Beer

COMMITTEE CHAIR

Candice Woo is the Editor of Eater San Diego and a celebrated Food and Craft Beer writer who has served as the food critic for both San Diego Magazine and San Diego CityBeat and contributed to many local and national publications, including DRAFT Magazine and Edible San Diego. A sour beer enthusiast, Candice centers her travels around craft beer and has attended the last three Craft Brewers Conferences. Since 2010, she has been the Co-Leader of Slow Food Urban San Diego, where she advocates for the local food community and collaborates with craft breweries.

COMMITTEE

Wesley Anderson is a beer specialist at Whole Foods Market in the Potrero neighborhood of San Francisco, where he is also in charge of the draught program at the Market’s adjacent tap room called Steep Brew. He once brewed a collaborative beer with Speakeasy Ales, has previously worked at Monk’s Kettle and has become an integral player in the San Francisco craft beer community.

Bryant Goulding is the West Coast Sales Manager for Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, a regional brewery in Delaware known for its innovative and historically inspired brewing philosophies.  He has been homebrewing, studying and spreading the gospel of good beer for over a decade.

Dave McLean is the founder and brewmaster of Magnolia Gastropub & Brewery in San Francisco, connecting craft beer with the artisan food movement since 1997. He is also the founder of Alembic Bar, known for its cocktail and spirits programs. He helped start the San Francisco Brewers Guild and is one of the organizers of SF Beer Week. He curated the beer pavilion for Slow Food Nation and the beer program for Eat Real, and he was a delegate to the Slow Food Movement’s first Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy in 2004.

Greg Engert is the beer director for Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Engert creates unparalleled beer selections at each of the company’s ten concepts by sourcing from only the finest breweries in the world and developing his own formula of beer “flavor profiles” that influence all aspects of his work from menus and food pairings to beer education and brewery dinners. Recognized for his work, Engert was nominated by the James Beard Foundation for “Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional” in 2012 and was chosen as a Food & Wine “Sommelier of the Year” in 2010.

Kristin Jacobson is a previous General Manager of The Ginger Man, a multi tap beer bar in Austin specializing in craft, micro, and import beers. At the Ginger Man, Kristin also started a Women’s Beer League with weekly themes such as “Beer and Music” and “Beer and Art”. Under her astute direction, The Ginger Man became known as a trendsetter at the forefront of the craft brewing community.

Greg Koch is Co-Founder and CEO of Stone Brewing Co, one of the fastest growing and highest rated breweries in the world. Greg passionately believes that environmental and social sustainability go hand-in-hand with brewing mind-blowing beer, and he enjoys speaking on topics ranging from craft beer to business philosophy to food to marketing. As co-author of two books—The Craft of Stone Brewing, Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance and The Brewer’s Apprentice—Greg is recognized as one of the leading experts and advocates in the craft brewing world.

Jim Woods founded MateVeza Brewing Company and now co-owns San Francisco’s new Cervecería de MateVeza, an authentic Argentinean beer café located in the Mission.  His own yerba mate infused brew has been making its mark on the Bay Area for years, and the newly opened beer café features several of his unique brews.

Matt Coelho is co-owner of San Francisco’s new Argentine beer café, Cervecería, and a Certified Cicerone®.  He is a bartending veteran and has worked with many renowned institutions such as City Beer Store and Church Key.

2013 Beer Judges

Sean Paxton, Chef of Homebrew Chef
Jerry James Stone, Author of Green Wine Guide
Ron Silberstein, Owner of Thirsty Bear Brewing Company
Kenneth Rochford, General Manager of Healdsburg SHED
Chris White, Founder of White Labs
Justin Simoneaux, Executive Chef at Boxing Room Restaurant
Pete Slosberg, Founder of Pete’s Wicked Ale
Rich Higgins, Brewer and Beer Consultant
Tony Ferrari, Chef at Hillside Supper Club
Jay Brooks, Writer at Brookston Beer Bulletin
Jon McDermott, Founder of Bay Area Brewery Tours
Gail Williams, Co-Founder of Beer By BART
Jen Muehlbauer, Writer at Bay Area Beer Examiner
Sayre Pioprkowski, Founder of BeerandSoul.com and Beer Director at St. Vincent
Chris Cohen, Founder of San Francisco Home Brewers Guild