I received the news of Michael Jackson's passing late yesterday evening (I had been traveling all day).   I am stunned as I'm sure all of the beer world is.   I first met Michael in 1981 when he accepted my invitation to attend the American Homebrewers Association Conference.  From that moment our friendship has been lasting.  I spoke with him a couple of weeks ago regarding his planned participation at this year's GABF.   He was looking forward to seeing his friends and helping any way he could.  In the closing part of our conversation he was telling me of his various writing projects.  Then he paused and said "Some day I want to write a book about my life with Parkinson's disease...I was thinking of calling it 'I Am Not Drunk.' "  I chuckled with him a bit and he continued, "Don't you think that would be a great title?"  Michael’s sense of humor was uplifting and a treat to be around.

Michael has many dear friends throughout the world. Many of us have seen him struggle with Parkinson's but for most of his struggle none of us knew exactly what was going on. I was shocked when he told me last fall.  There was a lot of Michael we didn't understand during the last decade.  He kept his struggle a secret from most of us.   I feel so fortunate to have been able to be with Michael over the last 26 years as much as I have.  It needs not be said that Michael will be missed.  Michael is a legend.  Michael gave his all.  But it is worth reflecting that as we all do, Michael had a personal world, where he often was not put on a pedestal.  I know Michael enjoyed contributing to the beer, food and beverage world. He maintained immense satisfaction from his contributions.   He also lived in Michael's world in a small flat in Hammersmith.  With his significant other at the time, Patty, he raised Samantha (Sam) his adopted daughter.  He took great pride in being a father, a grandfather, guidance counselor and sharing his life with the nearby community where he lived - without asking much in return. That is what Michael was dearly about. I have so many experiences I can recall, but for the moment, the world that loved Michael is quietly reflecting with what Michael has left us as individuals. Never mind the beer, the whiskey, the food and brewing lore - Michael was much more than met the eye.   I'll dearly miss a friend and individual who really cared about people.  I know all the staff here at the BA office are also reflecting on how much we will miss him.  At the Brewers Association we extend our deepest feelings of sympathy to his family and closest friends.

Charlie Papazian

Michael simply created the beer universe as we know it. So much of how we think about beer comes directly from his research, thinking and writing.  Hundreds of years from now, scholars and everyday people will read him to understand what beer was all about in our time.  

And my, how he could write!  Consistently clear, concise, informative and interesting.  Even those with tepid interest in beer could be drawn into the topic by his prose.  If he met a beer he didn't like, you hardly knew it.  He wrote descriptively, avoiding pejoratives and leaving readers to decide for themselves whether a beer might be to their liking. And despite the accolades and acclaim he received, despite international success, he was mercilessly demanding of himself.  Neither the quality nor the quantity of his work ever dimmed.

Despite his strong self-identity as a reporter, he was also a cheerleader for the topic he loved.  He pled passionately with editors, cajoled myopic consumers (often on airplanes) and castigated those few wayward brewers he met to embrace the flavorful, adventurous and interesting world of beers that he knew.  He traveled ceaselessly—in part to promote good beer—but also to comfort a barely hidden worry that if he didn’t go everywhere and try everything he would surely miss something deliciously important in our dynamic beer world.  As a result, no one captured our culture like he did—and I doubt anyone ever will.

Ray Daniels

My story is nothing terribly poignant or significant, but as I prepare for my 5th GABF, I can't help remember my 2nd one, when I met the man.  At the time I was working for Great Divide Brewing Co.  My self and the cellarman were talking at the brewer's gathering at Wynkoop, when he spotted Mr. Jackson (as I adressed him the handful of times I met him) on the other side of the room. We made our way over and introduced ourselves, and tried to avoid seeming to start struck. Essentially we told him that we were fans of his work and that we hoped had a chance to taste some of the beers we worked on. We also shared with him, that a few days before that we had been joking that he had probably forgotten more about beer than we would ever know.  He looked down into his nearly empty taster and sniffed, then looked back up at us and responded "that's entirely possible, as I have a very bad memory."  It's a silly little story, I know, but it's something I'll always remember.

Here'e to you Michael.  May your glass never be empty again.

Cheers,
Mike Gauthier
Court Avenue Brewing Co.

It is sad he has passed.  Anyone who knew him or had a chance to converse with him will cherish the memory.

Like many, I had hoped to meet him one day during my comings and goings in this industry. Finally, I met him by chance 3 years ago during the CBC in Portland, OR while we both attended a party at one of the local pubs.

Everyone was sipping some heavy Belgian-type brews and we were well on with them. Many brewers were greeting him and congratulating him right off the bat – it was hard not to! To me however, it seemed he was a little tired of the same-old-same-old. I was a bit nervous, but I walked over and asked him how he was doing and we started chatting about almost everything BUT beer. He really seemed to brighten up.  In the end I realized something that his friends and family already know – he was not just a one dimensional character. Michael Jackson was a man worth knowing in his own right.

Jonathan Morse

I am profoundly saddened by Michael's untimely passing.  I was one of thousands of people around the World who are fortunate to have enjoyed his friendship and marveled at his vast knowledge of great beers.  As a fellow Brit, I also appreciated his great wit, even when I was on the wrong end of it.  By the same token, I know he would enjoy one last parting from me.   The great thing about being around him was that, no matter what the occasion, he always made me feel a little better about the way I was dressed.

I know I speak for all his brewing friends in Washington State in saying that Michael inspired many of us and had a huge impact on the art of brewing.  This is a huge loss to those who love real beer.

Best regards,
George Hancock
Chairman Pyramid Breweries Inc

I met Michael for the first time in 1976. I started my first job as Master Brewer, at the ALFA Brewery in Heerlen, Netherlands. One of our beers was called SUPER DORTMUNDER and Michael liked it very much. Michael visited with me lot's of the years, either in the Netherlands, Belgium, or Germany. After my move to the USA, he came to visit me at the start up of CAPITAL Brewery in Madison, WI. After I moved to Frankenmuth, MI, and we started Frankenbmuth Brewery, Michael was a regular guest in the Brewery, the city, and at my house. Many good friends visited together; the late Roger Briess, Fred Eckhardt, Marie Ann Gruber, Fred Schumacher and Michael. Also, we started the TASTE OF THE GREAT LAKES, and I had the honor of introducing Michael to the MI homebrew community, especially the AABG (Ann Arbor Brewers Guild).

We had lot's of FUN.

Michael, you will be missed..............................................

Fred M. Scheer
BOSCOS Nashville Brewing Co,

As a writer for the Wall Street Journal, I was a stranger and an outsider to the beer community when I began my research for my beer book travelogue,"Travels with Barley" back in 2002. I found beer world to be an immensely hospitable place and among those who helped me most was Michael Jackson. Here was a guy with an enormous reputation and huge following who could have easily seen and treated me as an interloper. But he instantly greeted me as a peer and friend, delivered sage advice and, on more than one happy occasion, shared his stories and wisdom over a pint or two. Beyond that, whenever I was stuck with some beer question and needed a solid answer, I would inevitably visit Michael's website or his books where would loom--in Michael's clear, crisp, eloquent prose--my answer. He was a first-rate journalist, a lovely writer but more than that a lovely person, and he will surely be missed by all who knew him.

Ken Wells, New York, N.Y.

I'm not sure what to say. Michael's books and video segments have been inspirational to me in developing a love for beer. New Zealand is a long way from his stomping grounds, but he might have liked to know that his inspiration led myself and others to form SOBA as New Zealand's first beer advocacy group.

I'd always hoped to meet you, Michael. I feel like I've lost someone I knew personally.

I'll raise a glass tonight.

Greig McGill
Secretary
Society Of Beer Advocates (SOBA) Inc.

This only touches on one small corner of the person who Michael was. I'm sure others will fill in the rest. I'm sure I was not alone in raising a glass to Michael's departure last night (actually 2 - one of beer and one of whisky). Perhaps that's the best tribute we can offer.

Steve Bradt

I know it might sound trite, but Michael Jackson was my hero. His books and Beer Hunter TV episodes solidified in me a true love for craft beer. I made it my goal over the last 17 years to visit every locale featured in the Beer Hunter series, and his guidance led me to understand and appreciate the beers and brewing traditions of Europe. Michael inspired me to become a beer judge, host tastings, run beer festivals, and write for beer publications. I've judged with him at the Great American Beer Festival and shared delightful conversations over a beer or two. He has quite possibly done more for the
appreciation of modern craft beer than any other person. I feel as though the beer world has lost its guiding force, but Michael would not want us to mourn his life. He would encourage us to continue the evolution of great beer culture that he helped start.
A Trappist monk once said, "In heaven there is no beer -- that's why we drink it here." For Michael's sake, I hope the monk was wrong.

Owen Ogletree
www.ClassicCityBrew.com
Southern Brew News
Atlanta Cask Ale Tasting

I had met and spent time with Michael many times – still not enough time of course. At this point I am reminded of the famous cartoon of Michael suffering with bland beer in a fiery hell.  I hope and trust that Michael went to the other place - Beer heaven and enjoys the perfect pint for eternity.

Gary Spedding, Ph.D

Here in Philadelphia, we’re crying into our beer today. Michael was a frequent visitor to our town, and I was fortunate to share more than a few pints with him. His annual tutored tasting at the University of Pennsylvania Museum drew more than 1,000 devoted fans for 17 consecutive years. His visits helped Philly identify itself as a beer town. His praise for our beer joints and local breweries couldn’t help but make us feel like we had something special going.

Personally, I loved the guy because, like me, he was a newspaperman. Whenever we chatted, he was more interested in tabloids than beer. I’d like to think we had similar career paths, from newspapers to beer. But that’s as far as the comparison goes. No one else is in his league.

Thanks, Michael, for the inspiration. And the lambic.

Don Russell a/k/a Joe Sixpack, Philadelphia Daily News

The best moment with Micheal I had was probably in San Diego, 2004. It was my first time in the USA, judging for the WBC, and MJ had a hard judging session the first morning session. When he finally came out to lunch, he was directed by the staff to an empty table, but he refused. Instead, he stated: "I'd like to sit with my buddies", referring to us (there was a group of us, Derek Walsh, Carl Kins, Lorenzo, myself, and various others already enjoying lunch). I guess he was getting fed up with all kind of people who wanted to be photographed with him...

Nevertheless, he has always been very approachable for everybody.

He interrupted a TV interview with Tomme Arthur (that very same weekend) to greet us, when we arrived at Pizza Port (Solana Beach) after a visit to Stones brewery - the very first brewery I visited in the US, on the morning after arriving with a bit of a jet lag. Good memories indeed...

Farewell Michael.

Jos Brouwer

Michael was more than just a friend. Aside from personal memories, I know those of us in the beer writing community owe Michael a debt of gratitude. He wasn't just a pioneer in beer writing, he constantly shared the spotlight, and encouraged new writers to practice the craft. His other trait, which always drew my admiration, was the patient interest he gave to all his "fans". It never ceased to amaze me how courteous he was, no matter how many times he was stopped for "just one second" - he seemed to have plenty of those to go around. Still another lasting impression of Michael was at GABF and World Beer Cup judging, he was one of the most thoughtful and considerate judges with whom I've had the privilege of sharing a table.

Michael you are missed.

Gregg Smith

The last time I saw Michael he was in the area visiting Carolyn Smagalski after doing his annual Philadelphia stints at the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Monk's Cafe. Knowing that he and legendary brewer Bill Moeller (who helped start Brooklyn Brewing and the original Dock Street, among others) were old friends who hadn't seen one another in a while, I put together a Sunday brunch for the four of us at the Dock Street Brewery & Restaurant in Phoenixville on March 25. It turned out to be  a wonderful three-plus hours spent listening to two legends reminisce about old times and tell stories about the history that they'd helped shape with the enthusiasm and joy of men half their ages. If it all had to end, that bright and perfect Sunday afternoon when we all felt young again is as good a personal memory of the Bard of Beer as any.

Jack Curtin

It's incredibly sad to think of MJ not being with us. I know we knew of his illness and that life for him as of late not what it could be.  I personally put MJ on somewhat of a pedestal though, holding him in a larger than life kind of place.  One thing that always will stay with me is that I read something that he had written I could/can hear him speak it.  Michael spoke in the very same manner in which he wrote...this might not strike you as something extradinary but to me it says volumes about how articulate he was. MJ inspired me through his writing to pursue a career in brewing and to travel to Europe to seek out extradinary beers and places to enjoy them.  

To sit with him at the judging table at the WBC and the GABF more than a few times was such an honor.  I think the thing that truly amazed me was his tireless pursuit of beer, of drink in general and that he would do these things when he was obviously incredibly tired and should be resting.  It's a discipline you acquire to get the job done and MJ did it well.  I feel that in closing I should be said and will be said by many, many people that MJ really helped beer and very very much Craft Beer especially come a very long way.  It's really hard to think the man is gone now but I am incredibly indebted to him and I will do my part to continue what helped start.

Cheers MJ!  Goodbye Beer Hunter!

Todd Ashman
FiftyFifty Brewing Co.

I have never met Michael, but I feel like I knew him because he was very close with my sister in-law, Carolyn Smagalski. I spoke with her tonight, and she is absolutely heartbroken. I am mourning as well, because I feel like I missed out on knowing one of the nicest people that our planet has to offer.

Cheers, Michael. I was really looking forward to welcoming you to our family someday.

Christine Hanisco

Michael was always willing to talk with you, share the craft with you, whether it was beer or whisky.  My proudest moments are those when I could solicit his opinion, chat about a beer or whisky on a personal basis.  He has done so much for both crafts, I can't imagine a greater tribute than for everyone to work to make great beer and great whisky the standard throughout the world.

Bev D. Blackwood II
Saint Arnold Brewing Company

It was 3am in the morning, roughly two decades ago, when I found Michael on my local PBS station, hawking the beer hunter series, and setting the stage for the world of great beer before me. As my college friends and I watched with accompanying German, Belgian, and British beers before us, we grew to appreciate Michael's unique talents and observations of beer and the human condition. As for many of us, he set the stage for the resurgence beer as flavorful part of our daily lives. So it is fitting now, as I do with every beer I toast, cheers to our brothers with us (clink) , and (tap on the table) cheers to our brothers who our no longer with us. Thanks Michael.

Matt Swihart
Double Mountain Brewery

Michael Jackson, for me and many others, was a faithful guide into the vast and wonderful world of craft and imported beer. His passing is truly a great loss for great beer. My only consolation is that his knowledge and love for the finest beers in the world will live on through his writings. Mr. Jackson, you will be missed.

Shawn Connelly
beerphilosopher.com

Remembering a Beer Legend

On Wednesday August, 29th 2007, the world lost a beer legend.  I’m hesitant to write his name on account of the poor connotation it has developed due to a once famous pop star.  This Michael Jackson on the other hand was literally the forefather to  <<image001.jpg>> the 20th Century Classification System of the world’s most well known and not so well known beers.  Born in England on March 27th, 1942, Michael embarked upon his unforeseen destiny as a young under-aged boy writing for a small town tabloid about local pub beers and culture.  His early pub related articles continued to evolve as he started to focus on categorizing region specific beers.  His new founded Category System became so popular that he authored his first book in 1977 called, “The World Guide to Beer,” that was later translated in 10 languages.   Over the next 3 decades he traveled the world from the Baltic’s to the U.S. writing about and scientifically categorizing local regional beers by their ingredients, fermentation methods, climate influences and the culture and history they originated from.  He had a particular fondness for the completely different Universe of beers found throughout Belgium and the Netherlands.  To him it was uncharted territory.  To most these wine-like ancestors have remained undiscovered and hidden behind a few famous Belgium commercialized labels and some odd tasting U.S. specimens.
 
I had a special opportunity to hang out with Michael Jackson as his Chaperone during a four day annual competition event in Orlando known as “The Sunshine Challenge.” One of my many highlights was co-judging a few style categories and flights.  It was gratifying to know that our score sheets were consistently within a few points of each other.

Throughout those brief four days we shared a fair amount of time together during social events, beer judging and chill-time by the beer garden truck.  Michael was a somewhat shy and soft spoken person with witty British-Style humor but he didn’t really like having crowds around him all the time and it was my job to keep them away.  Trying to engage him in dialog proved to be challenging at first.  Shortly after we met I asked him what else he was into aside from beer.  His first response was, “Whisky.”  I stopped him quickly and probed a little harder.  “What else aside from alcohol are you into?”  That seemed to have taken him by surprise, probably because no one in public had ever asked him a question that wasn’t related to beer.  With a big smile he went on for hours about Rugby and other assorted interests.  It turned out that the man was equally as passionate about Rugby as he was with beer.  It was the first and only time that I ever spoke to someone about Rugby, or cared to for that matter.  Who knew that there are two separate divisions? League and Union.  Michael was a League-Man himself.  In fact, he was so intent on talking about Rugby that he completely ignored anyone who walked up with the intention of talking about something else, like beer.  As Michael went on, they would quickly become board and walk away.  As his Chaperone I thought, “Mission accomplished.”
 
Throughout his formidable career, Michael Jackson authored countless books, tour-guides, cliff-notes, articles and journals.  His writings are considered by many as, “The Gospels of Beer.”  Michael also held seminars, hosted radio and TV shows, taught classes, held seminars, judged in world renowned competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival and World Cub and all the time his sole purpose was to share the experiences and knowledge that he had gathered through decades of travels.

On Thursday morning August 30th, 2007 Michael Jackson died at age 65 after suffering over a decade with Parkinson’s disease.  His last Journal Publication in, “All About Beer Magazine,” was written one week and one day before on Wednesday, August 22nd titled, “Did I Cheat Mort Subite?”  A website version of this article can be read at the following link:  http://www.allaboutbeer.com/

Michael Jackson was a quite humble man with a strong passion and commitment.  His research, writings, terminologies and classifications not only defined beer as we know it today, but it also preserved the very origins and histories of regional beers from scientific and cultural perspectives.

I’m fortunate to have had a unique opportunity to learn a little something about Michael Jackson that wasn’t as well known.  The signed books with a special message thanking me for being his Chaperon will be treasured.  All of the beer-geeks across the world will miss him.

As I’m writing this article, I’m actually drinking a London-Porter and toasting my glass upward to a legend.  Oops, my glass is empty.  Off I go to the Frig for more.

Cheers!
Steve DellaSala
National BJCP Beer Judge and Meadmeister

Michael Jackson came to Anchor Brewing Co in the early 1980’s to visit the new brewery and some other California operations.  I got to meet him because he was wandering around, asking brewer’s questions, back when that was allowed.  He was nice enough to us all, and spent a good deal of time with Fritz, getting material for articles.  I believe this helped him choose a brewery to start with in the US for his Beer Hunter series, riding with the Anchor crew up to Tule Lake for the barley harvest.

I met him again at John Harvard’s Brew House in Cambridge, MA, when he was doing an update to a guide to US breweries, visiting 20 to 30 places a day.  Well, not that many, but he was being driven around, sampling beers and stopping for lunch when the time permitted.  After his Boston tour, he was whisked away to parts north and the local brewers started to compare notes on how he liked their beers.  I remembered a look of skepticism on his face when I told him our IPA was 65 BU’s, and he even commented, “Really?  65? Hmmm.”, so I said, “OK, how about 60.”  I do know he liked our food, because he insisted on finishing his mashed potatoes.

Tim Morse
Boston Beer Works

I’ve owned a beer bar for over 12 years, and have been involved in the business for over 25 years. I had the pleasure of having dinner with Michael twice, with my good friend Bill Woodring, founder of TAP-NY who invited me to join him and Michael. Despite his vast knowledge he was a modest gentleman and never made one feel out of place. It had been a few years between our meetings when I saw him at a book signing for his “Pocket Guide to Beer.” Without hesitation, he greeted me by name, and went on to sign the book “Good friends, good venison.” This was what we had at the last dinner years before! Despite the number of dining experiences he’s enjoyed with so many others, it was astounding that he remembered. The beer industry has lost a true champion of our cause. While so many prolific beer authors are still among us, there will never be another “Beer Hunter.” Rest in peace, Michael, and have a Burton Ale for me.

Brian Butler, Owner
The Golden Rail Ale House
Newburgh, NY

Beyond the Pale
Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, has been called home--probably for consultation-- by the Head Brewer.

The Beer World will miss him, though it will not forget him. The many current tributes will, properly, chronicle his titanic presence (now absence) on the world beer scene. Wonderful and appropriately laudatory commentaries will be penned, and that's as it should be.

But let's keep this in mind, too.

Michael Jackson was a regular guy. I mean that in the highest sense of the word. Because regular guys are the salt of this earth. At the risk of sounding ungrammatical, he was the type of guy that Everyman would enjoy hoisting a brew with.  To me, that's what the whole beer business should be about--good beer and good people to share it.

Sure, he had his patented shtick when performing, and most of us, who sat at his feet like Socrates' students, knew all the lines and when they would come. And, like children who ask for the same bedtime stories, we enjoyed the show. Who can forget the classic pairing of Richie Stolarz and Jackson at any beer event?

Did he know his beer? Yup. Did he have a wealth of knowledge and experience? yup. Was he revered? Yup.

But after it all, he'd sit down with any of us, hoist a glass and just shoot the sh!t without pretense or show. He knew that with beer there are no experts, though he was considered one. While he may have enjoyed the celebrity, he enjoyed life more, and that enjoyment was marked by his love of the average guy's beverage.

To me, Jackson's legacy will not be his monumental importance to the Beer World. It will be the fact that his life was a testimony to the importance of the regular guy.

So now another regular guy goes home. We all shall follow in our own time, because perfect health is, after all, merely the slowest way to die. But what lessens the import of that sad fact is that, while we're here, we can follow Michael Jackson's lead and enjoy the life allotted to us.

I'm raising my next pint to The Beer Hunter--and all the regular guys he represented.

Kurt Epps
The PubScout

Gordon Strong
President, Beer Judge Certification Program

I'd met Michael on several occasions, probably a few short of a dozen times... here in Madison, at the former Chicago Real Ale Festival and various other Chicago area beer events, at the GABF, at beer writers' dinners, and other occasions. One of the
first times was at a Minnesota Brewfest competition at the now defunct Sherlock's Home brewpub in suburban Hennepin County, southwest of Minneapolis.

The competition director asked me if I would be interested in judging Best of Show. Being asked to judge BoS at a homebrew competition was nothing new to me, so I reflexively agreed to do it. In that competition (had been going for some number of years, but it was my first time attending), the custom was to have a local judge, a visiting judge, and Michael Jackson judge the BoS. So I considered it to be somewhat more an honour to be asked than perhaps the"average" BoS.

But what I didn't know at the time is that the three of us would be judging on a stage... and with a microphone... and each of us expected to comment individually to the audience on each beer as it came before us. Yikes! That wasn't part of what I thought
I was agreeing to do. But I wasn't going to wimp out, so onward I went.

As it turned out, we didn't always agree on the beers. That's not unusual for a Best of Show, of course, but this was with "The Beer Hunter" and with an audience. Shortly after we had started, I got a gentle and quiet bit of advice in diplomacy from one of the organisers, but it wasn't an admonition not to disagree with Michael, but rather to be a little less analytical about technical flaws in the beers in light of the fact that the brewers of these beers were in the audience. Things went more smoothly as we went along, I became a little less nervous about the public spectacle, and I changed the focus of my comments to describing more of the positive aspects of the beers (for which Michael had an incredible talent). Sometimes the three of us agreed on the beers, and
other times we disagreed.

Afterward, one of the host club members approached me, introducing himself and shaking my hand, saying, "This is the first time we've ever had someone up there who didn't just parrot everything Michael said!" To be fair, I have to note that because we rotated the speaking order with each beer, I sometimes had to speak not yet having heard Michael's remarks. Although it was a compliment, and I accepted it as such, there was part of me thinking that while I was a reasonably experienced beer judge (and wouldn't have been asked to do BoS if I wasn't), I wasn't even remotely close to being in the same league as someone who's been travelling the world drinking beers and writing about them for decades. By comparison, what did I know that qualified me to disagree with this legendary figure?

Yet when we got together at the bar afterward for yet another beer and a chat over a Scottish ale (Michael maintained that the Scottish ales at Sherlock's and at various other brewpubs in the States were superior to those in Scotland), he struck me as genuinely personable and that he probably even enjoyed the give and take over the merits of the beers and the fact that we had different opinions about them, willing to listen and respect what others had to say rather than imposing his considerable expertise.

(And about Michael's talent for diplomacy in commenting on beers, I recall a homebrew tasting event and competition being done in conjunction with a NHC regional outside of Chicago for which the entrants were directed to use a breakfast cereal as an adjunct. Michael went around to sample from all the taps, taking notes along the way, and later offered summary comments on each entry before indicating his top choices. One of the beers was what most of us would have described as infected, but Michael's comment described the beer's predominant characteristic as"tartness.")

Another thing I found remarkable about him is that whatever we may joke about not being able to remember much the next day after a session of drinking beer, to the contrary, beer must actually be a very good memory aid. It must be, because for all the many thousands of people Michael encountered in his beer journeys, I would often find myself surprised that he would
remember me--and I'm not the only one who has had this experience--and he would refer to some shared experience from a previous meeting or it would seem that we could almost pick up and continue a conversation started many months or even a couple years earlier.

Farewell, Michael, and may the heavenly taps always pour you a perfect pint.

Now go have a beer,

Bob Paolino
Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild / Great Taste of
the Midwest
Great Lakes Brewing News
BJCP National Judge

Michael was always willing to talk with you, share the craft with you, whether it was beer or whisky.  My proudest moments are those when I could solicit his opinion, chat about a beer or whisky on a personal basis.  He has done so much for both crafts, I can't imagine a greater tribute than for everyone to work to make great beer and great whisky the standard throughout the world.

-BDB2
Bev D. Blackwood II

Michael Jackson was a troublemaker as far as I'm concerned. It is his fault I became so obsessed with great beer - first Britain, then Belgium, then back home to the US. I blame him for giving me the notion I could write articles about beer, get paid for it, and eventually even write a book on it. And lastly, I blame him for making every beerlover in the US proud of their country's beers.

But the troublemaking didn't stop with the common beerdrinker. He was always rattling cages in the industry - complaining about some little Belgian brewery getting gobbled up, or some obscure style like Saison or Cask-conditioned ales being on the verge of extinction, or tasking Americans to respect their beer craft

And then there was "The Palate" (i've tried, and i'll never make it to that level) that could detect flavors, aromas, and adjectives beyond the capability of mere mortals. The scholarly, worldly man, somehow not so far removing from "sinking a few pints." This is a man after all, who in the middle of a lecture and tasting in an archaelogical museum, excused himself to use the bathroom! (a moment I will always treasure).

To paraphase WC. Fields: "A man drove me to drink good beer, and I never had the decency to thank him for it."

Well, to be true, I thanked him for it on many occasions, and this just marks one more.

Slainte Beerhunter.

Kevin Trayner
Beer columnist, beerlover, homebrewer, and beerwriter
Author of the Beer Drinker's Handbook

A few years back, I was approached by Keith Johnson and was asked if Pizza Port Solana Beach would be interested in bottling some of our Belgian Style beers for Michael Jackson's Rare Beer Club.  It was this relationship with the club that afforded me some fantastic opportunities to experience Michael both in and out of the limelight that followed him like a giant shadow on a sunny day.

In 2004, the Craft Brewing World headed to San Diego to see what was happening in this great beer town.  Keith mentioned to me that Beverage Bistro and The Rare Beer Club was interested in shooting some video of Michael in our brewery for a upcoming DVD.  To say I was shocked misses the enormity of the situation.

We set the schedule to shoot the video on the Monday prior to the conference.  When I told Vince and Gina about this, they were both quick to point out that we should have lunch ready for Michael.  He wouldn't really be interested in having pizza.  So Vince developed a menu and decided we'd be having Kobe Beef.  

Michael arrived as Vince was setting up out front to cook lunch.  Michael chatted up Vince about the mini outdoor kitchen he was working on.  The camera crew finished their setup and soon, we were shooting the sequence for the DVD.  Gina arrived with her daughter Skye in tow for lunch.  She was hoping that Michael would agree to take a picture with Skye.   He did.  The picture came out great and it hangs in her office to this day.  I know from talking to Gina this is her most favored Michael moment.

We sat down after the shoot and ate lunch in the restaurant.  Vince cooked, Gina got her picture and I had an opportunity to show "the man" my brewery.  It was a surreal day in many ways.  Yesterday was clearly a sad day.  We lost a legend.  We lost our Elvis.

The entire Pizza Port family of brewers wishes to say Thanks to the man.  His legacy will remain.  His writings will continue to inspire new generations of brewers.  And at the end of the day, we're just lucky to have been given that one Monday afternoon of his time.  Lord knows, he didn't have enough of it.  Yesterday confirmed this.


Gina, Tomme, Vince and The Entire Pizza Port Brew Crew.

Wherever you are now, Michael, I hope you are able to know the depth of our appreciation for you. For your efforts, we have lived fuller, tastier, happier lives. We were so lucky to have had you in our midst.

Thanks so much, Michael. I miss you already.

Ken Schramm
The Compleat Meadmaker

We'll be reaching into a dark and dusty corner of the cellar this evening to pour a proper toast in tribute to Michael's enduring legacy.

Alec Stefansky,
Skot Colacicco
Uncommon Brewers

Since we have already tapped the other options, we'll choose to honor now.

Most of us here have followed a muse that Michael revealed and therefore we'd like to honor his great human accomplishment (converting beer drinkers into beer brewers) with the tale of his conversion of us.

It began in 1988 beer tasting at The Brickskeller where Ron was there as novice homebrewer seeking to learn more about his new-found passion of beer. He carried with him two copies of Michael’s Pocket Guide to Beer. While Michael was signing them, Ron apparently shared with him the dreams of two best friends who aspired to enjoy the best beers and so Michael wrote, “Dear Ron, Brew good beer, get a pub! Cheers, Michael Jackson”

Flash forward to Victory Brewing Company today.

Not a single letter was on our business plan then and we were then a financial analyst and an art director.

Do you not believe that his honest suggestion worked?

His writings fermented the Campaign for Real Ale, which in turn inspired American homebrewers to join the fight against flavorless industrial beers and put their lives into the craft of quality beermaking.

In 1996 Ron and I fulfilled Mr. Jackson’s entreaty after 7 years of brewing for others.

And we are just two of these many he spawned.

Our toast to Michael is this. Michael, we remained committed to inspire, as you had done so graciously yourself. As the bubbles rise perpetually from our glass, may you too come to find rest on the pillowy froth of sublime content.

- Bill & Ron / Victory Brewing Company

I opened up the paper this morning and I couldn’t have been more stunned to read the terrible news. Not only was he an inspiration to me but unknowingly was a silent mentor through his profound teachings. His wit and sense of humor was what made his work uncompromisingly the best. I never had a chance to meet him but felt as though I already knew him. He was undoubtedly a major force in my decision to make beer my life. It is indeed a very sad day. With that being said, I believe that it is time to go down to the cellar, dust off an aging Thomas Hardy and raise a glass to one of the most influential people in my life that I have never met.

Cheers to the Beer Hunter!

Chris Mallon
Brewer, Clipper City, Baltimore

Ted Johnston, Phoenixville PA

My grandson turned 21 a few months ago and it was with the help of your book (an encyclopaedia, really) "The New World Guide to Beer" that I was able to enlighten him as to why people enjoyed beer as a beverage, as opposed to a cheap way to get plastered, which was the impression he got from his underage buddies consuming mass quantities of cheap suds. A half-hour's skim through the "beer bible" and I was able to convince him to try a well-pulled pint of IPA, which put him on the road to redemption. He now understands the idea of beer as a delicacy to be experienced and an adjunct to a rich and full life.

Michael, thank you again. Your efforts were greatly appreciated!

Doug Pocius

There probably isn't much more that can be said, but I have to try. The first thing I think of, other than personal memories of the
man, is that he was an original. Weird entertainers aside, there will never be another Michael Jackson. How could there be! It's a
cliche that he was "larger than life," but he was indeed!

Michael was one of two special people I think of, who relatively early on, "reached down" from the commercial brewing world
and embraced the home brewing movement, giving us a public respectablity that we'd have had a harder time winning otherwise.
Fritz Maytag was the first and Michael was the second.

The 1982 AHA Conference, where I first met Michael, was bracketed by two brewery tours. The first was an extended tour of
Coors, the world's largest brewery, led by Coors pilot brewer, the late Gil Ortega.

The second was a bus tour out to the rural location (a converted chicken coop) which housed the fledgling Boulder Brewing
Company. Michael, of course, showed equal interest at both places, though we suspected we knew which beer he might have preferred. He respected both.

Mark Twain, in one of my favorite quotations, once said, "it takes at least three weeks to write a good extemporaneous speech." Michael's writings and public speaking both exhibited a relaxed, seemingly effortless, eloquence. However, anyone who has tried either pursuit realizes that, if either is to really succeed, the final third of one's effort is spent making it look effortless.

I remember several times where Michael passed up a chance to
socialize and enjoy the parties at various conferences because he had a deadline he had to meet. That discipline was one of the things that made him an original. Along with his humor, wit, and down to earth humility, it is one of the reasons he will be missed. We need more like Michael Jackson!Byron Burch
The Beverage People

Larry Johnson
Northern Virginia

Michael Jackson, by Charles Finkel

October of 1978 seems a long time ago. The news on the car radio that night was of terrorism in Afghanistan!  Rose Ann and I were on our way to SeaTac airport to pick up Michael Jackson. While we had not met him in person, we had a hint about his personality having read The World Guide to Beer, the best book ever written about the subject. This extraordinary treatise presented beer as it should be viewed, something no less noble than wine. In it, Michael Jackson taught me about the classic brewing styles and inspired our company to offer the best example of each of them. Rose Ann had gotten Michael's number through the London operator and I telephoned him there. I told him how much we loved his book, how it answered many of the questions I had about beer, and, how it had influenced our business direction. He was a pleasure to talk to and readily accepted my invitation to come to Seattle, to stay at our home, and to speak to local customers and friends about beer.

In those days you could still meet people at the gate. We spotted him immediately.  Of medium height, perhaps a bit stout, looking slightly disheveled (understandable for the veteran of a trip that took him from his home in London, to New York to Seattle, with stops at god knows where else,) Michael was as distinct from the other passengers as the craft beer that he wrote about, from the mass market beers Americans were drinking at the time.  He was a combination of Highland tweed, worsted wool from his native Yorkshire, American Levis, a natty tie covered in beer mugs, and two tone lace up brogues. His shaggy hair, beard and thick glasses added even more natural texture to his persona. He had a gentle, classical English accent, occasionally punctuated with an American phrase or two, digressing from one point and returning to it with the smoothness of a silky stout.  Michael was engaging, and from the second me met, we were charmed. 

I grabbed his well-worn suitcases. They were heavy, really heavy, like they were full of books and bottles of beer. When we set him up in the guest bedroom, we discovered that they were, indeed, stuffed with books - his own and ones that he was reading about rugby and jazz, as well as books and beers that he collected along the way. Also heavy was his typewriter. Over the next several days and during subsequent visits he would use it religiously, as if an appendage of his fertile mind.

Before dinner, we shared a beer or two and talked. Having traveled widely in America, he knew much more about this country than the average American.  We discovered that we were about the same age and of the same Eastern European stock. He could have been my cousin. At dinner we drank Yuengling Porter, Aasa Bok and Samuel Smith Pale Ale—all from breweries he had visited. He enjoyed them all, particularly the Samuel Smith, since it reminded him of his youth. He was amazed and pleased that the beers of this independent brewery were being distributed in America. Rose Ann served local oysters on the half shell, home grown greens, wild salmon, local cheese and dark chocolate. Afterwards we drank some single malt whiskey. He favored the peaty ones, from Islay but choose Highland Park as his favorite. Michael was interested not only in the taste, but the terroir, of everything that he ate and drank— a slow foodie before there was a Slow Food movement. He was a brilliant conversationalist, whether it was talking to our kids, 2 year old, Amy and 4 year old, Andy, or to our neighbor, a Nobel Prize winner. We spent the remainder of the week eating, drinking, giving seminars and seeing Seattle but most of all talking. He was a good listener and during our time together, we talked a lot about beer, marketing and publishing. He shared with us, stories of his youth (his father was a truck driver in Huddersfield, Yorkshire,) his personal life (his wife had recently died in an terrible accident,) his career (he dropped out of high school because he knew more than his teachers and went to work as a journalist,) his first book, the excellent The English Pub, described as "a unique social phenomena,” whiskey (he was writing a book about it when we met,) war (he was a war correspondent in Bangladesh,) and politics (he leaned so far left that had he expressed his core beliefs in print, he would have been tarred and feathered in the deep South; coincidentally, a part of the country that to this day hasn't developed much of a beer culture.) 

During that week, wherever Michael went, he spread good cheer, the best representative possible for craft beer. He made friends easily and treated everyone, from the janitor to the president, with respect. His enthusiasm and knowledge was infectious. Introduced to the largest local restaurant chain, they immediately asked him to be their consultant to design their draft program and select their beers. He did so for years, before they were sold to another company, and then sold a second time. Introduced to people in the media, he was a big hit and was always invited back on his return. Though he wasn't well known at the time, he became an instant celebrity at the best restaurants and shops. Michael became a part of our family. Our kids loved him to visit; so did we. In the following decade we saw Michael, his significant other, Paddy Gunningham, and their daughter Samantha, at their home in Hammersmith and at ours in Seattle. When we visited there, we pub jumped along the Thames before dinner at their home or at a local Indian restaurant.  It was great fun to be updated about what he was working on at the time: visits to breweries;  a new or revised book; a trip to the GABF; the Craft Brewer's Conferences; the Home Brewer's Conference; to Belgium; Japan; Germany, Finland;  to beer festivals, other conferences, and events worldwide—what a schedule! "Cheers" he would say as he lifted a glass, before telling a funny story or sharing news of a new stout from Estonia. I shared ideas about introducing beers like oatmeal stout with Michael. His advice was invaluable. "What does an oatmeal stout taste like?" I asked. "I don't know," he told me,  "It hasn't been brewed for 50 years!"

Michael Jackson had a great influence on my career, and for that, I could never have thanked him enough. He had extraordinary energy and an incredible work ethic and enthusiasm, seldom turning down a request for an article, a book, or an appearance, whether it was from a major magazine, or an aspiring author that asked him to write a forward.  Our family looked forward to the release of his books, as we would of a relative, since many were partially written in our home. He and I traveled to his native Yorkshire to produce a video about The Old Brewery in Tadcaster. We co-wrote it, I directed it, and he acted in it. He wrote for our own publication, Alephenalia Beer News and spoke to our sales people, in Seattle, back east, and in London, at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, one of London's oldest pubs. To hear the bard of beer speak in such a hollowed location was close to a religious experience.

On another trip to Seattle, we drank newly arrived samples of delicious Ayinger dopplebock. He had visited the brewery and had high regard for their beer. We spent the evening trying to come up with a classic name for a dopplebock ending, as they traditionally end in "ator" something learned from The World Guide to Beer. After a couple of hours of hilarious conversation, Rose Ann suggested the name Celebrator, Michael really liked it. So did the Inselkammers. We introduced the beer here with what Michael dubbed "The holy goat," a small plastic goat hanging from the neck. He wrote several funny ads for our newly introduced beer, later to be regarded, by him and other writers, as a world classic. It also became the name one of the earliest and most successful U.S. “brewspapers,” Celebrator Beer News.

Michael was a kind and generous friend and an inspiration to scores of people in the beer trade, including Jim Kennedy, America’s first great craft beer wholesaler distributor. Jim hosted us in Portland where we enjoyed a fantastic beer dinner, obviously the work of serious beer lovers. I was proud to have Michael wear a necktie of my design, covered with beer labels.

Both Michael and I were speakers at "The World Beer Cup," held just before Oktoberfest in Munich in 1996 and a dinner was presented in our honor at the Brauerei Gasthof Aying during that time. We learned that Prince Luitpold, a neighboring brewer at Kaltenberg Castle, was invited but couldn't come. A baron, living in a medival Bavarian castle brewery a few kilometers away did, along with the head of the Bavarian Brewer's association, other brewers and the media - about 50 people.  The event was held at Sixtof,  Aying's museum of early Bavarian life. Michael and I sat next to each other, flanked one each side by close friends, Braü Franz and Angela Inselkammer. Franz asked us both to stand up and the whole group toasted us "Prost" to your health" with an Altbairisch Dunkel. After we sat down, smoked venison with a horseradish sauce was served. Michael looked at me and said in his distinct accent, "Not bad for two Jewish guys that like beer!"

He wrote about our Pike Place Brewery in the Independent and he featured labels of my design and discussions of the beers we represented in many of his books. One of his favorite beers was Orval. When asked by the brewery who would be a good agent for their beer in the U.S. Michael told them about me. Michael celebrated his 50th birthday at a party at our home after his appearance at Home Brew U, Liberty Malt's educational seminar about home brewing in 1993. We brewed Pike Old Companion with his photo on the label for the ocassion. Old friends that attended included Bill Owens, Dr. Michael Lewis, Vince Cottone, Alan Moen, Paul Hadfield, Fal Allen, Dick Cantwell, Kevin Forhan, Gene Ford, and others. Someone presented Michael with a knitted cap fitted with space for two beer cans having tubes going down to his mouth! He wore it graciously, though he wasn't into kitsch or cliché. He especially tired of people making silly jokes confusing him and the singer with the same name.

I was especially proud to be presented with achievement awards by Michael in Chicago in 1996 (he had many friends in Chicago including Laura Blasingame, Randy Mosher, Alan Dikty, John Hall and Ray Daniels) and at the Craft Brewer's Conference in Portland, in 1997, and later, to compare beer tasting notes with him in public, at All About Beer Magazine, though my greatest honor was of being asked to join some of Michael's friends to roast him at U. of Penn Museum of Archeology in 2000. Each year he conducted a tasting there to promote craft beer as a part of "The Book and the Cook," which has raised money for the museum for over 18 years. Michael was the biggest draw year after year. The museum has the largest collection of cuneiform tablets with beer recipes in he world. An elegant dinner, amongst antiquities was held in his honor. It was a great time – a special gathering that included his friends Charlie Papazian, Fred Eckhardt, Carole Stoudt, Garrett Oliver, Fritz Maytag, Sam Calagione, Steve Hindy, Tom Dalldorf, Daniel Bradford, Stephen Beaumont, Oliver Hughes, Bill Owens, Tony Forder, John Hansell, Tom Peters, and others. 

Michael and Charlie Papazian whom Michael acknowledged as the most important force in the American Craft beer movement, presented a workshop on Trappist Ales at Slow Food's Salone del Gusto in 1998. We contributed some of the beers. After Charlie sent the Salone program to us, Rose Ann and I decided to attend. We are indebted to both of them for introducing us to the Slow Food movement and for introducing us to people like Carlo Petrini, Slow Food editor, John Irving and many others. With Michael, Rose Ann and I explored Torino, famous for coffee, chocolate, wine, great food and cinema - he liked them all.  

Michael came to Seattle a couple of times after that, though his trips became a little less frequent, and we, no longer in the beer business were spending more time in Italy then England. Until the CBC in Seattle in 2006, we hadn't seen him for several years.  Friends that did mentioned that he did not “look good.”  People assumed that his Czech today - Chicago tomorrow schedule and his requirement to drink for a living were ruining his health. I knew that Michael never had a drinking problem. He loved the taste and tradition of drinks but I never observed him to be inebriated.  During the conference, we had a dinner party in his honor and it was great fun. Guests included our son Andrew (now 33) and his wife, Stefaney, Michael's Belgian publisher of his seminal Great Beers of Belgium - Ben Vinken, Steven Holt, father and son, Roger and Floris Mussche, Lucy Saunders, Elva and Horst Dormbusch, and Jim and Mary Figel. Though it was obvious to Rose Ann that he likely had Parkinson's, he didn't mention it and was articulate and a delightful dinner companion, talking about politics, beer and the lady with whom he had fallen in love.

Each time Michael returned to Seattle over the last 29 years, the beer scene has greatly improved, significantly because of his research, scholarship, extraordinary writing ability and friendship with so many people, all combined with his significant celebrity. He is the first superstar of beer.  Michael Jackson was most of all, a great artist!  His books, lectures, videos, appearances, and the beers they spurned, introduced a whole new generation of beer enthusiasts and brewers to classic brewing styles, the culture and taste of beer, in the U.S. where we have gone from two craft brewers in 1978 to more than 1300 today; in Belgium where he is responsible for resurrecting a moribund brewing culture; in his own England, where when he started writing he witnessed a disproportionate growth in light lager at the expense of the traditional ales that he loved; and then a renaissance of traditional styles; and throughout the world, where the old model of only light lagers being available is hopefully, gone forever.

In Seattle, we have a special feeling for Michael. On his first visit, there were no local craft brewers. We now have more than 16 in greater Seattle alone, 83 in the state. He taught us about classics like IPA, porter and barley wine. All are now commonplace. Per capita consumption of craft beer here is, thanks to him, among the highest in the country.  Who knew when we asked that London operator for the number of Michael Jackson; that he would go on to change our world. Perhaps he knew, but if so, he didn't reveal it. Michael remained humble to his dying day.

I was in the car when I learned of my friend’s death.  Afterward, the news on the radio was the same as when we first met. Those were the dark ages, and I don't mean the color, for beer. We are now enjoying a renaissance of beer and brewing, and one man, more than any other is responsible for the change.  Michael came along just at the right time but left too early.
Here's to Michael! 
Cheers to Beer.

I met Michael Jackson 6 months into my first brewing job at McMenamins Edgefield Brewery in Troutdale, Oregon in 1993.  Six months prior to this I was a homebrewer looking to go pro and was greatly inspired to do so by my growing passion for handcrafted beer which like so many others at that time was heavily influenced by the books of Michael Jackson – who showed us the amazing array of beers and brewing history and culture around the world – and Charlie Papazian who showed us we could be a part of it – “Relax , don’t worry, have a homebrew.”

Michael visited Edgefield in July of 1993 to check us out, taste our beers and see this crazy world the McMenamins were creating at the time.  The brewery was open well before the rest of the property and Jackson was there to visit in conjunction with the annual Oregon Brewer’s Festival.   Along with the rest of the brew crew there I was giddy and nervous to meet the man who knew the world about beer.

The experience was an epiphany for me in many ways.  The guy was witty, disarming, and quite curious about what we were doing.  I remember a comment on the fact that we were playing with lager yeast and Belgian yeast as well ; “It seems you’re not afraid to honor tradition while trying to enhance and be creative, that seems to be a common thread with new American brewers.”    At the time I was a rookie brewer; I really did not know diacetyl from doorknobs and the experienced brewers there… Eric Lengvenis, Christian Krogstad, and Lee Medoff  were a bit worried about giving Michael some of our beer that was slightly tainted with diacetyl.  But sample it he did and when Eric mentioned the diacetyl Michael paused and then went on a small dissertation of how he actually enjoyed a bit of diacetyl in pale ale styles and thought it was a nice complement to round out the flavors of malt and spicy hops.  (I secretly thought the same thing, but I was not about to say that for fear of being crushed by my superiors’ opinions) – until Michael stood up and called it as he saw it.  He went on to share his thoughts on judging a beer on its own merit and not being too clinical, or critical, or deconstructive about it – words I have heard him say often afterwards. He seemed to enjoy most of our beers, especially one called “Ananda” which approached the character of today’s Double IPA’s – hugely hoppy and over 7.5 percent – a couple years later I read about Edgefield’s beers in his new release of  “The Pocket Guide to Beers” and yes he spoke fondly of Ananda; a fun experience for me to read – for I was there with the Beer Hunter….  After several beers we decided to see if he still enjoyed Scotch – in the brewer’s office we had a nice stash of single malt Scotch for after-hours – he perked right up and enjoyed some McCallan and Laphroaig with us.  

I was a little late to sit down in the powwow for I was the new guy and had to finish up the CIP before I could indulge – but Michael, after returning from a restroom break, came up to me to watch a little and was very friendly.  He asked a few questions about the brewing system and also about me; “How’s life as a new brewer,” he asked, I replied “I love it, but it does cut into my time in the sun.”  He then quipped, “well, if it makes you feel any better, I don’t trust a brewer with a tan anyway…”  

 I did not see him for another 12 years as I opened a brewery in the Philippines and then in Maui, Hawaii – being an Island brewer is a bit isolating.  I saw him again at GABF a couple years back and said hello; I dunno if he remembered me but I sure do him.  Especially when in the judge’s orientation he spoke up to share some wisdom, he stated that the world was looking at us for innovation and direction.  He stated that judges should work together to reward beers for their own merit not deconstruct them.  It was very reminiscent of the dissertation he gave in the Edgefield Brewer’s office – I felt blessed to have heard that 12 years prior.   I must also add that during the 12 years or so I did not see him he was with me with his writing in various forms which I always enjoyed and learned from.  My favorite?  It has to be his monumental “The New World Guide To Beer.”  I have combed through that book so much that its pages are worn.  The information on beer culture, history and examples from all over the world colored my world with what is and what could be possible with my brewing and beer in America. It inspired me to travel a bit like he has, to seek the places and understand the people and cultures from where these beers have been created – with some of this understanding I know I’ve been able to be creative and innovative while honoring tradition…. And when time allows I’m able to work on my tan…   Thank-you for leading the way Michael, thank you for sharing your passion!

Sincerely,
With Aloha,

Thomas Kerns
Maui Brewing Co.

Michael was the first serious writer and reporter to focus on the wonderful, mysterious history of brewing. For millions of readers and viewers, he unlocked the secrets of ale, lager and lambic, of Oktoberfest, India Pale Ale and the myriad of beer styles.  His books and articles saved many breweries from extinction and inspired a new generation of brewers in America and abroad.  He tirelessly visited breweries all over the globe, and he was never satisfied talking to the marketing departments. He went straight to the brewers with his encyclopedic knowledge of beer styles and the brewing process.  He elevated the status of beer in the world.  We craft brewers can best honor him by continuing to brew beers of character and individuality.        

Steve Hindy

It is a terrible loss of such an influential person in the world of spirits.  However, his impact and legacy will live and grow from the seeds of information he has sewn over the years that have inspired so many to do their own search. For many, including myself, I explored and used creativity in beer styles through homebrewing. Though not a brewer himself, Mr. Jackson was a significant inspiration for adventure and quality.

A never-ending toast to Mr. Jackson. A rare person whose personal passion connected with so many of us, thanks for all the stories & knowledge.

Ted ONeill

Unfortunately, a dear, family friend (Doc) passed away last week as well. I attended the funeral ceremonies and expected little more than discussing fond memories with the small gathering and offering our final respects. But I found comforting and thought-provoking words from the preacher presiding over the ceremonies. In times such as these, he suggested we consider the Three R's. No, not the Three Words of wisdom from yester-year - Reading, wRitng and aRithmetic. But the Three Words of reverence for our dearly departed - Rememberance, Review, and Re-Focus.

"Duty, Honor, Country. Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you ought to be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn."

Three final words for Michael Jackson - Cheers, Thanks, Goodbye.

Inspiring thousands of people around the world to enjoy and share. Michael is a great teacher of appreciation and honest craftsmanship.

Michael Jackson’s life on this earth will go on forever.

Cheers,
Mike McDanield

I thought I had nothing to add until I saw Gina, Tomme, and Vince’s thoughts that “we lost our Elvis”.

I was accidentally in the same pub with him for slightly less than an hour in a village outside RAF Milldenhall back in 1976.  I was on summer break from college in Colorado as part of my Air Force education.  It was my first real ale and real English pub experience wrapped into one.  When he left the building, someone remarked he was the chap who “wrote about ales and pubs”. Having the unsophisticated palate of a 20 year-old American of that era, I marveled at the interest the publican and several of the patrons had in conversing with him about the local offerings, especially when I didn’t have enough experience to appreciate it all.  I did use a valuable tool that evening that has served me well over the years by ordering “what the man on the end of the bar was drinking”.  I couldn’t in my wildest imagination comprehend a life devoted to writing about pubs or beer, especially when the writer seemed to have been a quiet professor who just left his University class.

A decade later when I really started to seek out the better and more remarkable beer (and found out who Mr. Jackson actually was), I started having regular close encounters with Michael, who by now was my own personal Elvis.  I always seemed to be a month, week or even a day ahead or behind him when I visited a brewery or a pub.  “You should have been here last week mate” was a familiar refrain.   With him probably “out-pubbing” me by a factor of 50-100, it was not difficult hearing about Elvis sightings. It took another decade later, in the late 90s, for me to finally meet him again at a tasting in NY, but there were too many people who wanted his time for me to actually speak to him then.

It was the 21st Century by the time I finally had a word with Michael. He was by far the most gracious and mannered person in a Beer World, I have to say, is over-populated by incredibly nice people.   I worked with him at a WBC and a GABF, had lunch, and went to several of “his” beer dinners, as well as tipped a pint or two at several pubs on an adjacent stool over those last years.  Above all, he was as gracious and learned a gentleman as I have ever met.

He was the center of my Beer Universe.  There will never be another Michael Jackson.  To borrow a musical term, he kicked the door down and everyone else just walked through.  He pitched that first yeast slurry in a million minds of wort.  He wrote about beer with such clarity that you could actually smell it, taste it, and feel it in your mouth with just the words from a page.   After reading all the comments about the man who taught me to appreciate beer from all the people who taught me how to brew beer, he has left us much better off than when he started his journey.  There may now be a huge Black Hole in the middle of my Universe, but Michael spawned a Thousand Stars to light the void. Quite the same way Elvis did.

A million Pints to you Michael!

Phil Farrell
Home Brewer                   

I.
"Where is my beer glass!"
I felt the fear and turmoil
"Here you are Michael."

II.
incredulous tongue
what's the matter with fruity?
pale ale makes me laugh

III.
bent, insightful, wry
barley made man the hunter
the pint is empty

Matt Stinchfield
The Palate Jack®

Michael Jackson was an adventurer when it came to food, beer and life's experiences.  I had the chance to mush with Michael on a dog sled in Eagle River, Alaska.  It was 20 below zero without wind-chill,  the dogs were loud, high-strung and had a bit of flatulence from their high-calorie diet.  As Michael was getting in the sled, I told Michael about a humorous mushing adage, "If you aren't the lead dog the scenery never changes."   Even with the dog's obvious flatulence, Michael was game for following these spirited eight dogs. Off we went and it was spectacular. We all had a blast, and it was fun to see Michael laughing and having fun in such an obviously different setting.  However, after the mushing Michael mentioned his preference for cats and hoped that none of his cat loving friends would see any pictures with him smiling amidst the dog sled team.  Michael, I know the cat-loving side of you might take offense, but to me you are the lead dog and you have changed the scenery for many who have followed you. Thank you, Michael.

Geoff Larson
Alaskan Brewing Company

Sadly, I never got a chance to meet Michael Jackson, although I've read his books (and still use them as reference sources). He has been an inspiration to me, both as a beer scribe and a beer drinker/enthusiast.

A toast by the global beer community to Michael is certainly in order. He was the guru of brew, and there is no one poised to take his place in terms of influence, knowledge, experience and pure taste.

Whether Michael's mention of "Mort Subite" in his final column was ironic or prescient, it was entirely appropriate for his dry wit (no pun intended), simultaneously referencing its translation, "sudden death," as well as the lambic beer and Brussels biercafe of the same name.

If, as the song goes, "In heaven there is no beer...," there will need to be some changes made -- and quickly -- now that Michael Jackson has checked in.

Cheers, Michael. Now you can taste the angel's share!

Tomm Carroll
L.A. Correspondent, The Celebrator Beer News

Mark Castleman
Big Dog Brewing Cooperative - West

Michael Jackson blessed me with his passion for beer and whisky. I’ve never met the man and he probably didn’t even know of my existence. What he also might not have known is that the vast bulk of craft beer brewed and enjoyed today in South Africa is directly attributed to his writings. It first inspired me in 1988 when I read his pocket booklet. Ten years later I opened my own microbrewery and distillery in South Africa. A host of others have followed. I did not just read his books – I studied them and it allowed me to evangelize with authority about beer, in a way that nobody dared question cause: Michael Jackson said so! I learned whole paragraphs of his writings by heart and recited it at my brewery tours and whisky tastings to spread the gospel – much to the delight of all imbibers – and I hope in future much to MJ’s delight. As his lifelong scholar this knowledge and passion led me to establish the now renowned homebrew movement, the Worthog Brewers which snowballed into a myriad of beer and whisky clubs. I heard of Michael Jackson and Luciano’s Pavarotti’s death at about the same time. I am convinced that in our lifetime we would not see anyone come close to filling the giant shoes of those two maestros’.

In a way nothing has changed for me personally because I didn’t interact with Michael Jackson in person – so I cannot say that I will miss him – his presence and legacy will be with me daily, as it has been for the last 18 years, as I mash in yet another batch of beer, distil another malt, or share with friends this passion.

Moritz Kallmeyer
Brewmaster & Distiller
Drayman’s Brewery & Distillery
South Africa

My first meeting with Michael was at the 2000 WBC. I was a new brewer with only 2 years under my belt but a passion for beer. Being from the Wisconsin and visiting New York for the first time I was awestruck by everything I was experiencing. There was a reception at Brooklyn brewing followed by most of the group going over to a local pub to throw back a few pints. Knowing the
best way to meet people was to buy them a beer, I found myself at the bar buying Michael a pint as soon as he came into the bar. We shared a few moments chatting over the beer and the wonders of New York. As it has been said so many times he was so kind and engaging with everyone. In the next few days I would find myself holding 2 WBC gold medals and great memories of
the week.

With the anniversary of 9-11 looming, my memories of those few days stay with me. During our stay we spent a night in one of the hotels at the trade center. My boss booked us rooms in Newark and we did not want to travel back after drinking one evening. I am still drawn back to the week we spent there and the events to follow only 14 months later.

Michael will always be in my mind when I think of New York and the WBC. I will continue to read and enjoy all of his writings as I re-read them looking for a hint to make my self a better brewer and ambassador of beer.

Thank you Michael and may god bless you and your family in your passing.
Todd Krueger
Brewmaster
Pioneer Brewing Co.
Sand Creek Brewing Company

Wow- Michael meant so much to the world of beer. From his landmark book “The World Guide to Beer” in 1977 to today. He was a man who loved beer.

Memories come flowing back at a time like this. I remember the trip to San Francisco in 1988 for the Fort Mason beer fest. We heard that MJ was going to be there. Gary and I immediately signed up Deschutes and away I went in Gary’s truck – hopefully to get MJ to try our beer. He did come by the booth. My “back” is seen in the Beer Hunter video from there.

 I remember when he to came Deschutes brewery in 1990. We toured around and tasted some beer and then he asked what was “new”. I proudly announced that I was going to be the first “micro brewer” in Oregon to release a Pilsner Lager and it would be available at the Oregon Brewers Festival. I told him it was still fermenting. I guess he did not hear me for he asked for a taste. I obliged and he sipped and a strange look came over him. “This is fermenting WORT”- he said! I replied “yes- it’s fermenting” we shared a chuckle and had a pint of Black Butte Porter.

In 1995 I judged with Michael at the GABF. I mentioned that I was coming to London in October. He wrote his numbers down and insisted I call.

My wife Jane and I arrived in London. I gave him a call and he said “lets get together tomorrow at 6pm – I have an important event to attend tonight”.  That event we learned was the first ever Rugby League game in a Rugby Union stadium.

I called the next day and as instructed we took the Tube to meet him in his neighborhood. There he was- waiting for us when we arrived. Jane was pretty worried about a night with 2 beer geeks. Well - all I can say is that we went to Michael’s three favorite pubs – “his Locals”. He spent more time talking to Jane about everything other than beer. He would say “here we will try the Bitter” You will like it” That was the extent of the beer talk. He went on about Rugby League. We had a wonderful Indian meal. Jane still say’s it was a wonderful night. He was more than beer.

The night at the Cruise Room during GABF when he gave me a look and I saved him from beer geek oblivion. “Hi Michael – are you ready to discuss our new beers” I said. “Now would be a nice time” he said.

I remember the impassioned speech he gave the judges at the GABF in 2004. It changed my view.

I recall the 2006 Seattle CBC -World Beer Cup Dinner. I get a tap on the shoulder “Is this seat taken” I turn to see Michael. I reply “No – please join us” He sits down. I can tell not everything is right with him. He did not drink but a few sips. I brought some special aged beers for the table. Only a cursory taste he had.

At the table were - Jackson, Oliver, Bryndilson, Mallett, Bird, Talley, Cutler, maybe more. I enjoyed sitting next to him at dinner. At these events he was always so busy. It was great to spend a quiet night at the table with him. He even asked “how Jane was”. Having met her once he remembered her name.

The awards ceremony started. The first award given that night was to our Session Lager for a bronze medal. That started an amazing run at our table. Eighteen awards were given to our table that night. As we beamed - he beamed. It was an amazing scene.

I could go on as many of us could. He was someone you wanted to show your beer to-one you wanted to have a beer with.  He is the grandfather of beer writers and beer lovers. He always tasted a beer on its merits, not its style. He always looked for the positive attributes in a beer. I think we could all learn from that.

Goodnight Michael!

Your spirit will live on!

Cheers!

John Harris

"A prophet is not without honour ..." so, I think, with Michael Jackson. His early 'prohesies' were to do with the possible extinction of many Belgian craft-beer breweries and the inevitable loss of the old-fashioned English pub, but his words have been read and listened to more avidly on the North-American continent - especially those concerning varied beer-styles and the need to preserve them.

I have just returned from Singapore with its Brewerkz and Archipelago breweries, both run by North-Americans, Scott at the former and Fal at the latter. Furthermore, Brad McQuhae of Newlands Services was there, installing a new brewery for Brewerkz. All three acknowledge a debt of gratitude to the Beer Hunter. In fact, had Michael Jackson ever visited the toilets in Brewerkz he would have heard his own voice emanating from the speakers - had he been in there long enough to catch his part of the loop.

'Not without honour, except ...' : in fact, it would be untrue to say that he was not 'honoured' in Britain, but the effect of his words and ideas has been far greater abroad than here. Most early-70's 'small' independent brewers'  concentrated on producing a recognisable British beer with 'proper' ingredients, not on reproducing experimental runs from old or foreign recipes. Since then, you might say, "What about I.P.A.?" My answer would be that, whether inspired by Michael or not, the North-American versions of I.P.A.are based on honest endeavours to reproduce the style, whereas many British versions are a cynical use of the letters as a means of selling a beer that has little or no correspondence with the original.

Having said all this, I think my attitude of "good writer, a pity he didn't concentrate his many talents on British beer" may sum up why, while he is sadly missed by those who knew him, in Britain he is less honoured in his passing than he should be.

Dave Woodhead, Birmingham, UK

It's a shame I couldn't capture the look on Michael's face when I met him at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival in the corridor of the hotel where judges were housed. I was there for the first time whilst he was a fixture. The look said "What are you doing here"  and after an hour's talk on beer,life and related subjects ,that look had become 'welcome to the real world of beer'.

Naturally,as the beer buyer at Safeway I went to Denver knowing everything about beer and was with my peers. In that corridor I soon understood we were peers in the same way Romania and New Zealand both played in the Rugby World Cup.

Michael showed and taught humility by his actions and practised what our mothers told us : "If you can't say anything nice about someone,don't say anything at all." I never heard him badmouth a beer,brewer,brewery or fellow author and journalist.

He was the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony of the 2006 Beer World Cup in Seattle and his message was entertainingly simple : beer should be balanced and beer should be enjoyable, so don't analyse it to death. Simple but often forgotten.  

Earlier this year I spent four weeks in California visiting breweries and kept Michael updated. He'd not been there for quite some time and wanted to put that right: We'd planned to tour some time soon with me as chauffeur  but that's deferred to the next life time!

Michael loved jazz and the Blues and Blind Willie Johnson's 'Everybody ought to treat a stranger right' would have been the anthem."

Glenn Payne