I know Jack.....

Jack McAuliffe - I probably should have used the flash!

TLE and I had a chance to spend time with Jack McAuliffe Friday afternoon.  He founded New Albion Brewing Company in Sonoma, CA in October, 1976.  From Wikipedia: 

"Jack built a three-level brewhouse, so it was all gravity fed: hot liquor on top, down to the mash tun…It was all homemade, a copper tube cooler that Jack made all by himself. Primary fermentation was in four open drums; we kept them in an air conditioned room, then after five to seven days, we racked the beer into 55 gallon drums on their sides with little fermentation locks.

“From there, once the beer settled, another week or two, we would pump it through – believe it or not, a beer meter. We had to have a beer meter and this one came out of a Hamms brewery or somewhere like that. The beer would go into a ‘bottling tank’ – another 55 gallon drum with a three spout siphon filler.

“We had a hand crowner and then the bottles went on to a labeler. Jack had rebuilt a 1910 semi-automatic labeler. You’d press a foot pedal and these arms would come flying out with the label on them. You sort of got out of the way stuck the labeled bottle somewhere or other..." 

Unfortunately, Jack could never get weekly production above 7.5 barrels due to lack of finances, and a larger facility.  Every bottle of pale ale, porter and stout sold out quickly, but he never was able to turn a profit, and brewed his last barrel of beer in November of 1982.  He left the craft beer scene for good, but his influence continues to this day.  Ken Grossman, the founder of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company has produced as part of their 30 year celebration a "Jack and Ken's Ale" based on a barleywine ale produced by New Albion in collaboration with Jack as a tribute to Jack McAuliffe's influence.  Additionally, within the next few weeks Boston Brewing Company ( Samuel Adams) will also be brewing to Jack's recipe his original New Albion Pale Ale using the original yeast that has been preserved since 1977 at U.C. Davis in California.

Jack was involved in a terrible auto accident a few years ago that almost took his life, and left his left arm useless.  He walks slowly, and moves slowly, but that smile, and sense of humor are still there.  The picture above was taken Friday night at a local brew pub called Tanglewood Branch Brew Company.  He is holding a plaque which has the original artwork for New Albion.

Currently he is building a small home on the property of a good friend of mine from college.  The work is going slowly, but Jack is doing it by himself, just like he did back in 1976.  He took time give us a tour and went into detail about the "green" systems he is installing to make cooling, and heating his new home efficient and inexpensive.

Later that afternoon we headed in Fayettville for happy hour again at West Mountain Brewing Company, and then eventually hooked up with Jack and John's wife, Cathy, at Tanglewood.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we again roll our wheels north and east toward St. Louis, and then by Wednesday we will turn the key off for two months in Campbelleville.

Thanks for stopping by!