California: Ceja Brothers Open Sonoma Brewery

(Wines&Vines) - The Carneros Brewing Co. is the culmination of three years of work by the Ceja brothers, but it was the life-long goal of one brother in particular.

In 1987, Jesus Ceja graduated from the brewing program at the University of California, Davis, while his two older brothers were tending the 13 acres of vines they had just planted. Ceja would go on to rise through the ranks of the brewing world while his brothers established and expanded the family’s vineyard and wine business, Ceja Vineyards. 

“You find your passion, and my passion is brewing,” Ceja says while showing off the newly opened brewery at the intersection of Highway 121 and Burndale Road on the Sonoma County side of the Carneros AVA. 

After graduating from UC Davis, Ceja secured a six-month internship at Coors Brewing Co. in Golden, Colo., where he learned every aspect of brewing on an industrial scale. “What I did there was just phenomenal,” he said.

Brewing with the big boys

Ceja then worked with a yeast company gaining a thorough understanding of yeast propagation and development. He said yeast plays a far more important role in achieving the sought-after flavor profile in brewing than in winemaking. In 1996, Ceja joined Anheuser Busch, where he worked as a brewmaster and later traveled the world establishing breweries and sourcing raw materials for brewing. “It was a lot of fun,” he said.