Oregon Brew Crew
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About OBC
2023 Oregon Brew Crew Board Members
| PRESIDENT (Officer) |
 Scott Nieradka (jim@obc.beer) - comming soon! |
| VICE PRESIDENT (Officer) |
 Nico Casarez (nico@obc.beer) - Born in South Texas, I have lived in Oregon since he was 2 years old and have wholeheartedly embraced its cultural identity of being a mecca of independence, majestic natural landscapes, and high quality craft beer. After attending an "out" meeting at Swift Cider in January 2022, I was nspired to join Oregon Brew Crew to not just simply drink craft beer but to have the opportunity to work with a knowledgeable group of people to both learn / deepen my passion for it. During my time in OBC, I've volunteered as a steward and a judge in competitions as well as supported the club through assisting at events as well as pouring at local brew fests. Community involvement has been a big piece of my background and in the past I've served as an elected City Councilor, as a member of the Support Team of my local fire district, and numerous local budget / policymaking committees. When not working in my day to day job at a local VA medical clinic, I enjoy exploring the Pacific Northwest with my partner Meghan to hike, check out historical landmarks, and tour local craft "mom n' pop" breweries. I feel incredibly blessed to be apart of this wonderful organization and hope to utilize my leadership skills to further support education / growth within OBC. Whether its to discuss event ideas, homebrewing, or to grab a pint, please don't hesitate to reach out as I am here to serve you. Salud! |
| TREASURER (Officer) |
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The beers I brew are usually in the low to mid-level ABV level and range from lagers, stouts, wit's, IPA's and whatever appetizes me. I grew up in The Netherlands and whenever I am back there, I do my best to drink my fresh sample of European beers. |
| SECRETARY (Officer) |
 Dan Koperski (Dan.Koperski@obc.beer) - Greetings fellow brewers, judges, and friends! I look forward to serving this year as your Secretary and Communications Chair. I've been an OBC member for over 10 years and have been home brewing on-and-off since 1993. I brew using a partial-mash method, 10 gallon batches on my stovetop. Most of my home-brewed ales tend to be more hoppy than not and stronger ABV than they should be. I'm a certifiedd BJCP judge and have supported our comps with judging, stewarding,and other admin tasks and it's helped me improve my outlook on beer styles and approaches to recipes. I will be supporting this years competitions in submitting and judging or stewarding as much as possible to help us represent the OBC! |
| COMPETITION CHAIR |
 Steve Jones (Steve.Jones@oregonbrewcrew.org) - Hello, fellow OBC’ers! I am both excited and nervous and (ex-nervous?) about assuming the Competition Chair role this year, and look forward to getting to know more of the judges, stewards and other volunteers who’ve helped make our local competitions go smoothly. I began homebrewing around 1991, after moving from Seattle to Pittsburgh for work, and finding a barren craft beer landscape. I started with 3.3-pound cans of pre-hopped liquid malt extract from Munton & Fison or John Bull and dry yeast, available at the local homebrew shop. After a couple years, a colleague and I joined the local homebrew club (Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers). After taking their BJCP class, I took the exam, and began my judging journey. At National rank, I’ve now judged at 36 competitions (and counting), and stewarded at a couple more. I’ve seen them run well and not-so-well, and hope to leverage those learnings in my new role.
I retired from Nike in 2019, after a nearly 40-year career in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Sports Product Development & Testing. Outside of brewing beer, I have expanded my interests in making other beverages (cider, mead, wine, kombucha, ginger beer, kefir and tepache), and other fermented foods (pickling, hot sauce, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, gochugaru and many others). I have also re-engaged with gardening, starting most of my plants from seeds indoors, then taking over our backyard every summer. I am married, with two sons and two grandkids (that we love to spoil). I also enjoy hiking, backpacking, travel and other outdoor activities. |
| EVENTS CHAIR |
 Vacant |
| BURGERMEISTER |
| Vacant |
| EDUCATION |
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Other than home brewing John"s interests include hiking, riding motorcycles, flying, reading, fitness, and Euchre (a card game you probably have never heard of if you're not from the midwest). John lives with his girlfriend, Liz in SE Portland and has two adult children, Ryan and Ashley, who live in NE Portland. |
| MEMBERSHIP CHAIR |
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Sander Hoekstra - (
John Koger (