the creators of Brews Brothers, a new comedy series starring Alan Aisenberg and Mike Castle, that debuts on Netflix this coming April 10. The show is about a couple of brothers who own a craft beer taproom.  Here is all the information about the show and the official trailer, on the Netflix site. You can also check out the Brews Brothers trailer on YouTube, here. There are 8 episodes coming out all at once, on April 10. Herlinda tells how Gregg and Jeff really are brothers who love beer and who have a long pedigree in the TV business. Gregg did research up the west coast, visiting places like Lagunitas and Anderson Valley. Jeff has been a writer on numerous successful TV shows. Brews Brothers […]

Anne Marie Roberts of Teeling Whiskey in Dublin, Ireland is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter. She is the California Brand Ambassador, based in Oakland. Herlinda Heras is also in the studio today. Teeling Whiskey is the first new distillery to open in Dublin, Ireland, in 125 years. They opened about 5 years ago and the founders come from a very old whiskey-making family. “We represent a new generation of distillers, focussed on innovation and cask maturation and leading with flavor,” she explains. Their casks are made of at least seven types of wood and this is what gives most of the flavor to the whiskey, and over 100 cask types. Today they will taste four whiskeys from Teeling: a grain whiskey made of corn, a small batch blend of corn and malted barley, a single malt […]

Tara Nurin is back on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon today, along with Herlinda Heras, to talk about her latest article in Forbes magazine and her upcoming book about women in craft brewing. Mark Carpenter is traveling this week. Tara Nurin writes about all aspects of the brewing and spirits business for Forbes magazine. You can follow Tara on Twitter here. Tara’s latest article in Forbes is “The #MeToo Movement Is Coming To Craft Beer… Will It Arrive Before All The Women Leave?” Tara is also writing a book, “Don’t Worry, Honey, I Didn’t Burn the Beer,” about women in the brewing business, which is due to be published in the Spring of 2021. She is visiting Sonoma County to interview several women in the brewing business, for her book. The #MeToo Movement and the Craft Brewing Industry Describing her current Forbes article, […]

Andy Hooper, brew master at Seismic Brewing Company, is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter. Karen Bianchi is also in, representing the 14th annual California Artisan Cheese Festival and also the  Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery. Herlinda Heras is back to tell about her latest European trip. The Artisan Cheese Festival has a full schedule of seminars and practical exhibits in different locations, plus “Bites & Booze” which will be held in an airplane hangar. March 27, 28 & 29, the full schedule is at their website, here:  https://www.artisancheesefestival.com/event. It has grown in size and this year the tours are happening on Friday and there are seminars at the Flamingo in Santa Rosa. Sunday is the big marketplace, starting with Bubbles & Brunch. Chef John Ash is going to be paired with Valley Ford Cheese & Creamery. Seismic Brewing […]