OCTOBER 2006
APRIL 2015 (Photo via The Verge)
“Spoiled rotten: how breweries are trying to spot bad beer through DNA” is about a testing kit called the BrewPal that is designed to quickly identify specific types of Pediococcus and Lactobacillus bacteria that can quickly destroy a batch of beer. The story is full of science, but explained in a way that even I can understand.
One of the photos with the story, of a worker dosing beers with Russian River Brewing’s blend of funk that turns beers like Temptation and Supplication into what they are, made me think of the one at the top. It was taken at the Russian River brewpub in Santa Rosa in 2006, before the production brewery was built. Russian River co-founder Vinnie Cilurzo stashed his carboys full of funk in a corner of the tiny barrel room at the brewpub.
Notice the boombox on the left. Cilurzo said his father used to play Frank Sinatra in the winery where he, Vinnie, literally grew up. The son continued the music tradition, but his funk travels to the beat of a different drum.