Elk Fence Distillery co-owners Scott Woodson and Gail Coppinger join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. The Elk Fence Distillery is a recently opened small-batch craft distillery that makes American single-malt whiskey, botanical gin and vodka. It has the distinction of being the only distillery located in the city of Santa Rosa, California. Juniper, coriander, tangerine and grapefruit all go into the botanical gin. They were supposed to open on March 14, 2020, the day that the state ...
Dec 07, 2023•26 min
Herlinda Heras and Kevin McGee Kevin McGee, President and CEO of Anderson Valley Brewing Co, AVBC, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. The foundation of brewery dates to 35 years ago. It is the world's first solar powered brewery. Kevin explains how they recently streamlined their lineup of IPAs, including their classic west coast IPA, Hop Ottin'. They are tasting the Coastal Ale which is a partnership with the Surfrider foundation. Anderson Valley Brewing Co. will be taking over...
Nov 30, 2023•29 min
Ava Kemper's Hello Hello Hello Collin MacDonnell, of Henhouse Brewing Co. and Ava Kemper, intern, are our guests today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Ava Kemper holds a BS in Environmental Science and Management from UC Davis and is also a graduate of the UC Davis Master Brewers Certificate in Brewing Sciences program. This year Ava has been an intern at Henhouse Brewing Co., where she developed and then brewed her own beer called Hello Hello Hello. Collin tells about Henhous...
Nov 16, 2023•17 min
Homerun Pizza Knuckle balls Cynthia Caughie, owner of Homerun Pizza, joins us in the studio today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Collin McDonnell and Ava Kemper from Henhouse Brewing Co. are also in today. Listen to their conversation with Herlinda and Steve Jaxon on this separate podcast episode, right here. Lauren Schwing from Alliance Medical Center is also staying in the studio, to talk about their Giving Tuesday initiatives associated with Henhouse and Homerun Pizza, aft...
Nov 16, 2023•14 min
Shadow of a Doubt Natalie Cilurzo, co-owner of Russian River Brewing Co. joins Herlinda Heras and Steve Jaxon on Brew Ha Ha to talk about their plans for 2024. 2024 is going to be a big year for Russian River Brewing Co. First, it is their 20th anniversary. They opened on April 3, 2004, on 4th St. in Santa Rosa. They also released the first Pliny the Younger in 2005. The Pliny release dates are now March 22 – April 4. They do wholesale distribution on draft for retail customers in February, stil...
Nov 09, 2023•14 min
Sausalito Liquor Company Scott Jampol, the founder of Sausalito Liquor Company, is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. They are a brand-new company that launched about two and a half weeks ago. They begin by tasting Marin Coastal Gin, one of their three new products. It is made with ingredients that are locally sourced for a unique local flavor. Gin has to be juniper-forward, to be really gin. It has some Albanian and Italian juniper, as well as California citrus p...
Nov 02, 2023•25 min
Ken Hartoonian calls in to Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras to talk about the Vintage Beer Show at 21st Amendment Brewery on Saturday Nov. 4 from 9am-1pm. It is called the 39th Annual Western Regional Beer Can and Breweriana Show. Breweriana is anything brewery related. It can be a can, bottle, sign, coaster, bottle cap, neon sign or even some brewing equipment. The first show was held in Watsonville, hosted by the largest rose wholesaler in the state. They have extended the spirit...
Nov 02, 2023•14 min
The October 21, 2023 Oktoberfest event. Wayne Wilson, the Exalted Ruler of the Petaluma Elks Lodge, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. The Petaluma Elks Lodge is sponsoring an Oktoberfest Beer Event on Saturday, October 21. The Elks are a charitable and fraternal organization, for men and women. This event is a fund raiser for The Elks National Foundation. Wayne Wilson describes their activities like Veterans service projects. The Elks also have one of the largest scholarship pr...
Oct 19, 2023•25 min
Brian Hunt from Moonlight Brewing and Regan Long from Local Brewing Co. of San Francisco join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. They are both on the show today to talk about events that are happening this Saturday, October 14. Moonlight Brewing Co. has been around since 1992 and they are having a launch party on Saturday October 14 for a new beer called Boney Fingers. Brews on the Bay Brews on the Bay is also happening on October 14. It’s a beer festival happening on the USS Jeremiah...
Oct 12, 2023•22 min
Herlinda & Steve Brew Ha Ha welcomes Herlinda Heras back to the studio after her recent trip to Singapore where she was a judge at the Asia Beer Championship. There were judges coming from all over Asia and they tasted and judged beers from Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India and more. Singapore is on the equator so it is a hot humid place and most popular beers there are the lighter lagers and pilsners. We hear about Herlinda’s travel accident which curtailed her trav...
Oct 09, 2023•22 min
Hendrick Verspecht Hendrick Verspecht from cuVer Brewing Co. is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon with guest host Peter Lopez sitting in for Herlinda Heras again today. Hendrick’s first time on Brew Ha Ha was this episode of September 16, 2021, just before cuVer opened. He was also on BHH on May 5, 2022. Now they are preparing to celebrate their second anniversary, on October 7, 2023. They begin by tasting the award-winning cuVer signature Pepperwood Saison Ale. Peter is a busy entreprene...
Sep 28, 2023•14 min
Paul Hawley and Remy Martin, co-founders of Fogbelt Brewing Co. along with Fogbelt Brewing Co. Head Brewer J.P. Bellotti are our guests on Brew Ha Ha, with Peter Lopez sitting in for Herlinda Heras. Remy and Paul were last on Brew Ha Ha on this episode of August 18, 2022 to tell the Fogbelt story as of then. Peter Lopez brought some Calzones from Santa Rosa Pizzeria, which he promised to Steve Jaxon the last time he was here with his partner Ignacio Ruiz. Remy, Paul and J.P. brought a case of di...
Sep 21, 2023•25 min
Melissa Luci from Alexander Valley Hops and Fal Allen of Anderson Valley Brewing Co. visit Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras. Fal Allen has been on the show many times, the last time was this May 13, 2021 episode. It is hop harvest season right now, as Melissa describes. Hops grow as long vines and need tall poles and wires to climb. A field of hops looks like a plantation of telephone poles. Hops were grown from the late 1800s to about 1950 when the price collapsed. Alexander Valle...
Sep 15, 2023•24 min
Santa Rosa Pizzeria menu. The co-owners of Santa Rosa Pizzeria, Peter Lopez and Ignacio Ruiz, join Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Peter is a frequent guest and occasional co-host on Brew Ha Ha, here is Peter's most recent BHH episode, from March of this year. Peter Lopez is back with Ignacio Ruiz, aka Nacho, as co-owners of the new Santa Rosa Pizzeria. They have been open for about a month. They are active on Facebook, at this link. Nacho tells the story of how he and Peter ...
Sep 07, 2023•33 min
Bryan Rengel, co-founder of Old Caz Beer, joins Steve Jaxon and Herlinda Heras in the studio today on Brew Ha Ha. Co-founder Tom Edwards was on California Wine Country on this episode on March 31, 2022. Also in this show we will hear from Herlinda Heras who is just back from a lightning trip to Liverpool, England last weekend. Old Caz celebrated an anniversary last weekend. They shut the parking lot down on Saturday and had a standing room only party. Old Caz Beer is named after Old Cazadero Roa...
Aug 31, 2023•51 min
Brew Ha Ha is back, with Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. and Jenny Ogston from Victory House at Poppy Bank Epicenter. The Drive with Steve Jaxon is back on the air, on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, weekdays 3-6 pm. The Drive is also streaming at TheDrive955.com. Brew Ha Ha is also back on Thursday afternoons on The Drive. Steve Jaxon is hosting today's episode, along with Herlinda Heras. Herlinda Heras is just back from Finland where she was judging the Sahti competition there. She ...
Aug 24, 2023•32 min
This episode features Tara Nurin, author of A Woman's Place Is In the Brewhouse. It was originally recorded on November 4, 2021. The Drive has been on summer vacation and we haven't had new Brew Ha Ha shows. This is the last repeat episode before next week when The Drive returns to live radio, Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, Mon-Fri 3-6. The first new episode of Brew Ha Ha will be Thursday, August 24. Cheers! Tara Nurin Tara Nurin, author of A Woman's Place Is In The Brewhouse, joins Herlinda Heras ...
Aug 17, 2023•12 min
This episode features Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bitters and Mike Barber from Barber Lee Spirits. It was originally recorded on November 4, 2021. This is almost the end of Summer vacation for The Drive and Brew Ha Ha, so this is the second-to-last week of reruns while we don't have new shows. Next Monday, August 21, The Drive returns to live radio on Wine Country Radio 95.5 FM, Mon.-Fri 3-6. The first new episode of Brew Ha Ha will be Thursday, August 24. Cheers! Erin Hinze from Bitter Girl Bit...
Aug 10, 2023•19 min
We continue the Brew Ha Ha summer vacation with this repeat podcast of an episode from October 5, 2021, all about fresh hops, with Natalie and Vinny Cilurzo, co-owners of Russian River Brewing Co. Cheers! Fresh Hops are front and center today on Brew Ha Ha with Steve Jaxon and Mark Carpenter, as we welcome Vinnie and Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Company. Vinnie and Natalie are the co-owners of Russian River Brewing Co. and they have brought a pack of fresh hops into the studio toda...
Aug 03, 2023•7 min
Susan Boyle Again as The Drive is on Summer vacation, here is a repeat of an episode of Brew Ha Ha, originally recorded on October 6, 2022, with Susan Boyle, the official Irish Spirits Ambassador. Cheers! Susan Boyle, the Irish Spirits Ambassador is the guest of Herlinda Heras with Peter Lopez who is sitting in for Harry Duke on Brew Ha Ha today. First, Harry Duke is calling in from a roadside attraction on Route 66 in Oklahoma, on his road trip. Oklahoma City has a thriving craft beer scene, an...
Jul 27, 2023•37 min
Brew Ha Ha's Summer vacation continues with this repeat episode all about Anchor Brewing's history, featuring Mark Carpenter. This episode was originally recorded and published on May 2, 2019. Today on Brew Ha Ha Steve Jaxon gets the whole story from Mark Carpenter about Anchor Brewing, its history and historical context, its production and its role in American brewing. (We were expecting guests from San Francisco’s Fort Point Beer Co. but they are stuck in traffic and will reschedule.) Mark Car...
Jul 20, 2023•20 min
We have a special conversation with Bob Brewer, former Anchor Brewing employee, while The Drive and Brew Ha Ha are still on Summer vacation this year. There is sad news in the brewing industry, as Sapporo has announced that Anchor Brewing is closing. Here is the conversation that Herlinda Heras recorded on July 12 with Bob Brewer, who worked for Anchor for many years. Bob Brewer was on Brew Ha Ha once before on this episode of February 17, 2020. When Bob Brewer was originally hired at Anchor in ...
Jul 13, 2023•57 min
Ryan Gibbons and Kent Fortner. With The Drive on Summer vacation, here is an encore presentation (which sounds more elegant than 'repeat') of this January, 2023 episode which is a personal favorite of Herlinda Heras. Mare Island Brewing Company co-founders Ryan Gibbons and Kent Fortner join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mare Island was a naval shipyard since the earliest days of California and Herlinda was actually born there, since her father was in the US Navy. It was the ...
Jul 06, 2023•33 min
Herlinda & Suzanne The Drive is on summer vacation and there is no new BHH show this week. So here is a show from last April featuring Suzanne Hagins from Horse and Plow Cider in Graton, to talk about the cider they make from apples grown locally in and around Sebastopol, California. Cheers! Suzanne Hagins from Horse and Plow Cider in Graton is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Horse and Plow makes cider and also wine. All of their cider comes from Sebastopol-grown ...
Jun 29, 2023•20 min
Harry Duke & Natalie Cilurzo. While The Drive is on vacation and there is no new BHH show today, here is a reissue of the show from last February 2, with the very first taste of the 2023 Pliny the Younger, featuring special guest Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Co. Enjoy! Natalie Cilurzo from Russian River Brewing Company joins Brew Ha Ha with the first growler of the Pliny the Younger 2023 edition. Later, the subject changes to SF Beer Week, when Colin McDonald from Hen House Bre...
Jun 22, 2023•11 min
While The Drive is on vacation, there is no new Brew Ha Ha episode this week. So, here is an encore presentation of our episode from November 17, 2022, featuring Dave Burkhart, the author of the book The Anchor Brewing Story which was just published at the time. Anchor Brewing historian Dave Burkhart and former Anchor brewing chief Mark Carpenter join Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha today. Mark Carpenter is the former co-host of this show who began working at Anchor in 1971. Author D...
Jun 15, 2023•36 min
Marcin & Artur visit Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. The Drive is on vacation, so there is no new Brew Ha Ha show today. For this podcast episode we offer again this fun and revealing episode recorded last January 19, with Herlinda Heras' two guests from Maryensztadt Brewery in Poland, Marcin and Artur. Enjoy! Marcin Malecki and Artur Napuripski of Maryensztadt Brewery in Poland are our guests today on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras. Artur is the sales manager as well as a be...
Jun 08, 2023•23 min
Tom Hart, co-founder of Humboldt Cider is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras, with special guest Peter Lopez. Peter is the founder of NorCal Beer Geeks and he also runs the Juncture Taproom in Santa Rosa. Tom Hart started Humboldt Cider in 2014 with his partner. They saw an opportunity for cider and started learning how to make it for local events in small batches. For a location , they renovated an old milking barn. Most recently, they started canning during the pandemic...
Jun 01, 2023•21 min
Author Marty Nachel, author of Beer for Dummies, joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha, on the phone from Chicago. Marty has also written How to Judge Beer Like a Pro. In order begin to judge beer like a pro, the first prerequisite is practice. However that’s not all. You have to know beer styles and be familiar with different off aromas and flavors as well. Herlinda agrees and adds that the scientific names of things are important to know, to understand beer at this level. For examp...
Jun 01, 2023•13 min
Herlinda and Fridge Nickolas Garson, AKA Fridge, sales rep from Cooperage Brewing joins Harry Duke and Herlinda Heras on Brew Ha Ha. Cooperage is just about to celebrate 8 years as one of the premiere locations to get a beer in Santa Rosa. They are located on Airway Court between Piner and Hopper. Their family-friendly location is open seven days a week, Monday through Thursday from 2 to 8 pm, Friday and Saturday from noon to 11 pm and Sunday from noon to 8 pm. Their website and socials have the...
May 25, 2023•27 min
