Jeremy Marshall with Lagunitas Trooper West Coast IPA

Jeremy Marshall with Lagunitas Trooper West Coast IPA

Jeremy Marshall from Lagunitas [https://lagunitas.com/] has brought their Trooper West Coast IPA to Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell. Jeremy was on Brew Ha Ha on this episode of November 22, 2018 [https://brewhaharadio.com/jeremy-marshall-from-lagunitas/]. Lagunitas is putting on an air guitar contest [https://lagunitas.com/beer/trooper-west-coast-ipa/] to celebrate the release of their Trooper West Coast IPA. Jeremy will pour from a growler of the Trooper West Coast IPA, drawn straight from the tank. The  air guitar championship is set for 6/6/26. That’s Saturday, June 6, 2026, the same day as the beer release. Herlinda will be one of the judges. It’s a collaboration with Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickerson. He is a beer guy, an entrepreneur, and a motivational speaker too. To register as a contestant, you will need to provide your stage name. Sign up at Eventbrite right here under Lagunitas Trooper [https://www.eventbrite.com/e/trooper-release-party-no-tickets-needed-walk-ins-only-tickets-1990593961123?aff=ebdssbdestsearch], or look on Instagram, Facebook. If you’re interested, act fast, since they will cap the number of contestants. The prize is an actual real guitar, a 50th anniversary edition Fender. Contestants must choose the song they will perform when they register. These are the three songs to choose from: – Hallowed Be Thy Name, 5 to 5½ minutes – Two Minutes to Midnight, 3 minutes – Phantom of the Opera, 6 minutes ++++++ Visit Russian River Brewing Co [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/]. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Check out their website and socials for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more. ++++++ A US PARTNER FOR TROOPER ALE Robinsons Brewery in England was the first to give the name Trooper to their signature premium ale. There is also a Brazilian Trooper ale. So when Iron Maiden was searching for a US partner, Bruce’s son’s wife told Bruce that Lagunitas was the perfect fit. Eventually Jeremy went to meet them backstage after a concert. He brought a cooler full of samples to share with a who’s who of metal bands. He found that Bruce was quite articulate about what flavors he liked. The Lagunitas Trooper West Coast IPA uses a new hop called Krush. Jeremy likes its flavor profile. He tastes “weed, passion fruit, guava…”  It was HBC586 in development and now it's Krush. Watch out for a 100% Krush Beer for the radio station The Krush KRSH 95.9! Jeremy confirms that Heineken is letting Lagunitas be Lagunitas. Heineken is the only worldwide beer company that is still majority owned by the family. Jeremy went to UC Davis and studied brewing science. Michael Lewis and Charlie Bamforth were his teachers. They taught English ale styles, whereas Seibel in Germany is where to learn about lager beers. Lagers are a colder, longer stored style, like Coors Banquet or Budweiser. He describes the students at Davis as Beards versus Vests. Wine guys wore vests and beer guys had beards. LAGER AND ALE Compared to Lager, Ale is a little fruitier, and louder. If you hop it even more, you get to IPA. They are produced quicker and are more expressive and more popular in America. Wisconsin’s German-American community drove that city’s brewing history, so they made more German Lager styles. After UC Davis, Jeremy’s first beer gig was Lagunitas. Tony asked where else he sent the letter. He wrote to all the breweries that made the beer he drank at Davis. Most were Ales, like Arrogant Bastard from Stone. Jeremy has seen it all at Lagunitas. He knows that in the future, the successful breweries will have great focus and discipline. Other than Lagunitas, Russian River Brewing Co. is an example of that.

8-Ball Tavern’s Three New Owners

The 8-Ball Tavern [https://www.instagram.com/8balltavern707/]‘s new owners Julie, Jen and Audrey, join Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on Brew Ha Ha today. This is their first time on the show. They have taken over the 8-Ball, which has been through quite a few incarnations. Julie has been running it for the last 8 years. Cotati is a college town, SSU is nearby. Herlinda has known the bar since university days, and has known Julie for a while too. Yesterday we celebrated the 55th anniversary of the 1971 California Supreme Court decision that finally allowed women to bartend. Before that, the only women who could bartend legally in California were those whose male family members owned the bar, or those who owned the bar’s license themselves. There were various reasons given for the prohibition, which included some chauvinistic attitudes. Herlinda describes the legal twist. When a bar owner petitioned to open a topless bar, the judgement struck down the previous law as discriminatory. Because of this decision, the state had to allow women bartenders. ••••• Visit Russian River Brewing Co [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/]. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Check out their website and socials for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more. ••••• GRIFFO ESPRESSO MARTINIS There is a new vibe and new umbrellas, and it’s a lot cleaner than it was, but without significant changes to the dive bar look. “We just want to make a happy place for people to come and vibe and just be themselves.” There are food trucks that come. Mondays and Tuesdays there are great tacos. Sunday is Fun Day, with all kinds of games. They are open from 7am to 2am every day. They are at 8 Charles Street in Cotati. Some of the old bartenders from back in the day are back, such as Jim and Cassie. This has brought some of the old patrons back too. They have restored the place and positioned it for the future to provide a safe place for people in the community to meet. There is a new coffee machine and they still have three pool tables with a pool league on Friday nights starting June 21. CUSTOMER SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT The 8-Ball Tavern new owners are committed to making it a safe place for women. There are plenty of security guards and the bar staff are trained to look for signs of bad behavior. They have HenHouse Hazy, Old Caz One-Way IPA, PVA on tap, many beers from Morris distributing, like Bear Republic Racer 5 and Farmer’s Light. There are also have lots of bottles of beers from outside the area. They have seven or eight taps, which are the fresher, local beers. Every Bloody Mary is made by hand and every bartender has a style. Follow the 8-Ball Tavern Instagram page for all the latest info. They have three shifts at their bar, 7 to 12, 12 to 6, then 6 to 2am. Any time is good, and “…the daytime crowd is so cool.” And they would be amenable to a remote broadcast on the back patio, so stay tuned for that!

Russian River Brewing News with Natalie Cilurzo

Natalie Cilurzo joins Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell on Brew Ha Ha, to tell us about Russian River Brewing [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/] News and upcoming events. Her last time on the show was with Pliny the Younger  back on March 18 [https://brewhaharadio.com/first-taste-pliny-the-younger-2026/]. Natalie has brought three beers to taste, including Vinnie Cilurzo’s first signature beer, Blind Pig. Herlinda and Natalie were at the Craft Beer Convention in Philadelphia a couple of weeks ago. The industry is contracting. Schlitz beer is closing, in Milwaukee. They have been there for 120 years. Somebody might acquire that brand. UNREASONABLE HOSPITALITY One of the speakers they heard was Will Guidara. He talked about his book called Unreasonable Hospitality. Natalie is a fan and describes his advice for companies and people in any industry related to hospitality. He used to own 11 Madison Park, a Michelin 3-star restaurant. His approach is to do things for guests that are unexpected. For example, he sent his staff outside to get a hot dog from a street vendor, so he could serve it to his guests at his Michelin restaurant. He overheard their wish and did this to surprise them. •••• Visit Russian River Brewing Co [https://www.russianriverbrewing.com/]. in Santa Rosa on 4th St. and at their big Windsor location. Check out their website and socials for up-to-date hours, menus, beers and more. •••• That made Natalie and Vinnie think a lot about the experience that people get from their annual Pliny the Younger release. Natalie remembers a young family there last year and the mom was pregnant, so Natalie gave her a RRBC onesie. The next year, they were back with the baby, wearing the onesie. The little details and personal touches are what make a customer’s experience special memorable. “It’s not just the beer, it’s the experience,” says Herlinda. The first beer they taste today is called Stivo. It’s a Keller Pils that they have made in collaboration with Firestone Walker for about 20 years, although this is the first year that RRBC is actually producing it. It has a dry hoppy flavor, but not like an IPA, what they call German hoppy, not as strong. A REALLY FUN BUSY SUMMER AT RUSSIAN RIVER BREWING Natalie grew up around cars and racing, and when they built the location in Windor with a big parking lot, she thought it would be a great place for a car show. So, they are doing that and there are 4 of them on the calendar this summer. One of the cars on display is an original Volkswagen van, owned by the third generation of the family. There will be lots of cars, a chopper sometimes shows up, a fire engine and an old Highway Patrol car too. The NHRA top fuel drag races are coming to Sonoma Raceway and they will display the cars on Wednesday, July 15, before the race, Anton Brown’s top fuel dragster will be on display.

Ethic Cider founder Ned Lawton

Ned Lawton, Ethic Cider [https://ethicciders.com/] founder, is our guest on Brew Ha Ha with Herlinda Heras and Daedalus Howell. Ned Lawton came straight from the farm. That’s the farm in your glass, says Herlinda. The aroma rises from a wine glass. Ned was on BHH last year on May 15, 2025 [https://brewhaharadio.com/gravenstein-apple-fair/], almost exactly one year ago to the day. ---------------------------------------- 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. Coming soon to Windsor, the Way-Back Wednesday Antique Car Show, June 17, July 22, August 19 and September 16, 5-7 PM, with a display of vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles. For more info, check out RRBC dot com and the RRBC socials. ---------------------------------------- Anything that is fermented fruit, like wine or cider, is made, and taxed, like wine. Ethic has a cider made from Arkansas Black apples. It is a late harvest apple and a slow ferment. In terms of wine talk, these apples are about 20 Brix, where apples are usually around 14 or 15 Brix. Cider makers can choose from different varietals, and they can also flavor it in many ways, such as adding fruit or using bourbon barrels. Ned says that’s where they bring fun to the game. Ethic Cider has a 3.5 acre apple orchard, with about 20 varietals. They have some Gravenstein and Goldan Delicious and Johnathans. They use those as a basis and build on top of that, getting apples from other growers as well. BLENDING CIDER: BALANCING TART, SWEET AND BITTER. Blending cider is a balance between tart, sweet and bitter. They can also add sugars. Ned says they also use natural yeast. The majority of the small makers do natural fermentation. They like to let the ciders start naturally, then finish with some white wine yeast. They do it carefully, but it is to make the flavors more predictably uniform. This middle path between wine and beer is Ned’s own way. He says cider people can be iconoclasts, a bit against the grain. He came from tech, did twenty years of that, then bought a farm in Occidental. He found that there was a lot to be done there, refurbishing the land. It was already apple country. He had a lot to learn about agriculture and refurbishing the land they are on. Ned sees that cider is growing. Since there is a known decline in wine and beer, people are discovering the option of cider. Everyone is asking what the consumer wants. Some of it is non-alcoholic. Ned thinks the growth in cider will also be driven by local production and brands. ETHIC CIDER EVENTS Ethic Cider has events [https://ethicciders.com/new-events] coming soon. The Summer Celebration Kick-Off is on May 30 [https://ethicciders.com/new-events/2026/5/30/summer-kick-off-music-series] from Noon to 5pm, at the Ethic Cider orchard in Sebastopol. Music, cider, barbeque and fun, no reservation required. Cider pairs well with BBQ! Also, they will also start doing Cider Salon on the second Thursday of the month, from 5-8 PM. The first Cider Salon is June 11, and they run through October. They taste a Newtown Pipin, which grows in the back of the orchard. Later they taste an Eau di Vie which is a brandy. They distill it from apples. It is clear and has no wood and no wood influences. It is really a spirit. So they add things to it. It can go into a spritz, with a cherry and some ice. Eau de vie can support a really nice cocktail. They also make a tonic water, which came from the need to have an N.A. option. They didn’t want to make a fermented cider and then de-alcoholize it, so they use apple cider vinegar mother to flavor it. With ethic tonic and apple cider vinegar, you can make a “shrub.” Herlinda points out that any menu or event should have at least one really good non-alcoholic option. This is to make sure that there is something for everybody. The problem has been sugars, and finding NA beverages that are not so high in sugar.

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.