Winemakers often opt for beer after a day of tasting due to its refreshing and less acidic nature. Sherman Thacher, a winemaker with prior experience as a brewmaster, appreciates beer as a palate cleanser. In California, many artisans combine brewing and winemaking skills, like Kent Fortner and Ryan Gibbons, who co-founded Mare Island Brewing Co. after training as winemakers. They opened their brewery in 2013 and have expanded their locations while Fortner maintains a connection to winemaking through Road 31 Wine Co.
"It's a great change of pace; it's bubbly, cold, and less acidic. It's a perfectly refreshing palate cleanser," explains winemaker Sherman Thacher of Thacher Winery in Paso Robles on California's Central Coast.
Kent Fortner and Ryan Gibbons, co-founders of Mare Island Brewing Co., trained as winemakers and met on a crush pad in Napa. The duo brewed their first beer, Saginaw Golden Ale, in 2013.
Fortner has not entirely abandoned the vineyard. "I started Road 31 [Wine Co.] over 21 years ago, making one solitary Napa Valley (Carneros) Pinot Noir and selling it almost entirely from the mailing list."
California is home to artisans such as Thacher with experience in both brewing and winemaking, being the largest wine and craft beer producer in the United States.
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