Jeff Howse

Jeff Howse, a 13-year brewery employee, was our tour guide.He met us in the sparkling-clean facility's lobby, just outside the gift shop, and spent the next hour telling a Redding couple and us about how Sierra Nevada makes its popular craft brews. (The word "microbrew" cannot really be used in reference to the country's ninth-largest beermaker.) Howse was friendly, enthusiastic and without question knowledgeable about beer; among his duties is to serve on the company's tasting committee, which oversees product consistency.

Howse began by saying Sierra Nevada was founded in 1979 by two home-brew enthusiasts, Ken Grossman and Paul Camusi.
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Sales began to skyrocket, which Howse said was substantially due to the beer's popularity among fans of the Grateful Dead."Jerry Garcia's favorite beer was our porter," Howse said.
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"We're a very hoppy beer," Howse said.
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"The fresher the beer, the better," and any beer older than eight months is past its prime, Howse said.