and to those involved with those options presented to me, I say Thank you. Since this is supposed to be a quick blurb, I’ll just get to it.

A few years ago, living in New Orleans, I had a rare occurrence which led me to sobering up. I quit drinking and two weeks later quit smoking cigarettes after 21 years. Life seemed to open up to me at the point that I started actively participating in it. Soon after, I was found by the Love of my Life, the “One that got away” fourteen years ago.  She invited me up here to the Rockies where she has been in her snowy tower, waiting (it’s all a fairy tale to us these days). I fell in Love with so much while out here on this trip that it only made sense for us to make the next moves. Four months later I pulled up in my U-Haul, settled into our mountain home and married that woman! That’s one of the greatest events in history as far as I’m concerned!

While in the process of planning to move here I stumbled across a little ad taken out in the local paper that advertised for an Executive chef. No other real details were given except a phone number. So, I called. This phone call would open up yet another great opportunity in my (so far) short life. I lined up a job via a verbal handshake and an understanding that this new venture was the beginning of something great, and it was and still is! The Ouray Brewery opened up with myself as Executive Chef, trying my hand at adding something new to a town so full of wonders. I will admit that the Only way in which Ouray let me down was that there were not Fairies floating in the air as I walked through the forest (something I believe I have seen since).

I have had a wonderful time being the Executive Chef at the Ouray Brewery and am proud of the accomplishments we have had together. The opportunity to open a brand new restaurant, create a menu, develop that menu and watch it evolve and grow has been a great one. The chance to work with Erin Eddy and Butch Karl and so many others has also been wonderful for me. I believe that Erin has a keen eye for business and an honest desire to succeed in a venture that adds to the community which he Loves so dearly. Butch has been my assistant for the last eight months or so, fresh from a career changing culinary school graduation. I have had the pleasure of knowing them both and congratulate Butch on his new opportunity, in this community that he has been knocked awestruck by. They have both become friends that I have treasured getting to know and working with.

Very recently I have had another opportunity come my way. This opportunity takes me away from the Brewery and into a corporate world of travel. I take with me the tools that I have picked up in this small town, the lessons learned and the love of a job well done. Another Broken Egg of America is a company based out of Florida that I had the privilege of working for until about seven years ago. After helping this company grow, as their Corporate Chef, I left knowing that there was a bridge still there if the time was right. I never dreamt how much distance that bridge gapped. I am very thankful to have been sought out and asked to join this team of professionals. My travels will bring me to many parts of this beautiful country opening restaurants, meeting new people, teaching and growing professionally. I cherish this opportunity, I am very excited about what it brings, I look forward to learning and to traveling and most importantly, I look forward to coming Home.

I know that none of us are easy to Love all the time, but we are human enough to work together, strive together, shovel and shiver together, build fire and eat together, walk, talk and grow together and do our parts to help this great little community succeed. I for one wish these ladies and gentlemen well in their efforts to grow this business, to add a little more life and energy, to add more jobs, to support those around them through donations, time, space and general generosity. I hope to watch them grow, and to succeed. I hope to know the ladies and gentlemen whom I have met through this endeavor for years to come, to look back and “remember when” together, to break bread together and watch this community succeed together.

Thanks. . . For everything.

Sid

The Ouray Brewery is also acting as a donation station for the Ridgway Community Food Pantry. The Ridgway Community Food Pantry is the only food bank in Ouray County. The Ouray Brewery will be collecting non-perishable goods from October 5^th to November 23^rd. Please stop by and drop off food to help support those in need.

This Winter the Ouray Brewery will present it’s Winter Mountaineering lecture series, offer Monday night football pint specials and host live music on New Years Eve. The breweries 2^nd floor dining area is also the ideal spot for birthdays and holiday parties.

In Ouray Brewery news we welcome home our talented chef, Sid, who just returned home from his honeymoon; and for you ice climbers the Ice Park is still hard at work fighting this warm spell but we should be rolling in some FAT ice within the next two weeks! In the meantime, be sure to pick up the FREE beer coupon off Ouray Ice Park’s sponsors page. It pairs nicely with any of our lunch or dinner specials!

If you haven’t stopped in lately, now is the time (especially after a long day of shopping)! We are now offering Colorado made spirits so you can drink local.

The Ice Park is making “FAT” ice while we are serving up warm homemade soups, hearty lunches, craft brews and so much more!

The Bruery based out of Placentia, California sent out the details on its third homebrew competition today.

In celebration of The Bruery’s continued growth, the incredible support from our fans across the country and our humble beginnings as homebrewers ourselves, we will be holding our third ever homebrew competition; this one set to determine our 300th batch.

The first place recipe of the competition will be brewed as our Batch No. 300 and the winner will have the opportunity to assist us in brewing the batch on our system if they so choose. The first, second and third place winners will also get various forms of swag.

Along with the chance to have one of your very own recipes brewed and distributed, you will also be helping us raise money for those in need, as the entire $10 entry fee will be donated to Lestonnac Free Clinic, devoted to providing free, comprehensive medical care to the poorest of the poor in Orange County, CA.

To learn more about this contest click on over to www.thebruery.com/batch300.

In other news:

Today, Gawker highlighted a LiveScience report in which some archaeologists claim the rise of agriculture during the Stone Age–and ultimately, civilization as we know it–resulted from humans’ desire for beer, not food.

According to Brian Hayden at Canada’s Simon Fraser University, “Signs that people went to great lengths to obtain grains despite the hard work needed to make them edible, plus the knowledge that feasts were important community-building gatherings, support the idea that cereal grains were being turned into beer.”

In Ouray Brewery News:

Join us on Thursday, November 18th  at 7 pm for our Mountaineering Film Festival! Jim Donini, one the worlds premier mountaineers, will be narrating a slide presentation. Cover is $10 with all proceeds going to the Ouray Ice Park. Call us at 970-325-7388 to make reservations, seating is limited to 40!

In other beer news the 2010 International Beer Bloggers & Online Media Conference will take place this week; November 5-7, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado. Beer bloggers, industry bloggers, and other beer and social media professionals will gather from throughout North America and beyond to meet, learn, and share. This will be the world’s first large gathering of beer bloggers. This is a conference you will not want to miss. For more information be sure to visit the official Beer Bloggers Conference website.

The American Brewers Guild is now accepting applications for the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation slot in the Intensive Brewing Science & Engineering course that runs from Jan. (2011) through July 1, with the final week of onsite instruction in Sacramento, Calif. The full application must be received no later than Nov. 11,

The scholarship is open to professional brewers and homebrewers from the states of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii and California’s northern geographic region (San Francisco/Monterey Bay areas and north). The full-tuition scholarship also includes a $500 stipend to help offset travel and lodging expenses for the residential week. Full details and scholarship applications are available at www.abgbrew.com.

The course is designed for brewers and homebrewers who lack formal training in brewing science and covers all the fundamentals of beer production and quality assurance.

The scholarship is co-sponsored by ABG and the Glen Hay Falconer Foundation, a non-profit organization created to commemorate and celebrate the life, interests, and good works of a well-loved and leading Northwest brewer who died and untimely death in 2002.

Thanks for all your support.

OBC