Brew Ha Ha

Marin Irish Festival 2026

Drew and Kevin Patterson from the Marin Irish Festival [https://marinirishfestival.com/] 2026 join Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on Brew Ha Ha. Drew also came on Brew Ha Ha last year on April 24, 2025 [https://brewhaharadio.com/marin-irish-festival/], to promote last year’s event.  This year the festival has grown to cover two days, Saturday and Sunday May 16 and 17. Herlinda remembers attending the first Marin Irish Festival last year. Kevin’s parents started the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in the ‘70s. They also produce the Dickens Christmas Faire at the Cow Palace in December. They have everything Irish; food and drink, music, sheep dogs and a sanctioned Irish dance competition, called a feis, pronounced “fesh.” Theirs is maybe the biggest feis on the west coast. They have some Guinness, Smithwick and Tullamore whiskey, There are two Irish pubs. One is called the Bearded Goose, and the other is called The Gander. They sell all the Irish brews they can bring in. Drew says live music is what makes an Irish pub live. You can actually bring your instruments and play along. ++++ Visit Russian River Brewing Co [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/]. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Visit their website for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more. ++++ LAGOON PARK COMES TO LIFE Lagoon Park is in the Marin County fairgrounds. The park comes to life with 6 stages. There will be demonstrations of falconry. One falconer has worked with them for more than 30 years. They will actually fly the birds from the main stage. There is also a pen for a small flock of sheep, where they demonstrate how sheep dogs work with the sheep. The festival began when some friends of Kevin’s were organizing a feis, but they had nothing happening around it. They developed the festival around the feis. Smithwick’s is a red ale and they are proud that they have it on draft. The Guinness is also on draft. Every glass of Guinness takes a two-minute pour. Tickets are $30 which Herlinda says is reasonable enough to allow someone to also do some shopping. There is a selection of craft vendors, makers of candles, glass blowing, kilts and more. There is a traditional meat pie booth. Hop Monk puts a special menu together. They also have kebobs and Greek food. The Tully Pickleback is a shot of pickle juice with a shot of Tullamore Dew whiskey. Hair [https://brewhaharadio.com/marin-irish-festival-2026/] of the dog? Pre-emptive hair of the dog? For example, Hop Monk makes Irish tacos, with corned beef and cabbage on a tortilla.

Herlinda Back from Philly and the Giro Vigneti

Jim Morris of Healdsburg Rotary and Randy Johnson of Getaway Ventures join Herlinda and Daedalus on Brew Ha Ha to talk about the Giro Vigneti [https://girovignetihealdsburg.com/] bicycle ride. Also, Herlinda is back from a trip to Philadelphia where she attended the Craft Brewers Conference [https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/news/2026-craft-brewers-conference-brewexpo-america-recap] and the World Beer Cup [https://www.worldbeercup.org/]. She has a lot to tell about Philadelphia and naturally she has also brought some beers back to taste and share. Later in the show, Jim Morris from Healdsburg Sunrise Rotary and Randy Johnson from Getaway Ventures join us to talk about the Giro Vigneti [https://girovignetihealdsburg.com/] bicycle ride. This year Philly will be a big part of the nation’s 250th or sesquicentennial celebrations. Herlinda’s last visit there was in 2020 during the pandemic and the Glass fire at home, when she escaped to Tara’s in Camden. During Covid they only let 6 or 12 people at a time into the Declaration of Independence. This time, there were school groups coming through. Philadelphia was our first national capital city and one of the cities at the heart of the American Revolution. ***** Visit Russian River Brewing Co. online [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/] for up-to-date hours at the Downtown Santa Rosa and Windsor locations, menus, beers available and more. ***** The first beer Herlinda opens is a collaboration brew from the Craft Brewers Association and several other breweries. The members of the Craft Brewers Association are small independent family-owned businesses, not large corporate operations. This beer is a lager, 5.7% ABV and he label says, “Of the brewers, by the brewers, for the brewers…” SEVERAL BAY AREA BREWERIES WON MEDALS AT THE WORLD BEER CUP: * Russian River Brewing Co. won a bronze medal for Velvet Glow. * Morgan Territory Brewing in Tracy did very well. * Fieldwork Brewing, which just came into Santa Rosa, won several golds. * Danville Brewing Company, Hot Dogma and Alvarado Street Brewery won medals. * Otherwise Brewing in San Francisco swept the gluten-free category. * Sonoma Springs Brewing in Sonoma County and Cooperage Brewing in Santa Rosa also won medals. They begin the second portion of today’s show by tasting the second beer, called A Smile with Every Sip, from Troëgs [https://breweriesinpa.com/troegs-delivers-a-smile-with-every-sip-in-year-round-pennsylvania-lager/]. Jim Morris from Healdsburg Sunrise Rotary and Randy Johnson from Getaway Ventures join Herlinda and Daedalus. They are here to describe the Giro Vigneti [https://girovignetihealdsburg.com/] bicycle ride. It is a bicycle ride and race, one of the more beloved ones out there. It has a culinary tilt to it that no other ride has. There are three different routes, The Healdsburg Century, a Metric Century and an intermedio. There are well over 100 riders. The itineraries start and end in Healdsburg and go around the hills and the valley, with rest stops. The Giro Vigneti is a fund raiser. The grand prize is dinner for two at fifteen different restaurants in Healdsburg, including some pretty big names. The raffle tickets are $25 each or 5 for $100. All of the Rotarians are out selling raffle tickets. This is their single biggest fund raiser. To register to ride, go to the Giro Vigneti website. You can also ride a pedal-assist e-bike that you can rent from Getaway Adventures dot com in Healdsburg. They are offering 20% off for this race.

Herlinda in Philadelphia at Craft Brewers Conference

On Brew Ha Ha today, Herlinda is calling in from Philadelphia to talk to Daedalus Howell about the Craft Brewers Conference [https://www.craftbrewersconference.com/news/2026-craft-brewers-conference-brewexpo-america-recap] there, happening along with the World Beer Cup [https://www.worldbeercup.org/]. Russian River Brewing Co.’s Velvet Glow [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/brew/velvet-glow/] Helles-style lager just won a Bronze medal at the World Beer Cup. Just as Herlinda was checking in with her media credentials, there was a crush of other media people around her. She saw that Joe Frazier’s daughter was there for the dedication of a statue of Joe Frazier in Philadelphia. Frazier was a heavyweight champion from Philadelphia. Next year the conference will be in San Antonio. The World Beer Cup is a competition among more than 8,144 beers from 1,644 breweries in 50 different countries. There were 255 judges, 128 of them were from outside the US.  113 beer categories and 5 cider categories made for an average of 69 beers in a category in the competition. So there are dozens of winners in all the different categories and styles. The local promoters always showcase the local beers, so Herlinda noticed that there were lots of Pennsylvania beers too, in circulation. WHY DOES GEN Z DRINK LESS? The conference has sessions about the state of the business, and equipment, yeast, etc. There was a seminar about why Gen Z people aren’t drinking as much. They collected suggested reasons why, and Herlinda’s Gen Z daughter had some thoughts. She points out that there are so many people on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications now and you can’t drink when you’re on those meds. Nobody had brought that up. Another seminar reported evidence showing that people are spending 45% more time alone still, after Covid. Socialization is important to personal well-being as well as to recovery in the industry. Breweries are aware that to keep people together, they have to offer beverages and experiences beyond just the beer. Herlinda’s daughter also points out that that people have limited disposable income and don’t want to lose a day to a hangover. The RRBC site describes Velvet Glow [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/brew/velvet-glow/] as an homage to an old Grace Brother’s beer. The Grace Brother’s brewery operated in Santa Rosa from 1933 to 1966. They created many iconic beer brands including Velvet Glow and Happy Hops. Velvet Glow is a clean, crisp, and refreshing Helles-style lager. It has a bright straw color and flavors of bread crust and biscuit. There is a very low bitterness with a mild hop aroma. The top five countries for number of entries were the US, Canada, China, Japan and Brazil. Herlinda got some really cute socks too, that she will bring back. In Brews News, Toronado Beer Bar in SF has been acquired by one of its regulars. The owner was ready to retire so it’s a good move. Firestone Walker has also bought Stone Brewing in Southern California. Some locations will close but it will continue. Sapporo had owned Stone and the Firestone people are happy. Nice that it’s a beer company and not a hedge fund. Also, Evil Genius of Philadelphia has bought out 21st Amendment Brewing in SF, a favorite stop of baseball fans in the city.

Tara Nurin Documentary

Tara Nurin calls in to Brew Ha Ha to discuss plans for a documentary film about the subject of her book A Woman’s Place Is In The Brewhouse [https://www.amazon.com/Womans-Place-Brewhouse-Forgotten-Brewsters/dp/1641603429]. This call came near the end of the episode with Gabi Demozzi, which is right here [https://brewhaharadio.com/gabrielle-demozzi/]. The film is called Witchy Boots [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt40426047/].  Tara is a journalist who covers the beverage business and the personal stories of people in the beverage industry. She is the author of A Woman’s Place Is In The Brewhouse and she has been on Brew Ha Ha many times. Tara covered mental health in the beverage industry on this episode on May 2, 2024 [https://brewhaharadio.com/beverage-industry-mental-health/]. Tara also holds the honor of being the guest on our first podcast episode here in February of 2018 [https://brewhaharadio.com/tara-nurin-forbes/]. Tara lives near Philadelphia, the site of next week’s Craft Beer conference. The Pink Boots Society is kicking off the conference on Sunday with an inclusive festival that is inclusive of beverages and of people. Philadelphia is known for other foods than cheesesteaks. The Redding Terminal Market is the oldest indoor food market in the country. Also, the Italian Market takes up several blocks in south Philadelphia. In recent years there are some Mexican restaurants in the area and further south, some Asian restaurants. It is becoming more eclectic. Herlinda remembers some killer pizza too. There are several oldest, coolest, original this or that, all over the city, to discover. Look for Philadelphia to be the official home of the 250th anniversary of the US, this year in July, 2026.

Gabrielle Demozzi, Dim Sum and Beer

Gabi Demozzi, a Dim Sum chef and beer judge from Brazil, is our guest today on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell. Gabi is a certified Cicerone, professor, consultant and chef [https://www.instagram.com/dimsumdagabi] who has been working with beer for 16 years. She is currently working on opening a restaurant that will match Dim Sum with craft beer named Dim Sum da Gabi. It is already operating via delivery and private dinners. Today is her first time on the show. Herlinda met Gabi two years ago when she was a judge in the Brazilian national beer competition. Herlinda describes her trip to Brazil in this episode [https://brewhaharadio.com/author-tara-nurin/], from the week after she got back. Gabi was in Denver recently for the World Beer Cup, and they will be in Philadelphia next week for the World Beer Cup. A BEER JUDGE’S JOB Judging beer is hard work and carries a lot of responsibility. In the field of professional beer judging, there are thousands of beers in many different categories. Usually there are four or five judges per category. Beer judges have to swallow the beer in order to properly evaluate it. This is different than wine judges who spit the wine out after they taste it. Yesterday Gabi spent six hours at Russian River Brewing Co. in Windsor. Afterwards they even went to Russian River downtown. The official Brew Ha Ha cocktail shaker is ready and we hear it in minute 10. Gabi has brought a bottle of Cachaça (pron. “ka-SHA-sa”). It is distilled from fresh sugar cane juice. The Caipirinha (pron. “kai-pi-REEN-ya”) is the Brazilian national cocktail, made with cachaça. This one is flavored with cinnamon and clove. She mixes limes and lemons, but Caipirinhas can be made with any kind of fruit juice. The better quality the Cachaça, the tastier your Caipirinha will be.