Craftbrewer and author Greg Noonan
Microbrewer Greg Noonan has been reported to have died in his sleep at home early Sunday morning, according to this Beer Advocate forum. Visitors to the Vermont Pub and Brewery on Sunday found the pub closed, with a sign posted: "Greg Noonan March --- 1951 - Oct. 11th 2009. " What does the death of a craft brewer in Vermont have to do with craft beer in Austin? Plenty.
Greg was one of the best known craft brewers in America, having pioneered the craft beer industry for microbreweries and brewpubs. His books on brewing are mandatory reading for both home and microbrewers, including "New Brewing Lager: The Most Comprehensive Book for Home and Microbrewers" published in 1986 and re-issued in 2003. His sour-mashing techniques were featured in this homebrewing article which appeared in the October 2008 edition of Brew Your Own magazine.
He was a well-known speaker at brewers’ conferences and author of numerous trade journal articles and books. Greg spoke in Texas at the 1998 Bluebonnet Brew-off Homebrew Competition about the beer style he's authored a book on- Scotch Ales. He provided his expertise by consulting on the startup and design of several pubs and breweries, and helped legalize brewpubs in Vermont by lobbying the legislature for three years to allow pub brewing. His own Vermont Pub and Brewery which opened in 1988 is the third oldest brewpub on the East Coast. Five years later brewpubs became legal in Texas in June of 1993.
It was reported in a 2001 All About Beer article by Stan Hieronymus that Greg bought his malt for his two brewpubs in the Northeast from St. Patrick's of Texas, an Austin homebrew supply store. The original storefront was located next to Billy Forrester's Waterloo Brewing Company, the first brewpub in Texas. St. Patrick's began importing undermodified Czech malt from Moravia in 1998, which was also bought by Austin microbrewery Live Oak Brewing for their Live Oak Pilz.
In 2005, Greg was presented with the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing at the Craft Brewers Conference from the Brewers Association (see "Past Winners"). More on Greg Noonan excerpted from an article in Business People-Vermont:
"Noonan was brewing beer as a hobby while working as a manufacturing manager for paper and wood products companies in Massachusetts. Microbreweries were just becoming trendy on the West Coast, and he decided to pursue the commercial possibilities for his craft.
He had managed restaurants in New Hampshire and Boston and wanted his own restaurant to feature his brew. He used the results of his research for Brewing Lager Beer to launch his brewpub in Burlington.
“I specifically sited my brewery in Burlington because it’s where I wanted to live. I admired the politics in Vermont,” says Noonan. “I had $175,000, which is a shoestring budget in the brewing industry; brewing equipment is very expensive.”
He applied to several banks for additional funds, but lenders were skeptical. “The banks all said, ‘What is a brewpub?’ But I plunged on anyway with the money I had.”"
Without craft brewing pioneers like Greg Noonan, the brewpub and microbrew industry in Austin as well as Texas may not exist as it does today. He will be sorely missed by all in the craft beer community everywhere.
Comments
Godby Greg, you will be missed,
PROST
Fred
the Russell Schehrer Award for Innovation in Brewing is presented by the Brewer's Association not the American Brewers Guild
Rest in Piece Greg, you were an inspiration to many brewers!
Kevin - thanks for the correction, I was still Vicodin-addled brain and exhausted when I got to that part of the article. Will edit.
Greg,
Thank you for your beer, kindness, laughter, sincerity, passion and friendship. I wish I had known you were going on this trip, I would have stopped by and had a beer with you before you left. Guess that will have to wait for a while. Greg you are a good man, thank you, Happy Trails until we meet again.
Geoff
Long before Magic Hat, there was Greg Noonan ... and the Vermont Pub & Brewery.
Forgetting his books (he literally wrote the book on Lagers) and his contribution to craft beer and brewing in America – Greg was my friend. He welcomed Magic Hat into the brewing community years ago and was always the first to send me a note when something good happened to us. We had dinner 4-5 times a year to catch up with each other when I was in town. We talked about beer. We talked abut ex-wives. We talked about the Vermont Brewer’s Association and Festival – neither would have existed without Greg. We talked about Smart Cars, Mini’s and scooters. We talked about living on the lake. We talked about living in Vermont. We shared our love of all the above.
The last time we had dinner, he was distracted. I found out why a few weeks ago. I tried to see him on my last trip through Burlington, but it didn’t work. Next time, we said.
I hate there will not be a next time.
I will miss you.
Alan Ne
Alan - thanks for sharing your memories of Greg. If it wasn't for people like him lobbying their own states for brewpubs and the rights of the microbreweries, it's quite possible Texas would be without.
By the way - at our Oktoberfest tasting on Saturday, we had a quiz with a special grand prize - a 12 pack of Magic Hat fall sampler. Glad to have Magic Hat in Texas FINALLY!
On a final note, we just acquired a 6 tap kegerator for our house, so our old chest freezer with picnic taps will become a lager storage. My first Oktoberfest will be dedicated to Greg.
Last time I saw Greg was a memorable night I spent in Burlington sampeling great beers with him and another brewing legend, Bill Owens two summers ago. He will be sadly missed. Greg was always so generous with his time, and sharing his passion for brewing, and inspiring people. He was twice a keynote speaker for CABA events that I organized in Montreal.
Deborah Wood
Montreal, Quebec
My wife and I will miss our summer time neighbor. I have never met a more generous, laid back, all around nice guy in my life. Burlington will truly be a lesser place without Greg my entire family will miss him dearly.
Thanks for the great article and tribute, Debbie.
I have probably learned more from Greg Noonan than any other single brewer out there, and I still reach for "New Brewing Lager Beer" regularly. The whole brewing community will miss Greg Noonan.
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