Author: Chris

The Latest:

I did not get the position of Chief Beer Officer. The winner was Scott Kerkmans. Congratulations to Scott.

Despite not getting my dream job, the experience was a lot of fun and rewarding. The people I met at Four Points/Starwood were really nice and I only have the highest praise for them. Moreover, it was nice to receive some recognition for the little hobby that I have.

The Backstory:
Sometime back in November 2006, my brother-in-law, also named Chris, told me about Four Points search for a Chief Beer Officer. He thought I was the perfect candidate and really encouraged me to apply. However, I will be the first to admit, I was somewhat skeptical of my chances but I applied nonetheless.

Having pretty much forgotten about it, I was informed in late January that out of 7,800 entries from 31 countries, I was one of the final 15 candidates. Now the hard work began…

I had 2 days to create, film, edit and send a 5 minute video on why I thought I should be the Chief Beer Officer. Many, many thanks go out to Chris (the brother-in-law mentioned above) for helping with the filming of the video.

The Interview
We flew back to New York on March 6^th for my interview the next day.

Before I talk about the interview, let me say something about the weather. The high temperature was 15-20 degrees (!) plus snow as well. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to wear shorts.

The interview went very well in my estimation. I went to New York with two goals; to be myself and give it my best effort. I think I accomplished both and am very pleased. I should know the final decision in a couple of weeks.

The other highlights of the short trip were… White Plains has a Legal Sea Foods so we were able to enjoy our favorite lobster rolls and Boston cream pie.

Plus, down the street was a great multi-tap pub, Lazy Boy Saloon, that served some of the local brews.

After my interview, we had a few beers with one of the other final four, Brad Ruppert from Huntington Beach. Brad and I actually knew each other before this whole CBO thing came about. He had found my website and we had been exchanging e-mails, talking about our similar interests in beer travel and trying to figure when we could meet up for a pint.

My Chief Beer Officer Video

Press Coverage:
-From the Monterey County Herald: A brew drinker’s dream job

One of my favorite childhood memories of Christmas was going to cut our own Christmas tree. I remember my Dad dragging my Mom, sisters and I for miles and miles over varying terrain in search of the perfect tree. Invariably, we always found the perfect tree.

After Merideth and I moved back to the Monterey Peninsula in the mid-1990s, I remember seeing an article in the local newspaper about ‘cut your own’ Christmas tree farms. We immediately decided that this was something we wanted to do.

Even though it was an 1 ½ hour drive away, we picked the Johnson Farm in Boulder Creek, most likely because we knew it was close to Boulder Creek Brewing Company.

Johnson’s Farm is a real working family farm and is very festive at the holidays. We had a great time getting the tree and finishing the day with great beer was the star on the top of the tree!

Truly a beer lover’s holiday event!  Every year since, our Christmas outing is to Johnson’s Farm for our tree and Boulder Creek Brewing for our beer!