mmmm....Sierra Nevada

For all those who don’t know Sierra Nevada Brewery started in the Garage of the Chico State Student Ken Grossman and his partner Paul Camusi, who he later bought out. In 1978 they created a brewery from dairy tanks, a soft-drink bottler, and equipment salvaged from defunct breweries. Though the equipment was secondhand, they created a first-rate microbrewery. The ingredients were premium, including the copious quantities of hops that would become the brewery’s trademark. With never utilizing a formal marketing campaign Sierra Nevada has always had consumer demand exceeding their supply causing a constant growth effort since 1981. In 1989 they moved to the location they are at today. Ken has always been very aware of his impact on the environment and has developed a thorough process to ensure the sustainable practice of his business. The company website has a great interactive section to show how the brewery helps the environment which can be accessed by clicking here.

Having attended a previous presentation by Ken Grossman on the development of Sierra Nevada Brewery, I was pleasantly surprised by the development the presentation made from the last time it was given. The history of the company is always interesting to learn about, but having heard it before, I was skeptical of the impression it would make on me this time. The essentially monotone presentation style made it hard for the presentation to be memorable the first time round, but I was pleased to see it had slightly improved. As for the content, My first run in with Ken Grossman the presentation was all history, and his story, but that was two years ago. Since my last viewing there has been a more active shift in the economy, and Ken had done his part to incorporate his green efforts into the show. Although there was lots of talk about the energy efficiency being exercised in terms that I could not come close to fully understanding, I did catch that the brewery will be producing enough energy to be self sustaining, which is very commendable.

Ken has come a long way from making home brews in his garage, and even though he may not be the best presenter, Ken is the best at making beer and that is all that counts.