Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing's Emily Thomas spilled her secrets at the Craft Brewers Conference in Washington D.C. (Photo by Chip Scheuer)
Emily Thomas, owner and brewer at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing was selected by the Brewers Association to speak at the annual Craft Brewers Conference last week in Washington, D.C. Thomas, a top micro-brewing entrepreneur talked at the brew-expo about creative fundraising, something she has done with flair at her popular brewery in the Ingalls Street complex. Take for example the “Thank You Thursday” concept, which gives a local non-profit $1 of every beer sold on Thursdays. The success of this program has raised over $20,000 so far. Another one of Thomas' successful fundraising efforts has been the Copper Club Experiment, started to help raise the needed capital to upgrade key equipment. If you've visited the Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing’s Taproom recently, you've seen the gigantic copper tree draped with engraved mugs emerging from the wall and ceiling. Each mug represent $1000 “club membership,” which entitles devoted fans to their name on a mug, a beer every day for the rest of their lives, and special discounts on beers and seasonal ales. “We’ve always conducted our business without accepting private investment or acquiring debt. We incorporated the copper tree art installation as a way to engage club members in a creative brewing, beer loving community,” says Thomas. Thirsty regulars make regular pilgrimages to this only-in-Santa-Cruz shrine of artisanal beer.
Wines of Eastern Europe:You suspect you'll love them, but you've never tasted many of them. What to do? How about stopping by Soif Wine Bar on Saturday, March 30th at 2pm, when Frank Dietrich from the Blue Danube Wine Company will bring delicious curiosities from Croatia, Slovenia, Hungary and even the volcanic soils of Italy to taste and discuss. $20 per person allows you to learn by tasting. It doesn't get much better. Contact [email protected] to reserve a place. Or call Soif at 831.423-2020.
Top Notch: Last weekend Bonny Doon Vineyard founder Randall Grahm was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for significant contributions to Rhône-style winemaking. The first-ever award was presented by the Rhône Rangers, an influential band of 150 wineries specializing in wines in the style of France's Rhone district. Grahm's signature Le Cigare Volant wine, btw, is a famous blend of the grapes of the Rhône —grenache, syrah, mourvedre, and occasionally a splash of roussanne. Congratulations to Grahm for another well-deserved nod from his peers.
Wine of the Week:It's a mouthful, both in name and in flavor. The 2010 Bengoetxe Getariako Txakolina Hondarribi Zuri/Petit Corbu, is an exciting elixir of elusive spices that pivot briskly into a long salty finish. Utterly mineral bouquet, from Spain's Basque Country. The best $7.50 glass you'll taste in a long time. Look for it on the current listing @ Soif.
Compost, Anyone?: Reserve March 30th to come and learn the finer points of making quality compost at the upcoming Compost for the Home Garden and Orchard workshop. The event will take place on Saturday, March 30, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Alan Chadwick Garden on the UC Santa Cruz campus. Led by the incomparable Chadwick Garden manager Orin Martin, and Zoe Hitchner and Sky DeMuro of Everett Family Farm, the workshop will cover the basics of choosing materials for your pile, how to balance “greens” and “browns” to get the right blend of nitrogen and carbon, how to build and maintain your compost pile, and how to use finished compost in your garden or orchard. $30 for the general public, $20 for Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden, a mere $5 for UCSC students. For details call 831.459.3240.
