Farewell Beer Hunter

Michael Jackson, The Beer Hunter, has passed away.

I've sat with him at a table at the Great American Beer Festival, talking about beers from all over the world with passion and gusto. I was proud that he loved the beers we made at our brewery and trumpeted them on his web page and on Seattle radio show interviews. I felt like I'd let him down when our brewery went under.

At the GABF, I saw him diligently tasting beer and keeping notes all day, then drinking beer after hours with us brewer-folk, then saw him from outside the window as we limped back to our hotel room, leading a scotch tasting at the host hotel bar. Found out later there was spontaneous wine tasting until early hours after that. The next day, I saw him diligently tasting beer and keeping notes, working his way through many of the 400 plus beers on the festival floor. He was an inspiration.

He loved Belgian beers, as do I, though I've not tried as many as he.

He made a living writing about beer for 30 years. 'Nuff said.

Abbey brewers say that in Heaven there is no beer, that's why we drink it here. So:

Godspeed Michael, I'll do my best to help hold up this end---but I'll need some others to help out. A great spirit has risen from the earth, and we must fill in where we can.