While there were many memorable moments from March’s San Diego Beer News Awards, one of my favorite parts of the ceremony was watching My Yard Live Beer Co. Head Brewer Ben “Shaggy” Blaney (pictured above, center) introduce attendees to a group of individuals he’s been collaborating with at his San Marcos brewpub for the past three years. Going by the collective handle 4DUDESBREW, the ensemble includes Nick Bahen, Michael Roth, Matt Zimmerman and James Zoul.
Friends since childhood, they have a great deal in common, including a love of pro wrestling, penchant for fun, and the fact they have intellectual and developmental disabilities. The latter has never stood in their way, especially when it comes to joining Blaney in the brewhouse. To date, they’ve helped craft five unique My Yard Live beers (one of which, a Mexican-style lager, has become a year-round beer), and thanks to their latest creation, they have something else in common: the shared distinction of earning a perfect score at a professional brewing competition.
Last week, the My Yard Live team received word that four of their beers had earned gold medals at the 2024 Crafties Championship. Those first-place entries were Basic Batch Honey Blonde Ale, Flight of the Kiwis New Zealand-hopped IPA, Red Rover Amber Ale and 4 Stone Cold Dudes West Coast Pilsner. It was old hat for the first three, which have medaled at the prestigious World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival and San Diego International Beer Competition, respectively, but the beer that shone the brightest of them all was the 4DUDESBREW Pils, which earned a 100-point score.
Achieving a perfect score in any beverage competition or critique-based rating system is a rare and exemplary feat. In many cases, producers are ecstatic to score anywhere in the nineties, and even the high-eighties qualifies as a big deal. Blaney understands this and is incredibly proud of his collaborators. But to be fair, he already was.
“The Dudes bring a sense of stoke that can’t be replicated. I have gotten so much more out of brewing with them than I can put into words,” says Blaney, who says he enjoys the fact the foursome wants to put in the work and help with every step of the brewing process versus just take a photo to say they were there. He’s experienced a soulful reciprocity and sense of gratification with all of his 4DUDESBREW collaborations, and would like more of his contemporaries to experience that first-hand.
People need to consider collaborations outside of beer. Working with the Dudes reignites an underlying passion that shows beer is more than just a fermented beverage. It brings people of all walks of life together, usually for a common goal or having a good time, but could be a tool for a much bigger idea.
Ben “Shaggy” Blaney, Head Brewer, My Yard Live Beer Co.
For Blaney and My Yard Live, the greater notion has been support of local charities. From the very beginning, a portion of proceeds from each pint of every 4DUDESBREW beer sold has been placed in a fund that’s been set up so the quartet can make donations to causes and nonprofits that are close to their hearts. Money raised from the sale of 4 Stone Cold Dudes was donated to Gigi’s Playhouse San Diego, an organization working to change lives through delivery of educational, therapeutic-based and career-development programs for individuals with Down syndrome.
The following is what each of the Dudes had to say about this impressive accomplishment and their pro brewer colleague…
Michael Roth: “I am happy and proud we won gold and got 100 points! Shaggy helps us clean the tank. I like to make beer with him.”
Matt Zimmerman: “Shaggy is really fun to hang out with and brew beer. I want to brew another IPA.”
Nick Bahen: “Shaggy is a super-funny nice guy. We make beer with hops. Let’s brew a beer called Demon Mist.”
James Zoul: “It feels good and I am so excited to win a medal. 4 Stone Cold Dudes is really good beer! Maybe we’ll brew a hazy IPA and name it The 4 Stooges.”
In addition to the 4DUDESBREW collaborations, Bahen and Zoul both work at My Yard Live full-time, allowing them to watch as patrons order and enjoy the beers they help brew. It brings a smile, not only to Blaney’s face, but those of the brewpub’s founders, who brought Zoul on right after their business opened in 2019. And they’re over-the-moon happy about what him and his friends-turned-brewers have achieved.
“The Dudes having a beer that has been recognized nationally is an amazing testament to our team as well as our customers’ and the beer world’s commitment to everything that is right about community, inclusion and acceptance,” says My Yard Live co-founder Jamie Minotti. “While 4DUDESBREW may be the first brewers with special needs ever to be recognized by their community in this way, the significance for us is seeing our continued investment in the community bloom.”
My Yard Live Beer Co. is located at 288 Rancheros Drive in San Marcos