Brew Ha Ha

<div id="attachment_4396" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-and-yonder.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4396" fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4396 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-and-yonder-320x320.jpg" alt="young and yonder" width="320" height="320" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-and-yonder-320x320.jpg 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-and-yonder-150x150.jpg 150w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/young-and-yonder.jpg 720w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-4396" class="wp-caption-text">Herlinda, Tim and Shennen</p></div> <p>Shennen O&#8217;Donnell and Tim Welch, owners of <a href="https://www.youngandyonder.com/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Young and Yonder</a> distillery, join Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on Brew Ha Ha.</p> <p>Tim found a distillery that was already built and available for sale, so he bought it. It was a distilling facility and event space. They started a live music space due to Shennen&#8217;s experience. She grew up at <a href="https://mystictheatre.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Mystic Theater</a> which her parents owned and she has worked there all her life.</p> <p>Tim worked as a distiller for <a href="https://moylansdistilling.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Moylan&#8217;s</a> and won awards for many distilled products. Tim&#8217;s buddy from college was also a distiller who opened a distillery of his own in Mississippi. So he ran the place for &#8220;a lot of years.&#8221; They focussed on whiskey but also made other distilled products.</p> <p>Young and Yonder is located up in Healdsburg. Shennen describes their location as &#8220;Industrial Chic&#8221; with a casual fun funky feel. Tim does private tours and tastings.</p> <p>All of their grain comes from <a href="https://admiralmaltings.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Admiral Maltings</a>. All the botanicals for the absynthe and the gin come from San Francisco Herb Company. All organic and local. Admiral Maltings had a big distillers festival. The Rake Pub at Admiral Malting also serves Young and Yonder. Admiral Malting has been on Brew Ha Ha <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/admiral-maltings/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on May 1 of this year on this episode</a> and the year before too, <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/admiral-maltings-of-alameda/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">right here on June 20, 2024</a>. They focus on locally grown grain, so that their malt does not have to travel long distances.</p> <div id="attachment_149" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg" alt="russian river brewing co." width="300" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg 300w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-768x384.jpg 768w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-149" class="wp-caption-text">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.</p></div> <h4>Russian River Brewing Co. Release in Jan. 2026</h4> <p>Russian River Brewing Co. has a special release coming out on Saturday, January 10, 2026. So Natalie Cilurzo will be on the first Brew Ha Ha show of the new year, on Thursday, January 8, 2026.</p> <p>As they are tasting a lime vodka made by Young and Yonder also makes absynthe and gin, which use lots of botanicals. Their botanicals come from San Francisco Herb Company. Tim describes their line, there is a 100% single malted rye, and a high rye bourbon, which is 60% non-gmo corn, 30% rye 5% barley 5% wheat. The single malt is 100% barley, but not released yet. They also have some barrel finished bourbons and rye. They use port and sherry barrels from <a href="https://www.portworks.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sonoma PortWorks</a>, which are their next door neighbors.</p> <p>They also make an Absynthe which is made with wormwood. The flavors in this drink take a long time to describe. &#8220;Taste it!&#8217; And since Young and Yonder are a full-service distillery, they also make gin. Tim has just made his second batch of it. 60 lbs of botanicals go into the mix, then 15 more pounds.</p> <div id="attachment_3862" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3862" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3862 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png" alt="pizzaleah" width="320" height="60" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo.png 518w" sizes="(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3862" class="wp-caption-text">Visit our sponsor <a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PizzaLeah</a> in Windsor for the finest pizza menu, great beers and the most authentic flavors around! 🍕🍻</p></div> <p>Young and Yonder also make Amaro, which goes by its Italian name in English. There are many brands of Amaro in Italy. Some famous brands are Ramazzotti, Averna, Lucano and Montenegro. They are all slightly different liquers made from herbs. They are traditional, medicinal and artisinal, a triple play!</p> <p>How much is science versus art? As a distiller, is it more one or the other? Well, if you are making something the same every time, then you are very careful, but if you are experimenting, you&#8217;re your own boss.</p>

<p><a href="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hopmonk-tavern.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-4361" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hopmonk-tavern-150x150.jpg" alt="dean biersch" width="150" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hopmonk-tavern-150x150.jpg 150w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hopmonk-tavern-320x320.jpg 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/hopmonk-tavern.jpg 484w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>Dean Biersch, who runs <a href="https://www.hopmonk.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hopmonk Taverns</a> and co-founded Gordon/Biersch, joins Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on Brew Ha Ha. This is his first time on the show.</p> <p>Herlinda has invited Dean Biersch whom she ran into at a Hopmonk concert last Saturday. Dean remembers his first job in hospitality was preparing big spreads for the passengers at Hornblower Yachts in San Francisco. “You learn a lot when you work on boats,” says Dean. “Hospitality in general is like 90% planning.”</p> <p>Daedalus remembers covering the opening of Hopmonk for the local press, back when it opened. Dean remembers having to reorganize the physical space in the first location in Novato, to create a beer garden. They developed the first venue as a music venture and beer garden at the same time and he feels that it is a magic combination. They would love to have more large concerts in Sonoma but there are regulatory barriers.</p> <div id="attachment_149" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg" alt="russian river brewing co." width="300" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg 300w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-768x384.jpg 768w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-149" class="wp-caption-text">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.</p></div> <h4>&#8220;The trailing edge of the leading edge&#8221;</h4> <p>Hopmonk was “on the trailing edge of the leading edge” of the beer revolution. His job was in the city and then a friend introduced him to a brewpub in Hopland. He had tasted real ale while traveling in Europe, so he recognized what they were doing there in Hopland. He wrote a business plan, showed it to a friend of the family who had always invited such a move, then he met Dan Gordon. They eventually became business partners. Dan had taken a brewery engineering university program in Germany. He brought small scale craft German beer to California, with Gordon/Biersch beers.</p> <div id="attachment_3862" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3862" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3862 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png" alt="pizzaleah" width="320" height="60" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo.png 518w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3862" class="wp-caption-text">Visit our sponsor <a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PizzaLeah</a> in Windsor for the finest pizza menu, great beers and the most authentic flavors around! 🍕🍻</p></div> <p>They are tasting a Quad, Firestone Sticky Monkey that Dean says is “smooth, big, malty… It’s big, it’s dark, it’s smooth, it’s bold,” he continues. It is barrel aged and pretty strong.</p> <p>Dean sees a lot of parallels in music promotion and running a brewpub. There are live performers and fresh beers that need care and attention. There is always something new. How do you keep both of those streams fresh, for 18 years? “Music is something that’s irreplaceable.” You can’t change the uniqueness of a live performance. He produces it the same way he wants to present the rest of the details for the guests. Bill De Carli and all the staff in all three locations have stuck together through covid and all the challenges. They have all helped reach out and bring new artists.</p> <p>For a while Gordon/Biersch had six properties in California. They could not grow the company any larger due to state licensing issues, as a combination brewery and brew pub. They split the company and Dean stayed with the brewery for a while, and settled in Sonoma. But his heart was in the hospitality business so he had to build up Hopmonk.</p> <h4>Dan Gordon</h4> <p>Dan Gordon is still making beer for them. He actually brought brewer&#8217;s yeast from Germany. Later he built a lab where he propagated the yeast to use in his brewery. Dan actually apprenticed at the AB brewery in Fairfield, which Herlinda reports will be closing. &#8220;The iceberg lettuce of beer.&#8221; He approached <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/renee-de-luca-remembers-jack-mcauliffe/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jack McAuliffe</a> but he couldn&#8217;t get hired.</p>

<p><a href="https://calwinecountry.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jeremy-threat-srs.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-5622" src="https://calwinecountry.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/jeremy-threat-srs-150x150.jpg" alt="stateline road smokehouse" width="150" height="150" /></a><a href="https://www.stateline-road.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stateline Road Smokehouse</a> co-owner Jeremy Threat is visiting Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell today. This is his first time on the show.</p> <hr /> <p><em>During the show, author Marty Nachel called in to talk about his new book. That portion of the live radio show with <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/beer-story-project/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Marty Nachel is on this separate podcast episode</a>, so that both guests can have their own separately indexed episode page.</em></p> <hr /> <p>Darryl Bell, the chef at Stateline Road Smokehouse, comes from Kansas City. He is also Jeremy&#8217;s business partner. After college Jeremy worked in operations management in the restaurant industry. So he went from hotel restaurants to a management position. Working for Thomas Keller, the owner of French Laundry was demanding. In previous restaurant jobs, he learned about the business side of the restaurant business. But at French Laundry, he learned how to create a company culture that fostered excellence. Keller was always pushing to improve, along the lines of the Japanese concept of kaizen. How do you do the same thing time after time, while making it consistently as good as it can be? That is the question.</p> <div id="attachment_3862" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3862" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3862 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png" alt="pizzaleah" width="320" height="60" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo.png 518w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3862" class="wp-caption-text">Visit our sponsor <a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PizzaLeah</a> in Windsor for the finest pizza menu, great beers and the most authentic flavors around! 🍕🍻</p></div> <p>The Stateline Road Smokehouse is located in a 4000-square foot quonset hut that was a former auto body shop. He and his partner started out to do something unpretentious. In Napa that would make them stand out among all the white linen tablecloths. They are striving for what Daedalus calls an excellent experience without being &#8220;elevated&#8221; in style or pretense. What Darryl brings is Kansas City barbeque with the perspective of also having trained in France. The Ranch Gordo Greens and Beans salad is an example.</p> <h4>Sink Drinks at the Door</h4> <p>There is an old ceramic sink near the front door, full of ice and cans of a wide selection of beers. When people order cole slaw or potato salad, they realize that they take as much care with the sides as they do with the meats. Some recipes take the effort of several people and up to 17 hours to produce.</p> <div id="attachment_149" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg" alt="russian river brewing co." width="300" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg 300w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-768x384.jpg 768w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-149" class="wp-caption-text">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.</p></div> <p>Kansas City is often called “wet” barbeque. Texans have a dryer approach to brisket, it is dryer and they cut it thicker. Darryl’s barbeque is a combination of influences, not exactly like one or another of the canonical styles. The butcher greets guests at the door. He is like a tour guide. &#8220;We are not just barbeque.&#8221; They also have a different secret fish recipe on the menu, every day.</p> <p>Herlinda thinks of cider as a great beverage for barbeque. Currently they have Shilling Imperial Apple on tap. In the summer they offer different choices. They are lucky that they got a liquor license without too much trouble and expense. The cocktail list includes one called “Hey You Guys” with a paper umbrella. The first boozie slushie tasted like a real creamsicle. He makes one called The Dude Abides which is a White Russian, inspired by The Big Lebowski.</p> <h4>Beer, Wine and Boozie Slushies</h4> <p>Stateline Road Smokehouse serves Hanabi Lager beer, which is also located in Napa. For wine, they wanted to focus on one varietal and do it as well as possible. So they have chosen to serve a Centium Sauvignon Blanc. He has it for $15 a glass, not the $25 or more that others will charge. He wanted to have a choice like this at a good price. For example, he has Rombauer Chardonnay for $10 a glass, instead of at least $18. When you get something excellent at a price that is low, his guests feel satisfied with the meal and also with the cost. This exceeds their expectations, which is Jeremy&#8217;s goal.</p>

<div id="attachment_3884" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/marty-nachel-acbhof.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3884" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3884 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/marty-nachel-acbhof-320x320.jpg" alt="beer story project" width="320" height="320" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/marty-nachel-acbhof-320x320.jpg 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/marty-nachel-acbhof-150x150.jpg 150w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/marty-nachel-acbhof.jpg 610w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3884" class="wp-caption-text">Marty Nachel, author of The Beer Story Project</p></div> <p>Author Marty Nachel is back on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell, to talk about his new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beer-Story-Project-Marty-Nachel-ebook/dp/B0G3Q5641B/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Beer Story Project</a>. He has been on BHH before, the last time was <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/american-craft-beer-hof/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this episode last February</a>. Marty also came on this show to talk about one of his other books, <em>Beer for Dummies</em>, on <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/marty-nachel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">this episode in 2023</a>.</p> <hr /> <p>(<em>Marty&#8217;s phone call came in during the <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/stateline-road-smokehouse/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stateline Road Smokehouse episode, which has its own separate podcast page, right here</a>. This way, both Marty Nachel&#8217;s book and Jeremy Threat&#8217;s restaurant each get their own online presence for their segment.</em>)</p> <hr /> <p>Marty Nachel is the founder of the <a href="https://www.americancraftbeerhalloffame.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Craft Beer Hall of Fame</a> and has just published a new book, The Beer Story Project. He started collecting stories in March of this year from as many people in craft brewing as he could find.</p> <h4>Craft Brewers Tell Their Stories</h4> <p>The stories are really across the spectrum from funny to sad, depending on where they are coming from. He simply asked them to tell their stories. Some people gave a few sentences, others wrote several pages.</p> <div id="attachment_3862" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3862" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3862 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png" alt="pizzaleah" width="320" height="60" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo.png 518w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3862" class="wp-caption-text">Visit our sponsor <a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PizzaLeah</a> in Windsor for the finest pizza menu, great beers and the most authentic flavors around! 🍕🍻</p></div> <p>One of his stories that stands out came from a friend, Tom Bidell, who wrote a story about the late beer critic Michael Jackson not the pop singer of the same name). He did a series of videos called <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSTBTLeDXnY&amp;list=PLbcK0Yi_Io5REIrqBHPG0Rx_7BDXk0Mtd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Beer Hunter</a> some of which are on YouTube. Tom went to London to interview his friend Michael Jackson, but soon after he arrived for the interview, he learned that his friend had just died. So the story is a powerful remembrance of a close friend who was very influential in the craft beer world.</p> <div id="attachment_149" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg" alt="russian river brewing co." width="300" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg 300w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-768x384.jpg 768w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-149" class="wp-caption-text">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.</p></div> <p>&#8220;Publishers can make things difficult for writers, so I decided to self-publish.&#8221; <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Beer-Story-Project-Marty-Nachel-ebook/dp/B0G3Q5641B/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Beer Story Project</a> is available on amazon dot dom, in print and on Kindle.</p>

<div id="attachment_4266" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/anderson-valley-brewing-company-taproom.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4266" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4266 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/anderson-valley-brewing-company-taproom-320x320.jpg" alt="anderson valley brewing company" width="320" height="320" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/anderson-valley-brewing-company-taproom-320x320.jpg 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/anderson-valley-brewing-company-taproom-150x150.jpg 150w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/anderson-valley-brewing-company-taproom.jpg 676w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-4266" class="wp-caption-text">Anderson Valley Brewing Company taproom.</p></div> <p>Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell host another edition of Brew Ha Ha, featuring guests from <a href="https://avbc.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Anderson Valley Brewing Company</a>. They are the official beer sponsor of the <a href="https://dickensfair.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Great Dickens Fair</a>, a Christmas celebration happening at the Cow Palace now through Dec. 21.</p> <hr /> <p>(<em>During this show, we also got a phone call from <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/great-dickens-fair-2025/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kevin Patterson, manager of the Great Dickens Fair. His portion of this show can be heard over here</a>, on this other podcast episode. This way both guests have their own podcast episode, for their own linking and listener traffic</em>.)</p> <hr /> <p>Jason O&#8217;Connell and Ben Padrone are here from Anderson Valley Brewing Company. Jason is the new owner and Ben is the Lab Manager. They begin by tasting their Salted Caramel Porter, which gets its flavors from the malts that are used, not from any actual caramelized sugars. It is aged for 6 months in bourbon barrels and comes in at 9.5% ABV.</p> <h4>QA and QC</h4> <p>Jason&#8217;s background is in the wine industry and he finds the beer world to be more fun. He says he bought the brewery because he was bored. Ben&#8217;s job is QA and QC, quality assurance and quality control. They do a lot of testing on the water and the product. They get their water from wells that are on their property.</p> <p>Anyone visiting Anderson Valley may want to visit their 18-hole championship Disc Golf course. Next year&#8217;s Booneville Beer Fest is on May 2 next year. The theme is Godzilla vs. Barkley and there is a Japanese sake connection. Stay tuned for more information before the date. They have already about a dozen breweries signed on. Among beer producers this is one of the favorite events.</p> <h4>Fal Allen is Back at Anderson Valley BC</h4> <div id="attachment_4278" style="width: 160px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><a href="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fal-allen-on-mic-wcr.jpg"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4278" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4278 size-thumbnail" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fal-allen-on-mic-wcr-150x150.jpg" alt="anderson valley brewing company" width="150" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fal-allen-on-mic-wcr-150x150.jpg 150w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fal-allen-on-mic-wcr-320x320.jpg 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/fal-allen-on-mic-wcr.jpg 400w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-4278" class="wp-caption-text">Fal Allen is back.</p></div> <p>Fal Allen is back on the scene at Anderson Valley Brewing Company. He has been the brewer there and a key person in the company. He left the company for a while and was working in New Zealand. Now he is working with AVBC for the moment from Hawaii. Fal Allen has a great radio voice and has been on Brew Ha Ha before. <a href="https://brewhaharadio.com/fal-allen-is-back/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Here is his last appearance on Brew Ha Ha</a>.</p> <p>Next they taste their West Coast IPA, which uses Mosaic, Citra and Ekuanot hops. All seven of the beers they brought today are available at the Great Dickens Fair.</p> <h4>SAKE</h4> <p>They have a plan to start making sake and to use the best possible rice. Sake is gluten free, which is an advantage for some people. They are experimenting with Sato, a kind of rice for sake. They are also making a sake flavored beer. Herlinda remembers when her friends asked her to taste a large selection of sake to help them get an import company started. Watch out for this to develop over the next five years.</p> <div id="attachment_149" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-149" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-149 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg" alt="russian river brewing co." width="300" height="150" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-300x150.jpg 300w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi-768x384.jpg 768w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/russian-river-fi.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-149" class="wp-caption-text">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.</p></div> <p>Ben went to Humboldt State then the Master Brewers program at UC Davis. Jason studied engineering at U of British Columbia and worked in construction before working in the wine industry. He has recently acquired AVBC. Jason describes the situation as &#8220;exciting.&#8221; The sake idea is getting attention. Sake falls under the TTB brewers license but the labeling falls under wine. It is actually brewed like beer despite that some people in English refer to it as &#8216;rice wine.&#8217;</p> <div id="attachment_3862" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3862" loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3862 size-medium" src="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png" alt="pizzaleah" width="320" height="60" srcset="http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo-320x60.png 320w, http://brewhaharadio.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/pizzaleah-logo.png 518w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-3862" class="wp-caption-text">Visit our sponsor <a href="https://www.pizzaleah.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PizzaLeah</a> in Windsor for the finest pizza menu, great beers and the most authentic flavors around! 🍕🍻</p></div> <p>There are a lot of wineries in the vicinity of Booneville so there are a lot of places to visit. The area specializes in white wines and Pinot Noir. &#8220;You&#8217;ll never go thirsty up there,&#8221; says Herlinda. Ben describes how they use bourbon barrels to age the beer for 6 months. This gives a complex and unique flavor profile that you have to taste!</p>