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CONTACT: Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company
Andy Schwartz, Brewery General Manager
Phone: 949.481.0731
Fax: 949.218.3969
Email: aschwartz@nospamoggis.com,
Jwilson@nospamoggis.com
Web Site: www.oggis.com

Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company Takes Top Honors at Association of Brewers World Beer Cup International Beer Competition.

San Diego, Calif. – April 17, 2004 – Oggi’s Pizza and Brewing Company recently claimed Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in the Association of Brewers (AOB) World Beer Cup 2004, a global beer competition that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding beers being produced in the world today. The competition also presents Champion Brewery and Brewmaster awards in several different categories differentiated by size and type. Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company was honored with the title of Small Brewing Company of the year, and their Head Brewer Tom Nickel was selected as Small Brewing Company Brewmaster of the year. Mr. Nickel was assisted in the production and design of these beers by Jeff Bagby (Vista Oggi’s) and John Wilson (Mission Valley and San Clemente Oggi’s).

Gold, silver and bronze medals in the competitions 81 beer style categories were awarded April 17, 2004 during the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Ceremony and Dinner at the Town and Country Resort in San Diego, Calif., U.S.A. This is the first time that Champion Brewery and Brewmaster awards have been presented at the World Beer Cup. Similar awards have been given at the Great American Beer Festival since 1999.

World Beer Cup 2004 winners were selected by an international panel of 93 beer judges from an impressive field of 1,594 entries received from 392 breweries in 40 countries. More than 3,800 breweries in 100 countries were invited to compete. The 93 judges were from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Nicaragua, UK and the United States. Overall, 19 California breweries earned a total of 30 medals in the competition, and three of the five Champion Brewery categories were won by California breweries.

Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company was awarded a Gold Medal in the American-Style Amber Ale beer style category for its Sunset Amber Ale. It was also awarded a Silver Medal in the Strong Scotch Ale category for its Caber Toss Wee Heavy Strong Scotch Ale. Finally, it was awarded a Bronze Medal in the Foreign-Style Stout category for its Black Magic Stout making it a complete set of International beer awards for the southern California based franchise.

Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Company now has the rare distinction of being able to claim that 5 of its 7 franchise brews have garnered either national or international awards. The list is as follows; their best selling California Gold won a Gold Medal at the 2000 Great American Beer Festival (GABF). Sweet Spot Hefe won a Bronze Medal at the 2003 GABF. Sunset Amber Ale received a Gold Medal this year at the World Beer Cup (WBC). Torrey Pines IPA was awarded a Silver medal at GABF 2000. Finally, Black Magic Stout took a Bronze Medal home at this years WBC. All of these beers can be found at all 12 Oggi’s locations.

"With such a diverse list of entrants and winners, we are confident in saying that the World Beer Cup is truly an international competition that is both capable and skillful at recognizing global beer excellence," states Nancy Johnson, director of the competition. "Without a doubt, a World Beer Cup winner can truly boast that it is one of the best beers in the world."

"Great brewers consistently make great beer," said John Keeling, head brewer of Fuller’s Brewery in London and one of this year’s World Beer Cup judges. "While these brewers have been recognized in the past for their brewing skill, these awards show that their skills stand up to the challenges of international competition."

A complete list of winners and beer style categories can be found at: http://www.beertown.org/events/wbc/winners_list/winners_2004.html HOME

May 14, 2004 HOME

... AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK // San Clemente brewery's beer is judged world's best in its class, but you can't buy it locally ... at least not yet

Author: Fred Swegles Edition: 1 Section: SunPostNews Page: Cover Article Text:

George Hadjis is proud to proclaim San Clemente to be the home of three world- class beers.

In the Talega Business Park, Oggi's Pizza & Brewing Co. produces local brews that earned gold, silver and bronze medals in their class at the World Beer Cup, held in San Diego in April.

The 5,000-square-foot San Clemente brewery at 1245 Puerta del Sol was picked as best small brewing company in the world.

Brewmaster Tom Nickel was named No. 1 in his class, up against peers from around the world.

``It's a wonderful thing for American beers to gain the recognition on a world stage like that,'' said Hadjis, the 55-year-old president of Oggi's. ``Even more wonderful is that it's here in California, and it's here specifically in San Clemente.''

For local beer lovers, there's a hitch: You can't buy Sunset Amber -- world's best beer in its class -- here in town.

The closest place is an Oggi's Pizza & Brewery franchise at 23641 Via Linda in Mission Viejo.

The brewery here in San Clemente began operations last year and isn't licensed to sell kegs out of the factory -- yet.

But the brewery just set up two tasting taps for visitors.

``Anyone is welcome to come by for a tour and some samples -- free, of course, since we can't sell any,'' said Andy Schwartz, general manager. The brewery, which also calls itself Left Coast Brewing Co., needs additional permits to add a retail component.

And long range, although Hadjis hasn't announced any plans to open an Oggi's pizza and beer outlet in San Clemente, the company wants to make at least some of its beers available in the community.

``We want to sell beer in San Clemente,'' said Nickel, the head brewer. ``Because we're a brewery in San Clemente, it makes sense that people in San Clemente should carry our beer, even if it's only at a dozen places.'' Right now, the brewery is producing eight Oggi's brand beers, on a pace to do 5,000 barrels this year, or about 10,000 kegs. Nickel said the brewery would have to ramp up more production to sell beer beyond its current markets.

There are 12 Oggi's stores in Southern California, half of which have their own microbrewery. Two more Oggi's will open outside Phoenix, Ariz., later this year.

``Our No. 1 focus is providing beers for the Oggi's chain,'' Schwartz said.

And then there's Petco Park. Oggi's beers are sold at San Diego Padres games. Oggi's also has contracted to sell the San Clemente-based brews at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, home of the Chargers, starting in August. Hadjis said these markets alone are pushing the brewery's limits. ``We've also been approached to sell beer at The Pond and at Angel Stadium,'' he said. ``We're negotiating with them both for pizza and beer in both of those stadiums.''

Hadjis, a San Clemente resident, settled here 18 years ago, falling in love with the town and staying here even though the company he then worked for, Fujitsu, wanted him in San Diego. Five years later, he and wife, Dora, opened a pizza store in Del Mar, then began franchising stores while developing a beer component.

The beers began picking up awards, capped by gold, silver and bronze medals earned by Oggi's California Gold, Torrey Pines IPA and Sweet Spot Hefe brands at the Great American Beer Festival in 2000 and 2003.

``Three of our beers have won some of the most prestigious awards in the United States,'' Hadjis said. And then in 2003, as Oggi's grew, Hadjis built a brewery in San Clemente to supply the outlets.

With the gold medal won by Sunset Amber at the World Beer Cup, Hadjis feels the company has reached the top.

``It's a wonderfully smooth beer with a slight reddish tone to it that has a malty flavor,'' Hadjis said. ``It's just wonderfully thirst-quenching.''

It was judged best of 32 entries in the American-style Amber/Red Ale class at the World Beer Cup. It beat out beers from Independence, Ohio, and Kitanbara, Japan, for the gold.

``It's a pretty big award,'' Nickel said. ``It surprised us.''

Overall, the World Beer Cup featured brews from all over the United States plus Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Nicaragua, the Czech Republic, Cambodia, Singapore, Samoa, Belgium, the Ukraine, Australia, Korea, Britain, Trinidad and Myanmar. HOME

HOME Story appeared in News section on page Cover ID: 67986070 Illustration: Edition: 1 Correction: May 25, 2004

A BEER WITH NO PEER Tom Nickel of San Clemente's Oggi's honored for brewing skills. Byline:JIM RADCLIFFE The Orange County Register SAN CLEMENTE Yale graduate Tom Nickel might have the mind of a lawyer, but he has the burly body -- and the heart -- of a beer drinker. After a summer internship at a legal firm, he shook off the idea of attending law school and now, at 31, is the head brewer for a small pizza-restaurant chain based in San Clemente.

He's not just any brewmeister -- according to his peers, he is the world's best brewer for a small beer company, capturing the title at the recent World Beer Cup in San Diego.

"I have no life outside of beer," said Nickel, who tastes up to 16 ounces of suds a day, testing his work in little sips. "That is not a bad thing."

Nickel is part of a 20-year groundswell in micro-brewing, a trend to appease drinkers seeking an array of less-common tastes. In Orange County, there are nearly 20 brewpubs -- restaurants or bars where the customers drink just paces away from the vats where the brew was born.

Nationally, according to the Institute for Brewing Studies, sales of such brews are a small corner of the market but are increasing. Though microbrewery sales accounted for 3 percent of the $58.7 billion beer market in 2002, sales of the specialized beer were up 3.4 percent over the year before.

Nickel was named the World Beer Cup's champion brewer in the small-brewing company division, meaning his outfit -- a nondescript tilt-up warehouse holding pallets of grain, hundreds of kegs and 11 stainless-steel tanks -- produces less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year. He won the honor because the beery creations he oversees at Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Co. fared better than those of 110 of his professional peers.

The Sunset Amber finished first for American-Style Amber (out of 32 entries), Caber Toss Wee Heavy snagged second for Strong Scotch Ale (22 entries) and Black Magic Stout took third for Foreign-Style Stout (13 entries). In all, 379 breweries -- including the big guys like Miller, Budweiser and Coors -- entered 1,566 beers in the competition, some nonalcoholic versions, from 40 countries. The 8-year-old contest is held every other year by the Association of Brewers, a not-for-profit organization, and is among the world's most competitive.

Nickel's path to a beery future was crooked. After discarding law, he spent a summer in Europe, worked as a host for Yale's alumni association and held on for 88 days in corporate sales before quitting.

"I can't walk up to someone, look at them in the eye, shake their hand and sell them some junk they don't need," he said. So Nickel -- who began brewing at a buddy's house in San Diego on winter and summer breaks from Yale because he couldn't buy beer -- started calling California brewers. He ended up at a store that sold home-brewing equipment and bounced around before landing at Oggi's. He and two assistants make beer for the Oggi's restaurants without on-site breweries and for the San Diego Padres' ballpark.

His career path surprised his mom, Ann. "I remember the one thing we told him, 'Do what you love, and share it with others,' " she recalled.

It all fits. Nickel isn't hot on being told what to do and he doesn't like neckties. He has mutton chops that float on his face because he shaves his head. He gets to lug around kegs and squeeze his 6-foot-3, 265-pound frame inside stainless-steel vats to hand-scrub them. Yet, the head brewer and his wife attend the opera. Sometimes he plays lacrosse.

After work, he drives home to San Diego, where he owns a pub with his wife; in all, he works 80-plus hours a week.

Any regrets about chucking a possibly lucrative law career for $40,000 a year as a brew master?

Nah.

After all, his Yale degree was in history, with an emphasis on the Medieval period. He was especially taken by the scholarly beer makers of that time.

"I was always fascinated by monks," Nickel said. "Now, I make beer. It worked out well."

Register news researcher Michael Doss contributed to this report. (949) 454-7358 or jradcliffe@ocregister.com HOME

S.D. brewers new lords of beer world April 28, 2004 HOME

CRISSY PASCUAL / Union-Tribune

Tom Nickel of the Oggi's chain was named top small brewmaster at the World Beer Cup awards, held recently in San Diego. Here, he dispenses beer with his wife, Lindsey, at O'Brien's Pub, which they own.

If the World Beer Cup is the brewing industry's Academy Awards, that means Oggi's is "The Lord of the Rings" and Tom Nickel is "Rings" director Peter Jackson. And, to stretch this metaphor like so much Silly Putty, California is Middle Earth and San Diego is Hobbiton. The fifth World Beer Cup presentation, held April 17 at the Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley, ended with a series of epic victories for the local chain of pizza-and-beer restaurants. Not only was Oggi's honored as the world's champion small brewing company, but Nickel was named the globe's top small brewmaster. Three Oggi's beers received medals:

Sunset Amber took gold in the American-style Amber or Red Ale category. Caber Toss Wee Heavy, silver, Strong Scotch Ale category. Black Magic Stout, bronze, Foreign (Export) Style Stout. Nickel, Oggi's 31-year-old brewmaster, was elated. But he was quick to note that the awards banquet had been a golden night for the Golden State. "California ruled!" he said. "California just dominated," agreed Cindy Jones, sales and marketing director for the cup's sponsor, the Colorado- based Association of Brewers. San Diego didn't do too badly, either. Consider the odds: Judges sampled and assessed 1,566 beers from 393 breweries in 40 countries. In the end, awards went to 231 beers, including 11 from local outfits. The home team, though, did not enjoy a home-court advantage. All brewers had to ship their beers to San Diego – including San Diegans, who had to ship them first to Colorado. That way, entries from Mira Mesa were not noticeably fresher than those from Myanmar. Moreover, as the name implies, the World Beer Cup awards are international. More than half of the judges came from abroad. Winners reflected the fact that brewing is truly a global art form. Look at some of the judges' decisions. The best European-style Pilsner comes from Asia: Singapore's Tiger Beer. The top American-style light lager is from Belgium: Labatt Blue Light. Knight Ridder / Tribune The champion American-style amber lager comes from Australia: Cascade Autumn Amber. In some categories, though, you could expect the expected. Awards for Bohemian-style Pilsners were swept by Czech breweries; German breweries ruled German-style dark wheat ales, South German-style weizenbocks and, with one exception, South German-style hefeweizens. In that category, the winner is a Ukranian beer, Etalon. Still, this was California's night. Golden State breweries took 40 medals, or more than 17 percent of the total. Firestone Walker was named the champion midsized brewery, and that Paso Robles company's Matthew Brynildson the midsized brewmaster. Russian River was the champion large brew pub, and that Santa Rosa outfit's Vinnie Cilurzo – a San Diego native – the large brew-pub brewmaster.

Group effort Although the medals were welcome, the four-day conference itself was a triumph for the local beer scene. The San Diego Brewers' Guild played a key role in organizing and running the event, which won high praise from one of its most celebrated participants. "I've seen nothing that comes close anywhere else in the world," said Michael Jackson, the noted British beer writer. "I say this on several counts: the sheer number of beers, the number of styles, the level of judging, the professionalism and passion of judging." On his first visits to the United States, Jackson found only a handful of bland, mass-produced beers. Today, he said, European brewers should visit the States to see the vibrant beer scene. "I hope they realize they are looking at what should be their future." In 1998, Nickel and Tomme Arthur, brewmaster at Pizza Port Solana Beach, hoped that the world's brewers would see San Diego as a key part of that future. At beer events around the United States, they buttonholed industry leaders and pitched this area as an ideal conference site. Not only could Nickel and Arthur point to national and international awards won by breweries here, they could also cite – in an industry that has more than a few contentious members – the local brewing scene's laid-back, friendly atmosphere. "We all want to get along," Nickel said. "I think San Diego comes off as having sort of a warm, fuzzy brewing scene. The people who were in it to make a quick buck have all fallen out. We're left with people who are very passionate about beer." Nickel, 31, has been brewing since he graduated from Crawford High School. As a freshman at Yale, he played football and investigated the chemistry of malt, hops, water and yeast. In 1995, he secured his first full-time brewing job, milling grain and filling kegs for San Diego's Ballast Point. He joined Oggi's in 1998, when the company was known as Stuft Pizza. And while Oggi's headquarters are officially in San Clemente, Nickel refuses to call this an Orange County company. "Seven of our 12 stores are in San Diego County, as are three of our six breweries," he said. "San Diego is still where the majority of our business is." As brewmaster, Nickel supervises Jeff Bagby, the brewer at the Oggi's in Vista, and John Wilson, the Mission Valley Oggi's brewer. The award-winning scotch ale was concocted by Bagby; Wilson's fingerprints are all over the Sunset Amber recipe; and Nickel has been fine-tuning his Black Magic Stout for years. "Pizza Port has arguably two of the best brewers in the world," Nickel said, referring to Arthur and Kirk McHale, the be-medaled geniuses at Pizza Port Solana Beach and Pizza Port Carlsbad, respectively. "But I think we are creating a track record where we can say we have three of the world's best brewers." Brewery Rowe appears monthly in the Food section. Peter Rowe, the proprietor, welcomes calls, (619) 293-1227; letters, c/o The San Diego Union-Tribune, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191; and e-mail, peter.rowe@uniontrib.com HOME

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer HOME

San Diego was host to the World Beer Cup last week, and area brewers also took home several top awards. Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Company earned a Champion Brewery and Brewmaster award in the title of small brewing company for companies that make less than 15,000 barrels of beer a year.

Oggi's first restaurant was in Del Mar in 1991, and it began brewing its own beer in 1995. The restaurant has locations in Encinitas, Vista, Escondido, Carmel Mountain Ranch, Huntington Beach, Mission Valley, Mission Viejo, Temecula, Santee, Santa Clarita and Village of Orange. Other California winners were Firestone Walker Brewing Company of Paso Robles for mid-sized brewing and Russian River Brewing Company of Santa Rose for large brewpub. More than 1,500 beers and 393 brewers from 40 countries competed.

In San Diego County, gold medals went to: _ Oggi's for Sunset Amber in the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category. _ Pizza Port in Carlsbad for Wipeout IPA in American-Style India Pale Ale category. _ AleSmith Brewing Co. in SanDiego for YuleSmith in the Imperial or Double Red Ale catgory. _ Rock Bottom Brewery in La Jolla for Black Sheep ESB in the English-Style Strong Bitter category. _ Sports City Cafe & Brewery in El Cajon for Straight From the Teats Stout in the Sweet Stout category. _ Alpine Beer Co. for McIlhenney's Irish Red in the Irish-Style Red Ale category.

Earning a silver medal: _ Oggi's for Caber Tossed, in the Strong Scotch Ale category.

Bronze medals were awarded to: _ Oggi's for Black Magic Stout in the Foreign-Style Stout category. _ Green Flash Brewing Co., in Vista for Green

Flash First Anniversary Ale in the Strong Ale category. _ Pizza Port in Carlsbad for Frank in the Imperial or Double India Pale Ale category. HOME

Oggi's takes international award for brewing HOME

By: GARY WARTH - Staff Writer

After sitting through most of the Saturday-night awards ceremony without winning anything, Tom Nickel and Jeff Bagby of Oggi's Pizza and Brewing Company suddenly found themselves holding gold, silver and bronze awards for their different beers.

Then came the bigger surprise: Oggi's beers had earned it the Champion Brewery and Brewmaster award for small breweries that make 15,000 barrels or less a year. "Personally, my jaw dropped," said Nickel, head brewer at Oggi's headquarters in San Clemente. "Winning a few medals is great, but being able to claim the title of Small Brewery of the Year is something." The World Beer Cup, held in San Diego last week, actually is held every other year, so Nickel will have bragging rights until 2006.

Judges with the Association of Brewers use a point system to determine awards to breweries and brew pubs. Oggi's earned the Champion award after judges awarded a gold medal for Bagby's Sunset Amber, a silver medal for Nickel's Caber Tossed and a bronze medal for Nickel's Black Magic.

Bagby has shared big awards with other brewers, but this was his first major medal for his own recipe.

"It's pretty awesome," he said. "I've worked for other people but haven't been a head brewer before. It's kind of nice to say, 'OK, I got this gold all on my own.' "

Bagby, 30, lives in Encinitas and has worked at Oggi's, which started in Del Mar, for nine months. He began his career at Stone Brewing in San Marcos and also has worked at the yeast company White Labs in San Diego.

Before coming to Oggi's, Bagby worked at Pizza Port for two years with brewer Tomme Arthur, who was a judge at the competition. He and Arthur made a beer that won a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival in 2003, Bagby said. The Great American Beer Festival attracts about 2,000 domestic entrees and the World Beer Cup attracts about 1,500 internationally.

"When I came here and tasted the lineup on tap, some of the beers were rather similar," Bagby said about how he tinkered with an existing recipe to create this year's gold winner. "The pale ale on tap here and the amber and Scottish ale, they were rather similar in state. I'm the type of brewer who likes a different set of beers."

Bagby reworked the recipe for Sunset Amber, which he said had not been a big seller.

"It's actually selling better than it was before, and this medal probably will help a bit, too," he said.

Nickel, 31, has been brewing 13 years.

"I was 18 and couldn't buy beer, so we started making it," he said.

In 2002, Nickel won a gold medal for his barley wine and a silver medal for his Torrey Pines Indian Pale Ale.

"Sometimes we'll change a hop or a grain," Nickel said. "Even after we win awards. We obviously don't make massive changes to the beers, but nothing is ever perfect."

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at gwarth@nospamnctimes.com or (760) 740-5410. HOME