Dr. Bill Sysak / Stone Brewing Co.
Bill Sysak, or “Dr. Bill,” as he’s known in the inner circle of craft-beerdom, is a master of zymurgical knowledge and general beer wizardry. A Certified Cicerone and collector of rare beers, his personal cellar currently houses more than 1,400 bottles.
Though Dr. Bill was ahead of the curve on great beer, he didn’t earn his nickname through his near doctorate level of real-life beer scholarship. He earned it as a combat medic in the military. Somehow the moniker stuck and Bill remained Dr. Bill long after he left the military to pursue a career in the medical field. So ingrained was his nickname that even actual Doctors referred to him as “Dr. Bill.”
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Ed Heethuis / Ritual Brewing Co.
One would be hard-pressed to find an area of the beer business untouched by Ed Heethuis in his 20+ years in beer. Not only is he a Certified Cicerone®, he is also a graduate of the famous Siebel Institute of Technology’s Professional Beer Tasting Course. Ed’s personalized beer presentations convey the finer points of beer tasting without getting bogged down in ‘geekspeak’.
A veteran participant of Disney’s California Food & Wine Festival for three consecutive years, Ed brings the perfect combination of humor and enlightenment to the novice beer drinker as well as incredible insight to devout aficionados of the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage.
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Jonathan Porter / Smog City Brewing
Jonathan Porter, or “Porter”, is an accomplished homebrewer, BJCP judge, Certified Cicerone™ and has been brewing professionally for five years. He learned the ropes of pro brewing at BJ’s breweries in Brea and Oxnard before finding his home at Tustin Brewing Co. just over two years ago.
Porter combines his knowledge of beer styles and passion for great food and drink to create solid examples of classic styles as well as cutting-edge experimental brews. He believes that, “anyone who says they don’t like beer just hasn’t had the right one yet.”
