THE BREWERY
Originally we decided to brew in the British style, so it made a lot of sense to commission our brewery from a UK manufacturer. After a strong recommendation from the folks at Kelham Island Brewery in Sheffield, we contacted Mr. Vincent Johnson of Johnson Brewing Design. This guy knows a lot about beer and brewing, and once you can understand him (through that thick Northern accent), he is a mine of information. The 6 UK barrel brewery was manufactured in Bury, Lancashire (home of black pudding) in 2012 and Big V himself ventured over late in the year to weld in all the pipework and commission the brewery. Hence, the first brew was called “Big V Amber” which is now a staple at Freewheel.

OUR BREWERS

Head Brewer Alex Feinberg

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Oakland native Alex joins Freewheel by way of Anchor Brewing, the San Francisco Meadery, and a past life in tech. When he’s not cleaning (and occasionally making beer!) at the brewery, he enjoys exploring the great outdoors with his wife and dog, discovering new craft beer, and cleaning brew equipment (and occasionally making beer!) at home.

 

Assistant Brewer Andrew Simsak

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Andrew’s passion for beer comes from his twelve years of experience homebrewing where he has been The San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, Homebrewer of the Year, three years in a row in addition to winning two gold medals in The National Homebrew Competition for his White IPA and his Piwo Grodziskie (a historic Polish smoked wheat beer).
When he isn’t brewing beer, Andrew likes to work on and race vintage motorcycles, practice archery with his son, and read his wife’s poetry.

 

Brewer Memoratus Alisha Blue

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Brewer Memoratus In Aeternum Malcolm McGinnis

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