President

Adam Bradley

I’ve been brewing on small apartment stovetops since 2012. I joined BAM in 2015 after moving to Berkeley and have made new friends and learned much with this great group of brewers. I enjoy taking biking tours of regional breweries, pub trivia nights, and brewing beer! I’ve since become a beer judge through the club’s BJCP class and urge anyone with the interest to educate themselves and become part of the community.

Vice President

Nick Facciola

I have been brewing now for over a decade. After about 5 years of isolated brewing from kits, my move up to Oakland introduced me to other homebrewers through membership with BAM, and everything has improved since: full-volume boil, all mash, recipe development, water chemistry, etc. Now I am a certified BJCP beer judge and am fascinated by all the beer style categories and their respective histories. Over time I intend to brew every style, but in 2018 I’ve been focusing on Weissbier, Dark Mild, and Pilsners. As your Style of the Quarter Coordinator, I want to encourage all you in the wonders of tackling some new styles!

Secretary

Rory Bens

I’ve been homebrewing on and off since 1995. Moved from extract to all-grain after several years. I took and passed the BJCP exam in 2011, having prepped for it with a class run by fellow BAM member, the late great Lee Shepard.
I’ve yet to do a lager, which is still a goal I have. I grow some hops in my backyard, and especially enjoy making (and drinking !) Belgian ales, Scotch ales, porters, stouts, wheat beers, and bitters. Am not a huge IPA fan, but like a well-made one every now and then.
Happy to be a part of BAM – a great homebrewing club with fellow members that are a great source of information, ideas, inspiration – and beer to share !

Technical Coordinators

Paul Keefer

I started brewing when I was in college. My older brother was taking a graduate level chemistry class at Portland State “ Chemistry of Winemaking”. One section of the class involved the chemical processes of making beer. I borrowed the recipe that was the class assignment for that section and made a batch of beer to give to friends and family for Christmas. I designed and printed labels for the bottles. It was a pretty successful present so I started brewing on a regular basis. As can happen with hobbies, I got very involved in the process and 40 years later I’m still brewing.

Rory Bens

Julian Borrill

I started brewing after my partner gave me the Oak Barrel starter kit for my 50th birthday. One bespoke brew station, two kettles, three freezers, four fermentors, and a dozen corny kegs later I’m doing my best to keep us in beer. I use brew-in-a-bag for dual-batch 15-gallon brew days, and like brewing for – and serving at – events. I’m trying to develop my beer palate, and have really enjoyed Robert’s BJCP training (sadly truncated by the pandemic) and the virtual tastings.

Louise Elsea

I enjoy drinking craft brew, but it was my partner who introduced me to home brewing. I’ve brewed a few beers myself, but these days I spend more time tasting and exploring different beer styles. I enjoy traveling and have sampled local brews in 20+ states and twelve foreign countries. Most memorable: Herbert B Friendly (Renton, Wa) (RIP), Doc’s Cellar (San Luis Obispo, Ca), the Beer Museum (Brussels), Brussels Beer Project, Smith Street Taps (Singapore), and Devilcraft Kanda (Tokyo) where the owner explained that they would like to add more tanks but the only available space was on the top floor and this was probably not a good idea in earthquake country.
Preferred beers: red ales, brown ales, scotch or scottish ales, wheat beers, sours, saisons, gose, barrel aged, anything Belgian. Enjoy balanced flavors, not into death by hops.

Greg Strom

Greg first started homebrewing years ago, then fell out of it for a while to the point where the 50 gallon fermenter was used as a dirty clothes hamper. In 2018 he rediscovered it as a result of traveling and being reminded of all the wonderful things the world of brewing has to offer. Now he has semi-regular “Brew Sundays” where friends gather in the side yard to sip a few and pass the time watching water boil, and scours Craigslist to the point that the storage shelves are piled high with second hand carboys, corny kegs, bottle cappers, and more. Each brew day brings a little tinkering, adjusting temperature, time, hops, yeast, or tweaking milling or sparging. Most recently he has been trying his hand at less common styles including milk stouts, scotch ales, and kentucky commons. His favorite style is hoppy IPAs.

Adam Bradley

Social Coordinators

Gene Wood

In 2009 I started brewing with my good friend Christine. We did one extract batch and then moved straight to all-grain. We started out brewing in her back yard in SF and then moved to my back yard when I moved to the East Bay. I like IPAs, Belgians, Saisons, Weissbiers, Barleywines, Bocks, Imperial Stouts and am working at getting into other styles all the time. I joined BAM in 2011 and started to see how other people brew. I make 10 gallon batches in 3 gravity fed keggles with a single propane burner. I keg into Corny kegs and fit 4 in my Keezer. I use pool water to cool my wort with a sump pump. I’ve got about 10 hop plants in the back yard but haven’t brewed with their harvest yet.

Lauren Kallie

In 2012, my husband came to me with a presentation of all the reasons he wanted to begin homebrewing, including a book and the Alton Brown episode. To his delight, I had no objections and have fully supported the endeavor ever since! This past summer I brewed my first batch and discovered that making beer is sort of like steeping a giant tea bag twice (only a lot more finicky and temperamental). We now dream, like many of you, of opening a neighborhood brewery and third space hangout for all to enjoy!
As your social coordinator, I am aiming to learn the ebb and flow of our club’s events and gatherings, and to inspire us to get to know one another better and form lasting community. I hope to find ways to bring us together to hang out while enjoying all the beer we can! And your ideas are always welcome!

Style of the Quarter Coordinator

Nick Facciola

Rory Bens

Webmaster

Gene Wood

BJCP Training Coordinator

Robert Ayasse

I started brewing in 1986 with the goal of making something as good as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. My tastes and brewing repertoire have expanded since then, but I still ferment in 6 gallon glass carboys because I like to watch the yeast boil. I moved from the stove top to a mega BTU outdoor burner in 2008, but that’s about it for technology.

Studying for and earning my certification as a BJCP judge in 2011 has improved my beer and appreciation of it. I am happy to help others develop their tasting and brewing skills.

Treasurer

Bob Davis

I’m the sole proprietor of Happy Girl Brewing. A sign I made that hangs in my garage brewery has the tag line “Excellence since 2017,” and that says all you need to know about my depth of experience.
My wife Diana gave me a gift certificate for a learn to brew class in April 2017, and it was all downhill from there. Fortunately, she’s been pretty supportive of my subsequent misuse of time and treasure. My leading theory for this is that she considers it less dangerous than some of my alternatives.
The brewing process scratches a “geek itch” that I get from certain activities. The potential to learn and improve is endless. In the Bay Area Mashers, I’ve been happy to find a really diverse group of kindred spirits who share this thing I’ve contracted.

Executive Committee Members

The executive committee is made up of five people, some of whom are mentioned above as they hold other officer positions as well. The executive committee is

• Adam Bradley
• Nick Facciola
• Rory Bens
• Kyle Oliveira
• Nathaniel Martin

Kyle Oliveira

I have been brewing since 2011, and joined the Bay Area Mashers around 2018. Before that, in a past life, I was a member of the Ithaca Practitioners of Alemaking and ran a Masters of Engineering project that developed an automated Recirculating Infusion Mash System for homebrewing. I’m a big promoter of (also) homebrewing other types of alcohol, like mead and cider, and of trying new styles and unusual ingredients. Hit me up for small volume brewing equipment recommendations or advice on how to do an acorn ale.

Nathaniel Martin

I’ve been brewing off and on since 2008, ever since my wife Jen (another BAM member) bought me a Mr Beer kit for christmas. I joined BAM in 2015 so I could meet other brewers and improve my beer. Thanks to BAM, I was able to take Robert Ayasse’s fantastic BJCP class and pass the test to become a judge! My brewing highlight was when I used tips and tricks learned from BAM members to clone my wife’s favorite beer!

Descriptions of Club Officer positions

Officers hold their position for a twelve month period, until a meeting to elect
new officers is held.

President

1. Conduct regular club meetings.
2. Preside over executive committee meetings, conferences or special actions.
3. Present initiatives and ideas for club activities.
4. Delegate club business to appropriate officers.
5. Speak on behalf of the club and/or executive committee for any actions decided upon under ethical review.

Vice President

Support the efforts of the President. In the absence of the President, preside
over executive committee meetings, conferences or special actions.

Secretary

1. Either attend all monthly member meetings or delegate a member to act as Secretary at any monthly meeting which the Secretary can not attend.
2. Take notes at the monthly member meetings and share those notes with the entire membership after the monthly meeting electronically.

Social Events Coordinator

1. Generate ideas for special, social or party events.
2. Coordinate or delegate members to implement club activities and programs.

Typically, this includes the annual multi-club picnic in August, a few club
brewout gatherings, the December holiday party, and whatever other gatherings
outside of the regular club meetings sound good.

Technical Events Coordinator

1. Generate ideas for activities and events during the general meetings once per month.
2. Coordinate or delegate members to implement the normal monthly club activities and programs, including the four Style of the Quarter presentations per year.

Style of the Quarter Coordinator

1. Work with Officers and Members to determine focus of each Style of the Quarter contest.
2. Work with Technical Coordinator to arrange presentation related to Style of the Quarter topic.
3. Coordinate communications to members regarding the contest, including relevant dates and contest details.
4. Coordinate judging of Style of the Quarter entries, including pick up of entries from Oak Barrel, cataloging of entries in preparation for judging, arrangement of judges and judging time / location, tabulation of final results, and returning completed scoresheets to entering members.
5. Announce Style of the Quarter winners, and coordinate with Oak Barrel to ensure gift certificates are sent appropriately.

Webmaster

1. Keeps this website running and posts information for club members to download.

Knowledge of web design, HTML, and WordPress are good but not necessarily
crucial, as well as a desire to add new functionality to the website as needed.

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Elizabeth Youngblut

I’ve been brewing since I met my husband in Wisconsin, three years
ago, who taught me how to brew. Besides all-grain beers, I also do
cider, mead, wine, sour beers and kombucha. As a stovetop brewer, I
love coming up with experimental recipes such as rose hip/lavender
beer or carrot/ginger and just having a good time sharing with
friends. Belgians and IPAs are my favorite to brew, but I’ll try just
about anything.

Daniel Langmaid

I have been brewing for about 3 years and moved to all grain about a two years
ago and primarily keg. It took me a bit of time to get to where I am brewing
today, but the presentations and talking to the more experienced brewers in the
club made all the difference. I tend brew a lot of IPA’s and like brewing beers
for barrel projects.

Brian Boshes
I’ve been brewing on and off now for around 7 years. I love making a good (or as
good as I can make it) German hefeweizen and dark strong beers in the winter
time. My brew all-grain on two 15 gallon igloo coolers (HLT and mash tun) and an
8 gallon boil kettle. I’ve got a two tap kegerator in the dining room, but still
bottle on occasion. Right now, what I really could use is a fermentation
chamber, if I only had the space…

Patrick Bennett

I’ve been brewing seriously since 2010 with a single infusion mash tun and a
burner/keggle combo for 5-10 gallon all grain batches. I love gypsy brewing and
the collaboration projects organized through BAM as well as the broad spectrum
of experts we have as special guests and regular attendees at meetings.

James Reischutz

I have been brewing about one year, but have managed to do about 200 Gallons
on my stovetop, usually extract with grains or partial mash style. I brew whatever
strikes my fancy, especially dark wheat beers, stouts and bitters. I keg almost
everything. I like both judging and entering competitions. I’ve managed to get first, second and third place ribbons so far. I remain on the hunt for the coveted Best of Show medals. I plan on failing the BJCP test again real soon once the 2014 guidelines are implemented but might accidentally pass.

Erik Gilling

I’ve been brewing off and on for over 10 years and am a confirmed gearhead. My most recent kick started three years ago where I got bit hard. I approach homebrewing like all my hobbies: find places that don’t have enough transistors and fix that. I’m currently re-designing my brew rig’s electronics and learning to TIG weld so I can build a shiny stainless brew stand. Home brewing: the great meta-hobby.

Ian Willis

Over 25 years ago my wife bought me a starter home brew kit. I had a boil over on my second batch and got kicked out of the kitchen. I upgraded to a ten gallon system and have been brewing on the deck ever since then. My favorite beers to brew are porters and stouts. I just recently upgraded to a digital all grain system; prior to that I was brewing partial mash extract batches. I entered my first competition in 1998 at the small brewers festival in Mountain View. We have a great garden with hops and lots of fruit trees that make great additions to beers and meads. I have done a few barrel aged beers and look forward to expanding the barrel aged brewing. I joined BAM in 2012 and have learned a lot about brewing and more importantly made new friends that also love the brewing hobby.

Louise Elsea

Though I have attended several demonstrations I have never brewed beer myself. My main experience has been drinking it. We are fortunate to be able to travel and have visited breweries and sampled local brews in eighteen states and nine foreign countries. Most memorable: Herbert B Friendly (Renton, Wa), the Beer Museum (Brussels), and Devilcraft Kanda (Tokyo) where the owner explained that they would like to add more tanks but the only available space was on the top floor and this was probably ​not a good idea in earthquake country.
Preferred beers: red ales, brown ales, scotch ales, wheat beers, sours, anything Belgian. Don’t like most lagers, except bocks. Big juicy IPAs can be good but am not into the whole death by hops thing.

Tracy Arrowsmith

I’ve been brewing for 2 years. I have a partial mash/Extract set-up at home but
I’ve assisted in all-grain brews. I go straight to keg. I like to brew porters
but I also like to experiment. I’d like to try a mead next. I’ll probably move
to all-grain, eventually.

Matthew Youngblut

I’ve been brewing beer and making wine since 2011. These days I brew all-
grain on my gas kitchen stove with electric RIMS for mashing. I have two 10
gallon kettles (HLT and Boil Kettle) and one 15 gallon kettle (Mash Tun), which
allows me to do 11 gallon partigyle batches. I usually brew Belgian styles,
hoppy beers, and sours, but I will brew any ale if the inspiration strikes me.

Jon Sheehan

My voyage to now began in the Carter administration and took a hard-left off CA State Route 61 somewhere around early January 2004 with my first dip into flavorful, but probably just average, homebrew. In 2008, sticky malt syrup and the under-powered electric range gave way to sacks of grain and a fabricobbled two-tier, 10gallon, brew “sculpture”, with gas au naturel via garden hose. This OSHA approved rig is usually brewing Belgians, Pale Ales, Porters, and Stouts. I’ve been breaking pencils, and judging beers, at competitions since 2006.

Neil Topliffe

I have been brewing since 2015 and enjoy the process and usually enjoy the results. I have enjoyed perfecting my sanitation practices focusing on pale ales and am starting to explore the immense world of beer styles that are hard to find in the bay area such as weisbier. Getting involved with the Bay Area Mashers has been a tremendous help talking with more experienced brewers and sampling some great beers has given me motivation to keep pushing my brewing to a higher level.

Star Woodward

I’ve been drinking beer since I was about 10, and brewing for 4 or 5 years. I especially love Belgian beers, but I would hardly turn any beer down! I started with partial mashes on the kitchen stove using kits from Seven Bridges Organic. Actually, my first kit was from Oak Barrel, along with the brew pot and carboy. Then I bought a gas burner, kettle, and igloos from a guy on Craigslist. When Seven Bridges closed, I had to start coming up with my own recipes! My wife Marcey, who is a member and almost a BJCP judge, did not like the use of plastics, so I needed and upgrade. And rather than going to a three burner system, I got a Robobrew earlier this year. So far, so good!
I didn’t consider joining a homebrew club until I felt like I knew what I was doing. I hope other people are smarter than me and just come to a meeting anytime they want! You can learn a lot!

Ian Carswell

I began brewing from kits as a student while attending Glasgow University the results were terrible, but we drank them anyway. I started brewing again in 2012. I specialize in brewing Belgian and British styles on my Grainfather electric self-contained all-grain system. I joined BAM in 2014 and it has had a huge impact on the quality of my beer. I love sharing my experiences, learning from others and drinking good beer with friends.

Sean Clinton

I had my first craft beer while I was in college in NJ circa 1994, “J.W. Dundee’s Honey Brown Ale”. In 1998, my manager invited me over to his house on a Saturday and introduced me to extract/steep method for brewing. I was hooked at that point and started brewing in 1999 in a 3 gallon aluminum bucket with an extract based Nut Brown Ale. In 2014, I upped the ante to all grain brewing, and by 2017, I went 100% electric brewing larger batches up to 15gallons. I joined BAM in 2017; and coupled with global travel for work, my beer palette has expanded exponentially, and the quality of my brews has greatly improved. The best part of brewing is sharing your creation with others and seeing that satisfying smile after a few sips. Cheers, Prost, Na zdravi

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