Dock Street remembers Michael

This is a letter I received from Rosemarie Certo, owner of Dock Street Brewery, one of our first sponsors. It is emblematic of the gratitude and fondness so many brewers have expressed towards Michael's work and sincere friendship.

We got to know Michael Jackson in the mid to late 80's at the Great American Beer Festival. His love for Dock Street and his encouragement fortified all involved with our "microbrewery." In 1992 Michael came to Dock Street Brewery and Restaurant in Philadelphia to preside over one of the first beer and food pairing dinners in the US. It was a spectacular event! We immediately sold out even though there was no liquor or wine on the menu. The event was about BEER.

I saw Michael in Philadelphia a few months before he died. I brought my book, well actually his book, 500 Classic Beers in which he had included three Dock Street Beers. I asked him to autograph it and he wrote what we had been talking about, "Here's to Love and Passion." This simple phrase embodies what Michael was about. He was also brilliant and humble. Michael was a true Renaissance man in a time when being a Renaissance man was not encouraged and rarely found.
I am privileged to have shared with Michael conversations, ideas, and yes, our love and passion for life, for beer and everything that, to me, is good.

Rosemarie Certo
Dock Street Brewery