By Since the book came out on Monday (May 7, 2018, if you’re reading this later), I’ve been asked a lot about how I ended up writing a book about beer. The first answer is obvious, I was looking to score free beer. The second answer is I love telling people’s stories.
I was a television news producer for around 15 years, the last 9 at KCRA. In between writing about car crashes, house fires and shootings I would get to write stories about amazing people doing amazing things. When I left that job three years ago, I discovered I needed to write but now I could write what I wanted, meaning more stories about people, fewer about car crashes.
Combining my love of beer and my love of telling stories it only made sense to start a beer blog and “Behind the Brews” was born. I started writing these stories for an awesome pop culture website with just about the most awesome name ever: Monkeysfightingrobots.com (yes, it’s real and it’s fantastic) but when I couldn’t keep up the schedule (because I have three kids) I decided to go it alone.
Coincidently around that time, I interviewed Daniel Moffatt at Fountainhead which ended about like this…
Me: I think it’d be cool to write a book about beer in Sacramento.
Daniel: I’m in the Sacramento Area Brewer’s Guild and a publisher is looking for someone to write a book about beer in Sacramento.
(Pause)
Both of us at once: HEEEEEYYYYY! (cue the lightbulb).
A book proposal, contract and six months of interviews and writing later… here we are.
The book which came up because I left KCRA… lead me back to the KCRA studios today for the first time since I left. I did a Facebook Live (see below) interview with my word-smithing idol, former colleague and still current friend Deirdre Fitzpatrick (you can call her Fitz).
After spending 14 years behind the camera… it was weird getting in front of one especially on the same patio where I once scheduled morning guests to appear. I think it went pretty well and was made complete thanks to a lawn that needed mowing.
Sacramento Beer: A Craft History 