Dave has been brewing his own beer for quite a few years under the name Bear Brewing Company. He shares his beer with family and friends, and thoroughly enjoys the brewing process. If you get a chance to talk beer with Dave, you'll learn quickly that he has spent some time nurturing yeast and fermenting grains.
Dave's most recent brews are clones of Bear Republic Racer 5, and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale, which I personally can't wait to try. He plans on unveiling them at the annual Southern California Homebrew Festival at the end of April. Until then, I will have to wait...
Dave began his journey into the world of beer in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany. He was living there in 1998, working in a hotel, and exploring on the weekends.
During this time, he began to really appreciate great beer. He was in the motherland of beer, Bavaria - to not explore the beer would have been a sin.
He moved back to California after about a year, and ended up in San Diego, where the craft beer movement was beginning to grow exponentially.
One day after a shift at a fish market, he walked into a liquor store and discovered a bottle with a gargoyle on it that caught his eye. He sat on a bench and opened the bottle. It wasn't love at first sip, but after tasting more from Stone Brewery, he was hooked on the West Coast style of hops, hops, and more hops.
Since then, he is most proud of his brews that he has shared with friends, that have ruined them to commercial beer. You'll never catch him with a Bud Light in his hand, but you might catch him on a hot day with a Pabst Blue Ribbon. Only on occasion...don't judge.
If you happen to run into Dave at Haven Gastropub, after a long shift in our hot kitchen, feel free to buy him a beer. He'll definitely appreciate it!
Eat and drink well,
Greg Daniels
Executive Chef
