Here's something you might be interested in.
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed
Big Screen — Movie commentary
Blurt — Music's inside track
Booze News — San Diego spirits
Classical Music — Immortal beauty
Classifieds — Free and easy
Cover Stories — Front-page features
Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes
Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts
Feast! — Food & drink reviews
Feature Stories — Local news & stories
Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore
From the Archives — Spotlight on the past
Golden Dreams — Talk of the town
The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it
Letters — Our inbox
Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites
Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans
Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists
Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news
News Ticker — News & politics
Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated
Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna
Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated
Poetry — The old and the new
Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers
Reading — The hunt for intellectuals
Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails
San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds
SD on the QT — Almost factual news
Sheep and Goats — Places of worship
Special Issues — The best of
Street Style — San Diego streets have style
Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves
Theater — On stage in San Diego this week
Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative
Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work
Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego
Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads
Your Week — Daily event picks
From Rock Bottom to Mike Hess
Head brewer from closed downtown brewpub finds new life in North Park
Jason Stockberger (center) in his new found Mike Hess Brewing Company glory.
Last October, I received an email from a colleague of a professional brewer Jason Stockberger asking if I knew of any open brewing positions. Stockberger’s job as head brewer was eliminated when national chain Rock Bottom closed the Gaslamp Quarter brewpub he’d headed for the past four years. I wasn’t aware of any positions that fit with his criteria — to get in with a larger operation with stability. Fortunately, good brewers don’t stay idle for long in this town.
In mid-October, Stockberger was hired by Mike Hess Brewing Company to assist head brewer Nate Sampson. Two months later, Sampson announced he would be leaving the company to return to his old stomping grounds in Oregon, where he brewed for many years before moving to San Diego to take the position with Hess. After a month or so of overlap, Stockberger was promoted to head-brewer status.
The company’s founder, Mike Hess, has actually known Stockberger for some time. Hess considers him a friend as well as an employee, and tells stories of how he used to get much of the yeast used to fuel his startup-era beers from the downtown Rock Bottom. The need for having brewers on staff for multiple shifts is what created the opening for Stockberger, who has since implemented many repeatable, system-like processes, and helped to birth new beers.
Among the new offerings are Hess’ first session or “small” (read, low-alcohol) India pale ale, a 5.6% alcohol-by-volume number called Grim Ave. IPA — a nod to the street where the company’s production brewery and tasting room are located. According to Hess, it’s been the fastest-growing beer in the young brewery’s history.
Here's something you might be interested in.
From Rock Bottom to Mike Hess
Head brewer from closed downtown brewpub finds new life in North Park
From Rock Bottom to Mike Hess
Head brewer from closed downtown brewpub finds new life in North Park
Jason Stockberger (center) in his new found Mike Hess Brewing Company glory.
Last October, I received an email from a colleague of a professional brewer Jason Stockberger asking if I knew of any open brewing positions. Stockberger’s job as head brewer was eliminated when national chain Rock Bottom closed the Gaslamp Quarter brewpub he’d headed for the past four years. I wasn’t aware of any positions that fit with his criteria — to get in with a larger operation with stability. Fortunately, good brewers don’t stay idle for long in this town.
In mid-October, Stockberger was hired by Mike Hess Brewing Company to assist head brewer Nate Sampson. Two months later, Sampson announced he would be leaving the company to return to his old stomping grounds in Oregon, where he brewed for many years before moving to San Diego to take the position with Hess. After a month or so of overlap, Stockberger was promoted to head-brewer status.
The company’s founder, Mike Hess, has actually known Stockberger for some time. Hess considers him a friend as well as an employee, and tells stories of how he used to get much of the yeast used to fuel his startup-era beers from the downtown Rock Bottom. The need for having brewers on staff for multiple shifts is what created the opening for Stockberger, who has since implemented many repeatable, system-like processes, and helped to birth new beers.
Among the new offerings are Hess’ first session or “small” (read, low-alcohol) India pale ale, a 5.6% alcohol-by-volume number called Grim Ave. IPA — a nod to the street where the company’s production brewery and tasting room are located. According to Hess, it’s been the fastest-growing beer in the young brewery’s history.
Comments