Ep. 5 - Who Gave Birth to the Craft Brewing Industry?

It all started in 1976 with a Montana man in an Oregon brewery. Ray Yatsko (1929-2004) was a graduate of the prestigious Siebel Institute in Chicago, and he brought those skills with him to Blitz Weinhard in Portland, Oregon. There, he created Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve (“Henry’s”) and, Fred posits, laid the groundwork for today’s huge craft brewing industry.

This episode was prompted, in part, by the announcement on August 3rd, 2021 from Molson-Coors—who bought Miller back in 2016—that the venerable Henry Weinhard's Private Reserve would be discontinued.

Ray Yatsko’s student photo, courtesy of the Siebel Institute

This is a toast to Ray Yatsko and his team at the Blitz Weinhard Brewing Company. They showed us that when brewers are allowed to combine their brewing science education with their artistic crafting abilities, they can make truly inspiring products. May the brewers of today continue to follow their shining example.

Cheers. 🍻

Links:

• Siebel Institute in Chicago (courses!)

  Thanks, again, for the support in putting this episode together!

• A supercut of Henry’s commercials

• Cascade hops description