As I’ve traveled through my craft beer journey, I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people in the craft beer industry. One of those amazing people is Joe Gold, an integral part of the craft beer culture in Baltimore for almost 30 years!
Joe Gold grew up in Baltimore, attending UMBC as a Fine Arts major with an Education minor and a mad passion for lacrosse. During his senior year, Joe caught the attention of the English Lacrosse Association who recruited him to go to Great Britain to promote the sport to British students. Shortly after arriving in England in 1983, a fellow lacrosse club member gave Joe a copy of the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ales) guide listing all of the beers and pubs in England, Scotland and Wales.
A few months later, Joe joined CAMRA and with his lacrosse teaching taking him all over Great Britain, he had a natural way of visiting beer festivals, breweries and other CAMRA members. Joe Gold then took on a personal challenge to become a member of the Young’s Brewery 135 Club: a membership for anyone who visits all 135 of the Young’s owned and operated pubs. Little did he know what would happen next…
Joe then came back to Baltimore in September 1986 as the Import Manager for Young’s Brewery and for the next five years traveled the country visiting any pub in America that had an interest in imported or craft beer… until lacrosse came into Joe’s life again.
Next week, another lacrosse experience, but beer never stops calling Joe Gold’s name!
Until then…
Cheers!
Jefferson
100.7 The Bay’s Craft Beer Guy
Email: jward@thebayonline.com
