North Bay Woman

sees no sign of the IPA craze letting up – as evidenced by the wild popu- larity of Russian River's Pliny the Elder. Along with IPAs, "I think the trend toward lower alcohol will con- tinue," she says. "Certainly sour beers are becom- ing more and more popular." Out of the Garage Chance also had a hand in Cathy Portje's path to brewery ownership. Although she makes her living as a medical social worker, she's always been a brewer at heart. "I was home brewing for a long time and real- ly enjoyed it," she says. "I was also baking, and making cheese, and was into this whole fermenta- tion thing." Brewing might have remained a hobby for Portje if it hadn't been for Alan Atha, and San francisco Beer Week. "Alan and I were brewing together and did a bunch of home brew events and competitions," she recalls. "Then he did a home brew event for San francisco Beer Week four or five years ago, and got so much positive feedback that he decided he wanted to go pro. I had money and a love of brewing, so I jumped in." Portje and Atha opened Baeltane Brewing in Novato in December of 2012. Atha brews the beer, while Portje handles the front end of the business. "I manage the tasting room and human re- sources," she says. "Alan and I work together on our beer lineups, and we talk about what the lineups are going to be for the next brew sessions." Baeltane's top sellers include the Citroen farmhouse Ale, Rumplestiltskin Double IPA and The frog that Ate the World Double IPA. Belgian-style brews make up about 60 percent of the lineup, with the rest devoted to West Coast-style beers. "Our Black Spot Porter is my recipe that I home-brewed, but I haven't had time to make it myself," Portje says. "That makes me a little sad – I miss brewing!" From Tech to Taps Before she became CEO and co-owner of Windsor's St. florian's Brewery in 2013, Amy Levin was a Silicon Valley sales and marketing manager, and then a stay-at-home mom. When she decided to get back into the business world, she teamed up with her husband, Aron, a fire captain and longtime home brewer. "Being in Silicon Valley during the height of the (dot-com) boom wasn't that different from what's going on in the craft beer indus- try right now – technological and innovative changes, new start-ups opening every day, working around the clock," she says. "The primary difference is the passion and own- ership we have for our product." Like most small-business owners, Levin juggles many responsibilities. "I do nearly everything except brew our beer – although I've been known to lend a hand in doing that, too," she says. Although she's not making the beer, Levin does have a say about that side of the business. "Aron and I spend a lot of time chatting about beer, trends, industry innovations and our personal preferences," she says. "Nearly every major trigger we pull pertaining to the brewery is a team effort." St. florian's flagship beer is California Common, a lager brewed at (warmer) ale temperatures. "It's a native style to the Bay Area," Levin says. "We both grew up drinking it because we were born and raised here," Levin says. "It has a thick and malty body, but it drinks clean, crisp and refreshing." Beyond that, she said, customer prefer- ences don't point to any particular style. "Their tastes are all over the map, and that's what makes the industry so interesting right now." n Natalie says she sees no sign of the IPA craze letting up – as evidenced by the wild popularity of Russian River's Pliny the Elder. Natalie Cilurzo Russian River Brewing Company "I do nearly everything except brew our beer – although I've been known to lend a hand in doing that, too." Amy Levin St. florian's Brewery "Alan and I work together on our beer lineups, and we talk about what the lineups are going to be for the next brew sessions." Cathy Portje Baeltane Brewing 58 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

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