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Various mementos of the original New Albion Ale, surrounding a picture of brewer Jack McAuliffe
Photo credit: Renee DeLuca and Jim McIntyre |
America's first craft beer is being brewed once again. New Albion Ale was
introduced by Jack McAuliffe in Northern California in 1976, but it only lasted a few years. His daughter Renee DeLuca, known as
The Brewer's Daughter is now picking up where her father left off, brewing the beer at
Platform Brewing and selling it by the growler at
Heinen's as of Friday, February 20th.
But the route by which the recipe for
New Albion Ale went from father to daughter is a weird and wonderful one.
Renee did not know Jack was her father until a few years ago.
Jack didn't even know he HAD a daughter.
Renee's story is about much more than resurrecting the original craft beer in Cleveland. It's also about adoption, open records laws (or lack thereof) and the reverence with which the craft brewing community considers Jack McAuliffe and how he inspired an industry, as you will hear in this interview with The Brewer's Daughter, Renee DeLuca.