Brew Talk: An evening of community and local brew!
Written by: Emma Castillo
Photo credit: Crystal Birns Photography
The scene was vibrant at the Food Lounge this past Wednesday evening (March 25th 2015) as the community gathered to celebrate the people behind our city’s amazing breweries and taprooms – and of course, taste some local brew! From established Breweries to new, experimental taprooms, the talks were filled with interesting perspectives, inspiring motives, and insight into the unique craft brewing.
Around 175 guests had the chance to taste local beer from Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, Uncommon Brewers, and Discretion Brewing; Bartenders say Uncle Dave’s Rye IPA was a favorite and it disappeared very quickly! The soon-to-be-open Food Lounge provided delicious spread of hors d’oeuvres, such as a rosemary polenta cake with onion jam and prosciutto. Ceviche was served by La Marea of the Sea, which you can find at local farmer’s markets and for private catering. Mutari Hot Chocolate, a new shop at the food lounge, also sold piping hot chocolate beverages and homemade marshmallows. Crystal Birns provided the amazing photography for the evening.
Attendees heard local band Coffee Zombie Collective, whose lively acoustic sound rounded out the event with a great Radiohead cover to open.
The lovely Annie Pautsch of Santa Cruz Brew Cruz was the co-host for the evening and introduced us to her fellow beer entrepreneurs.
Emily Thomas, owner of Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, found inspiration from her family and her pride in being a woman in Brewing.
Adair Paterno from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales started out by creating a beer club originally meant for only 150 people, but Sante Adairus Rustic Ales quickly grew and became an instant favorite in the Santa Cruz community.
From Lúpulo Craft Beer House: Noëlle Bearns and Stuyvie Bearns Esteva. This husband and wife power couple decided to open up a brew house as another way to bring the community together and create a fun environment for friends and family to taste awesome local beers.
Dustin Vereker, founder of Discretion Brewing, described the family rooted approach that Discretion Brewing grew out of. From discussions around the dinner table to the founding of the brewery, their motivation was rooted in three key inspirations: family, beer, and community.
Daniel Satterthwaite of New Bohemia Brewing Co. offered some words of wisdom in craft beer making and acknowledged the new environment that has allowed for beer culture to thrive in Santa Cruz.
One could easily see how much all of these brew folk love and celebrate the Santa Cruz community and the degree to which the community cherishes their unique craft and inspiring stories. Event Santa Cruz would also like to thank our amazing sponsors for making this event possible!
