Featured Bloggers
Eric McKay is the director of communications for the L. Knife & Son Companies, a family owned and operated beer distributor with a rich history, time tested ideals, and a progressive attitude toward the future of beverage wholesaling.
Prior to joining L. Knife, Eric worked as a brewer's apprentice at a small brewery in North Carolina while finishing college, and spent a short stint, post graduation, as an equity trader before returning to his industry of passion.
Since joining L. Knife in 2003, Eric has worked as a sales representative, a sales supervisor, and as the Manhattan area on-premise manager for Union Beer Distributors, L. Knife’s Brooklyn-based distributor. In his current position, Eric has had the opportunity to create GreatBrewers.com, to bring the BeerCloud concept to life, and to work as the beer educator for L. Knife's 450 person sales team.
In his free time, Eric is a triathlete and completed Ironman USA in 2006. He is also an avid home brewer, a BJCP beer judge, and has been a past speaker at the Craft Brewers Conference and at the National Beer Wholesalers Association convention. A graduate of Davidson College, Eric holds an MBA from Fordham University, and lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and daughter.
Civilization of Beer is relatively new company in the emerging market of beer education.
The first goal of Civ. of Beer is to close the gap between beer studies and wine studies in the professional culinary community and return beer to its proper place at the American table.
Now in its third year, the company is enjoying robust expansion throughout the US and is finding new ways for professionals to learn the beer trade.
Please reach out to me if you think I can help you in any way.
Prior to working at Union Beer, Tommy took the advice of “do what you know” and was collecting paychecks from some of the most hated men in sports: George Steinbrenner, Don King, & Jim Dolan.
Since being hired as a Sales Representative at Union Beer in October of 2003, Tommy has seen a lot & has learned even more. After starting out in delis in Coney Island & Brighton Beach, he was given the gargantuan task of taking Union’s new craft beer portfolio to the better beer-uneducated masses of New York City. Being one of those uneducated masses himself, he had little idea what was in store for him. What started out on & off premise in Queens has led him to plant Union Beer’s flag in Staten Island, The Bronx, Westchester, & Long Island. Tommy is currently the on-premise sales representative for Queens. He is also currently on his 3rd car since joining the company.
Tommy’s favorite beer is whichever one is in his hand at the time.
His favorite title given to him is Beer Consigliere.
When he’s not working (yes it happens), Tommy can most likely be found at a sporting event, a concert, or sleeping.
Along with her husband, Don Feinberg, Wendy Littlefield is co-founder of Vanberg & DeWulf. VBDW imports beers made by independent, family-owned breweries in Beligium and French Flanders. Wendy and Don lived in Belgium after college and fell in love with the complex, quirky and entirely original flavors of Belgian beers. Upon returning to the US in 1982, they began importing some of there favorites. In 1996 they opened Ommegang, the first brewery in America dedicated to bottle-conditioned, cork-finished Belgian style beer.
Wendy and Don blog from Chicago, Cooperstown, NY and Belgium and continue to enjoy the exploration of good beer and food! See more about their beers at www.belgianexperts.com.