Tuesday, January 18, 2011

What's behind the name Hop Riot?

High Water Hop Riot IPA

This beer name arrived to me via a very good friend in the beer industry. There actually was a Hop Riot in Wheatland California in 1913. Here is a little background on the event which inspired our IPA.

For the history buffs, here is the actual landmark information:
California Landmark 1003
Wheatland Hop Riot
Intersection of South A Street and 6th Street
Wheatland
Year 1913

Here is the information I was able find on the Riot:
The Wheatland Hop Riot took place at the Durst Ranch in Wheatland on August 3, 1913. It was the first major farm labor confrontation in California.

Ralph Haines Durst, owner of Durst Ranch, was the largest employer of migrant farm workers in California. In response to his advertisements, an estimated 2,800 migrant farm workers showed up to pick hops on August 1, 1913. There was not enough work for all of them, and the conditions and pay were abysmal. On August 2, Richard 'Blackie' Ford and Herman Suhr of the [WWW]Industrial Workers of the World called a protest meeting an organized a strike. On August 3, Ralph Durst called out the local sheriff to control the strike. A deputy sheriff fired a warning shot into the air, and the migrant farm workers began rioting in response to the threat of violence. The sheriff, the district attorney, and two migrant farm workers were killed in the riot. At least a dozen other people were injured.

Blackie Ford, Herman Suhr, and two other strike organizers were charged with being accessories to the murder. The trial was held in Marysville. Defense attorneys petitioned for a change of venue and a new judge, on the grounds that Judge E. P. McDaniel and the new district attorney were both personal friends of the district attorney who had been killed in the riot, the son of the dead district attorney was also working as a prosecutor in the case, and bias against the Industrial Workers of the World for their socialist views was widespread in Yuba County. The petitions were denied, and the trial continued in Marysville under the same judge. Ford and Suhr were convicted of second-degree murder for their roles in the riot, and were sentenced to life in prison. They were eventually released on parole from Sacramen to Folsom Prison in 1925 and 1926, respectively.

The riot focused public opinion for the first time on the plight of California's agricultural laborers, and spurred Governor Hiram Johnson to create a new State Commission on Immigration and Housing. The commission created new state legislation that regulated working conditions for migrant farm workers.

There you have it........

Monday, January 10, 2011


Here are our two new 30 BBL Fermenters just finished at the factory, they are now somewhere on the Pacific Ocean headed to the Port of Oakland. Land date is 1/22/11 and we should have them on site by the 24th or 25th.

Friday, January 7, 2011


Wow, what a day. We have officially launched the new website, Twitter accounts, Facebook page and my blog here to kick off our new adventure. Our warehouse space is now officially ours and we even have a few kegs stored in it. Empty, but hopefully no t for long. The picture above is the exciting new entrance to our warehouse. Second floor accommodations just a few feet away from the brewery.

Some of the "new" kegs courtesy of our great friends up in Truckee at Fifty-Fifty Brewing. Special thanks go our to Brian Prewitt for piloting the truck and trailer from Truckee to Stockton.



OK now I do know how many kegs fit in a Dodge Caravan, the answer is 20 without any problems, I still had room for a co-pilot. The next load I am shooting for 25 with a new packing strategy. Not the quietest of road trips traveling from Stockton to San Leandro though.







Our new logo in all its glory. The artwork was done by local artist extraordinaire Steven Noble. The "High Water Brewing" text done by our Brewmaster Steve Altimari.