EP-215 Chris Cohen of Old Devil Moon

There’s a case to be made that some of the most essential members of our
craft beer communities aren’t brewers, or writers, or distributors. They’re
publicans who influence the industry by connecting people.

Chris Cohen is one such person, though he wears many more hats than that of
just beer bar founder.

He does indeed run a popular bar in Old Devil Moon, which opened in 2016 in
San Francisco’s Bernal Heights neighborhood, but he didn’t always know he’d
wind up there. He was a former IP lawyer in New York, who by chance got
into beer by way of a curiosity about homebrewing.

A hobby gave way to a passion, and before long, Cohen moved to the Bay
Area, founded the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild, and earned the Advanced
Cicerone certification. And then, realizing his meticulous Cicerone test
note-taking might be of help to others, he launched Beer Scholar, a site
and study guide aimed at helping prospective BJCP and Cicerone students
pass their exams.

But his most recent effort is a novel one, even for him: He’s an outspoken
proponent for the commercial use of Nordic kveik yeast, an ingredient he
says will change American craft beer due to its ability to drastically cut
down fermentation time. It’s a bold argument, but he’s ready to make the
case.

This is Chris Cohen of San Francisco’s Old Devil Moon. Listen in.