San Diego Fires - Greg's Video Blog

Greg Koch, Head Brewer/Honcho at Stone Brewing Company, has put together a nice video blog, showing his drive into the brewery, the walls of smoke and some of the damage in the area. It appears that he and his family fared OK through this, as did the brewery. You can see, however, that this fire was knocking on their doorstep.

Check it out Greg's blog.

San Diego Fires - An Update of Sorts

I don't have a lot of info, but a couple of pictures to show how close the fire is to some of our favorite brewers.

The first image is from BeerMapping.com. Along the 78, the red dots represent (from left to right) Green Flash, Lost Abbey and Stone Brewing. Take a look at the landmarks, I-15 and 78.

The second image is from local public radio station, KPBS', website. This shows the fire areas. Orange being where fires have been located, or where evacuations are in effect. Yellow is those places not in immediate danger, but certainly on pins and needles. It seems that the three breweries there in the Yellow are safe, and I know that Lost Abbey is not in harm's way (and more importantly, that the families there are safe).

Again, I'm not 'reporting' any breaking news, just passing on info I've found that you, as beer enthusiasts, may have interest in.
So, if you're out and about tonight, stop in and pick up a Green Flash or Stone produce (or both) and lift it with a fond thought for all those in the region impacted by the crazy fires.

Thoughts and Prayers in San Diego

Obviously, if you love good American Craft Beer, you know that much of the country's best comes from the San Diego region. I haven't heard anything, nor would I claim to report anything, but I did want to wish our friends in the industry, along with their family and friends, the best in this crazy wild fire. I see on the news that Escondido is in the heart of this, and I know that Stone and Lost Abbey aren't far from there - along with many others. So, to you all down there, I wish you the best.