The Hoppy Times

SAN JOSE, CA - With winter far behind us, and Detroit sweeping Philadelphia for the right to kiss the Stanley Cup, the season for a fast growing professional sport is about to begin. The San Jose Rhinos are set to embark on their fourth season in search of yet another the Murphy Cup with their home opener this Saturday at the Arena on June 14th at 7:30pm.

The Rhinos are an in-door hockey team that play in the San Jose Arena during the summer while the Sharks take a brief vacation from that winter wonderland, and who won their league championship in only their second year of existence... "With average attendance last season around 4,800 people per game, and with attendance expected to approach 7,000 people per game this year, we felt that being the [only] microbrew in the Arena for those games that it was just too good of an opportunity to turn down," comments Hoppy's Director of Sales, Andy Brinck. "These guys play 24 games during the summer, with 12 of them being at home, and unlike hockey, they play four 12 minute quarters, with a two minute break between quarters and a 10 minute halftime break, which is just about perfect to go grab a Hoppy Face and get back to your seat without missing any of the action," continues an excited Mr. Brinck.

SAN JOSE, CA - The Hoppy Crew was in attendance at the recent Memorial Day Defense Fund Raiser that was held for the Shark and Rose and their lease issue. "It's amazing at the number of people who showed up to donate $20 to this worthy cause," said one hoppy attendee. In return, for $20 one got to eat as much food and drink as much Hoppy Face as they responsibly could from 5-8pm... What a GREAT deal!!!

For those who missed it, that Shark of a guy - Mr. Rich Bergin - fired up his huge cast iron BBQ out front of the restaurant and [whole-cooked] more than enough salmon with some secret seasonings to feed a small army, which was about the amount of people in attendance. In addition, the party was joined by one succulent whole pig that had been roasted for 12 hours. These two main entree's were accompanied by an interesting variety of side-dishes - including some wonderfully marinated asparagus...

On the horizon, Rich is promising to hold his first "Beer Dinner", followed by a "Cigar Dinner". "If either of these end up anything like the Memorial Day thing, this is something that you sure won't want to miss," adds another nearby patron. If you are interested in attending either of these dinners, just give them a call at 408.287.6969, drop by for dinner and a beer, or check them out online at "http://home.earthlink.net/~sharkrose"...

A Toast to Barbary Coast: On March 07th, the Hoppy Crew made its way north to the town of Moraga - home of Saint Mary’s college - to attend the 4th event, sponsored by the Moraga Junior Women's Club. The festivities included a reception featuring California wine and microbrewery tasting, City of San Francisco theme cuisine, a silent auction with some fantastic prizes and casino games Monte Carlo style, music and dancing....in short there was something for everyone!!!

About 400 people attended this event, with proceeds primarily (~70%) benefitting Bay Area Crisis Nursery, which is a non-profit residential care facility that provides a temporary home for toddlers and preschoolers unable to cope during times of stress. For more information, contact Megan Pitman Warzeniak @ 510.549.8509.

2nd Annual Microbrew Festival: On March 16th, the Hoppy Crew ventured into the Marin county town of Fairfax in order to support that towns’ Chamber of Commerce. What could have been a GREAT indoor event at the Fairfax Pavilion was turned in-doors due to the rainy whether... The event was held from 1-5:00pm in the Pavilion and drew more than 1,000 interested beer drinkers to kick-off this year’s festival season!!!

16th Annual Taste of the Town: On April 06th, located in the lovely little peninsula town of Burlingame, the Hoppy Crew attended terrific annual event, which just also happens to be one of our distributor's favorites. This event benefited the Burlingame High School Parents Group, which helps them provide a quality education for their students...

Microbrewery Festival: On April 26th, the Hoppy Crew traveled through Marin county into Sonoma to attend a benefit in Santa Rosa. They also managed to send some their beers in advance of the festival for judging, and as it turned out they were awarded four medals - one gold, one silver, and two bronze - for their beers. “I guess the medals more than made up for standing in a lite mist all afternoon,” comments Hoppy’s Events Coordinator, damp Theresa Cleary.

Brew HaHa, Half Moon Bay: On May 03rd, the Hoppy Crew traveled over to the coast to attend this annual event from 1-4:30pm, which is now in its tenth season. With approximately 800 people in attendance, plenty of good beer, good music, and awesome food, the is one event you should not miss next year. In addition, if you are lucky you might even get tattoo’d by the up and coming tattoo master - Chris Baerwaldt...

Fort Mason, San Francisco: On May 10th, The Telegraph Hill Coop Nursery School had their 14th Annual Beer Tasting Festival, and the Hoppy Crew was there to help celebrate. Proceeds benefit the Telegraph Hill Coop Nursery School.

Highway 9, Felton: On May 24th, the Hoppy Crew packed up their 1943 authentic army jeep and headed high in the Santa Cruz mountains to attend this annual Memorial Day parade and event. This year, courtesy of Steve Rickman, the crew was part of the parade, and was heard by one festival attendee to resemble the “Berkeley Militia”...

Alum Rock Police Run, San Jose: On June 02nd, the Hoppy Crew beat the sun up to attend this annual running event. Held in Alum Rock Park with about 500 runners is not unusual, but watching them suck down beer after a morning run is a sight that only a “true” beer drinker can appreciate...

SAN JOSE, CA - San Jose just became the lucky recipient of one of the [hottest] restaurant/bar/live music venues in the Bay Area. In 1990, co-owners Joel Wyrick and Judy Pearson opened Waves, and began operating, what was to become a successful nightclub in Los Gatos. That was until the landlord refused to renew their lease... "It seems that he had other plans with his building, which did not include Waves' future," comments a former customer from the Los Gatos days.

Their "new" location in the historic Fenerin Building at 65 Post Street (between Market & First) incorporates the heritage of a former saloon with the aroma of a traditional "smokehouse". "This beautiful brick building was erected in 1873, originally housed a brothel and saloon, it somehow survived the 1906 earthquake and the urban [redevelopment] of the past few decades, to be restored into a top-notch restaurant," comments an amazed member of the Hoppy Crew. Joel and Judy purchased the building in 1995, and have spent almost two years doing earthquake retrofitting and extensive remodeling, all in an effort to "successfully" bring the building back to its original charm.

Upon entering the establishment, one is greeted by a charming host(ess) standing next to a tall staircase to the left, a stage with room to dance towards the rear, and a wonderfully restored antique mahagony bar to the right. Behind the bar, one will find an excellent selection of 24 microbrewed beers, bookended on each side with four selections of the colorful Waves "freezes" - including their signature TIDAL WAVE drink...

For those seduced by the aroma of the smokehouse and looking for something to eat, the primary dining area is on the second floor. There you will find an interesting selection of appetizers, salads, lite entrees, sandwiches, and smokehouse platters. The platters range in price from $7.00 to $17.00 for the super serious meat lover... Accompanying the meats are seven different sauces that are created in house from scratch, which add a level of complexity to the smoked meat. For those wondering what those orange looking "potato chips" are doing on your plate - they are yummy yams...

In addition to just dining upstairs, Joel and Judy have taken an opportunity during the remodel to add an outdoor patio upstairs, complete with a fireplace, umbrellas, and a number of flowers adding just the right amount of color to the patio. "This area is perfect for lunch, evening dinners, and once the kitchen is closed, for just relaxing outside," comments a recent customer.

Musically, one will only be able to find bands of the "reggae" flavor on Friday and Saturday nights since according to Joel "I'm getting too old to book bands nightly." However, for those nights when there is a band, be sure to look forward to hearing some very good music...

Waves Smokehouse and Saloon
65 Post St.
San Jose, CA 95113
408.885.9283

SAN JOSE, CA - In 1996, people watching the craft brewing industry saw for the first time a decrease in the rate of growth from an average of over 150 percent in recent years to just 126 percent last year. “That’s still not a bad growth rate,” comments Hoppy’s CFO, Patrick McKenzie. The year ended with 1,086 operating craft breweries in the United States, of which 317 only opened just last year. On the down side, the industry saw 36 of their brethren succumb to the forces of capitalism...

“That’s simply an amazing success rate,” continues Mr. McKenzie. “You figure that 33 percent of all small businesses fail within the first year, and that for an industry to have an almost 90 percent success rate is just incredible,” finishes Mr. McKenzie. “Even though the craft brewing industry only consists of 2 to 3 percent of the whole “beer” market, we’re seeing the larger industrial brewer’s coming out with their own versions of “micro” brewed beer and spending lots of money on big ad campaigns,” adds Hoppy’s Director of Sales, Andy Brinck. “We love it! Just because all it does is help influence the other 98 percent of the market into drinking “high-quality” products. These products may or may not initially be ours, but once the can of curiosity has been opened, it’s only a matter of time before they’ll try one of our products,” finishes a beaming Mr. Brinck...

A FEW WORDS FROM THE EVENTS DEPARTMENT…..