Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing.

At the annual Craft Brewers Conference held in Denver this year, I was honored to be awarded the  Brewers Association Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Craft Brewing.

Without trying to sound too sappy, I was more than humbled by this. And shocked when I got the phone message from Dick Cantwell, telling me that I was the recipient of the 2014 award. I’ve had a lot of great opportunities in brewing, ever since I landed in Michael Lewis’ Brewing Science class at UC Davis in the early 1980s. After 4 years trying to start a brewery, I got an early start in the 2nd wave of brewpubs in California in 1988 at San Andreas Brewing Co., moved on to a wonderful 14 year career at Anheuser-Busch, where I was able to develop many new beers for AB, and now am celebrating 8 years with Stone Brewing Co. It’s been a wild and fun ride, and I love the brewing business as much, or more now, than when I started 26 years ago.

I’ve been fortunate enough to brew with and learn from some of the most skilled, knowledgable brewmasters in the business-from the old school German Brewmasters at Anheuser-Busch to Steve Wagner at Stone Brewing Co., and I’ve been able to brew with many other huge talents in Stone’s collaboration brewing program. You never stop learning in this business-or if you do, you quickly become irrelevant. So I relish the opportunity to brew beer with others.

Look at the previous brewers who have won this award. I am in some amazing company. And many of the previous winners approached me to say “welcome to the club”. I am glad that that, with the exception of Greg Noonan, whom I only met once, I know everyone else on this list, consider many of them good friends,  and consider all of them inspirations. It’s an amazing business we’re in, and an amazing time in brewing history. I simply feel fortunate to be able to be a part of it.

Previous recipients of the Brewers Association Russell Schehrer award for innovation in craft brewing:

2013 – Peter Bouckaert, New Belgium Brewing Co.

2012 – James Ottolini, St. Louis Brewery, Inc.

2011 – Jennifer Talley, Squatters Pub Brewery/Salt Lake Brewing Co.

2010 – Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

2009 – Steve Parkes, American Brewers Guild

2008 – Vinnie Cilurzo, Russian River Brewing Company

2007 – Matt Brynildson, Firestone Walker Brewing Company

2006 – Dan Carey, New Glarus Brewing Company

2005 – Greg Noonan, Vermont Pub and Brewery

2004 – Dick Cantwell, Elysian Brewing Company

2003 – Phil Markowski, Southampton Publick House

2002 – John Mallett, Kalamazoo Brewing Co.

2001 – John Harris, Full Sail Brewing Co.

2000 – Mark Carpenter, Anchor Brewing Co.

1999 – Fal Allen, Pike Brewing; Anderson Valley Brewing Co.

1998 – Garrett Oliver, The Brooklyn Brewery

1997 – John Maier, Oregon Brewing Co./Rogue Ales

I may never know who originally nominated me for this award, but I want to thank them. This is such an honor. And I want to acknowledge the contributions of Team Stone, and especially our Brew Crew, because this wouldn’t have been possible without their never ending hard work and passion that it takes to get our beers out into the world for people to enjoy.

I also want to give a shout out to Teri Fahrendorf, founder of the Pink Boots Society, a non-profit organization for women in the brewing industry that several of our team members at Stone belong to. Teri was the deserving recipient this year of the annual Brewers Association Recognition Award. Teri and I started professionally brewing at about the same time in the Bay Area, I remember the first time I met her when I was at San Andreas and she was at Golden Gate Brewing in the late 1980s. She has done so much for this business, and has had a wonderful and innovative career, and I was so glad to see her get this recognition.

Originally posted on April 19, 2014