Last Friday marked Cosimo Sorrentino’s last day as head brewer at The Original 40 Brewing. Hired after providing full disclosure that he’d be departing his role and San Diego at some point, Sorrentino accepted a position at Lazarus Brewing in Austin, Texas. During his year-plus helming The Original 40, he brewed a variety of styles, often collaborating with other local brewers. Being a particularly popular member of the local brewing community, he brought a level of attention to the North Park brewpub that it hadn’t previously enjoyed. Before heading for The Lone Star State, Sorrentino’s final order of business was handing over the reins to his replacement, Zack Kaplan.
“It was nice to have some overlap with Cosimo, to see where his head was at with his beer styles and what his production was like while learning about the quirks with the system and getting other valuable information,” says Kaplan. “Everybody’s been very welcoming and that’s going to allow me to hit the ground running.”
Signing on as The Original 40’s head brewer marks a homecoming for Kaplan, who studied mechanical engineering at UC San Diego and began his brewing his career working for Green Flash Brewing in 2011. He later brewed for Saint Archer Brewery before moving to Colorado in 2015. While in The Centennial State, he advanced his career in positions at award-winning operations Denver Beer Co. and Upslope Brewing.
In 2019, he moved again, this time to become head brewer for Migration Brewing in Portland, Oregon. There he was awarded a pair of bronze medals at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival in the Juicy or Hazy Pale Ale and Double Hoppy Red Ale categories, bringing his total GABF award count to five (two golds, one silver, three bronze). He also earned a bronze at the 2016 World Beer Cup.
Though he made the most of his time away, Kaplan says he’s happy to be back. “San Diego has always been my home. It’s where I grew up and started in the beer scene. It feels familiar and amazing at the same time, and kind of like I never left if that makes sense. It’s nice to reconnect with a lot of people I haven’t seen in a while, see how the scene has evolved and what people are up to.”
As far as what Kaplan’s been up to during his short time at his new post, he’s mainly been developing a recipes. Those upcoming creations include a lager hopped with New Zealand varietals, a West Coast IPA brewed with malts sourced from the Pacific Northwest and a hazy pale ale double dry-hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Nelson Sauvin.
When asked how he aims to put his unique stamp on brewing operations, Kaplan says he’ll primarily draw on his previous work experience.
“I think I have a pretty unique skillset, having brewed in San Diego as well as Colorado and the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been a head brewer in three states and it’s been cool to take a little bit from all the places I’ve worked, then apply what I’ve learned to give people something a little bit different. I think it’ll be interesting. I plan on bringing in my own palate and my own flavors.”
“The Original 40 North Park family is thrilled to welcome Zack as our head brewer,” says owner Steve Billings. “He has learned so much on the road and it’s great to see him settle back into his roots here in San Diego.”
The Original 40 Brewing is located at 3117 University Avenue in North Park