Annie Johnson (brewer) facts for kids

Annie Johnson is a famous brewer who won a big award called the Homebrewer of the Year in 2013. This award is given by the American Homebrewers Association. She was the first woman in 30 years to win it. She was also the first African American person ever to get this award.

In 2012, she won another important contest called Pilsner Urquell's Master Homebrewer Competition. This competition was held in San Francisco. A master brewer from the Czech Republic, Vaclav Berka, tasted her beer. He said it tasted like he was back home!

After working for a long time with the California State Legislature, Annie started a new job. She joined PicoBrew, a company in Seattle, Washington. This company makes special machines that help people brew beer automatically at home.

Besides her work at PicoBrew, Annie is also a nationally ranked judge. She helps judge beers for the Beer Judge Certification Program. She also helps give and grade the exams for new judges. Soon after she heard about winning the 2013 award, she became the Chief Brewing Officer and recipe developer for PicoBrew.

Annie is an active member of the Pink Boots Society. This group helps and supports women who work in the drink industry. She is also an elected member of the American Homebrewers Association's Governing Committee. You can often find her articles in Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.

Annie Johnson's Life Story

Annie Johnson was born in Germany. Because of this, she learned about different beer and food cultures in Europe from a young age. Her birth mother, Colette, was from Ireland. She met Annie's father, an African-American soldier, in Germany. Colette worked as a housemaid there.

When Colette became pregnant with Annie, she was worried about going back to her family in Ireland. Her family was Irish-Catholic, and she feared they would not approve. So, Colette decided to put Annie up for adoption before returning to Ireland. Annie was adopted by Colette's employers, the Johnsons, when she was only four days old.

Annie's adoptive parents worked for the U.S. Department of Defense. This meant they traveled a lot across Europe. Annie got to explore many different beer and food cultures around the world. These experiences later inspired her to start brewing beer at home when she moved to the United States. She especially loved her adoptive mother's collection of beer steins. These steins fit perfectly with the exciting brewing scene in Europe.

In 1999, Annie and her friends bought a home-brewing kit. They were living in Sacramento, California at the time. Annie tried making different kinds of beers. She made American Lagers, Czech Pils, and American IPAs. She quickly fell in love with home-brewing as a hobby.

Later, her friends moved away to Delaware. But they left all the brewing equipment with Annie. This allowed her to keep brewing on her own. She also started entering different brewing competitions in California. Annie won her first competition in 2001. She entered the California State Fair homebrew competition with an American Amber Ale.

Just before winning the National Homebrewer of the Year Award in 2013, Annie moved to Philadelphia. There, she tried to find and connect with her birth father. Soon after, she became very sick. After many tests, she was diagnosed with a serious illness called Graves’ disease. Even though she didn't expect to win because she was ill, Annie won the National Homebrewer of the Year award in 2013.

After that, she moved to Seattle to start her new job at PicoBrew. She worked there until early 2020, when the company had to cut back on production and staff. Annie has won medals in all the different beer styles and sub-styles judged by the Beer Judge Certification Program.

Annie Johnson's Career

From May 1994 to August 2011, Annie Johnson worked as an Information Technology Specialist. She worked for the State of California's Office of Legislative Counsel.

After moving, she became the Director and Brewmaster of PicoBrew. This company in Seattle made special equipment for brewing and distilling. Their machines were designed to be easy for homebrewers to use. They also had a digital library of recipes that anyone with PicoBrew equipment could access. One of their well-known systems was the Zymatic home brewing system.

After moving to Seattle, Annie also started working as the Brewmaster for Bluebird Microcreamery and Brewery. This unique place is both a brewery and an ice cream shop. They are known for making special dessert beers. Annie worked for PicoBrew from January 2014 to 2020. She worked for Bluebird Microcreamery and Brewery from August 2016 to 2020. In 2022, Annie returned to work for the Office of Legislative Counsel.

What Annie Johnson Has Achieved

• Annie's very first brewing competition was the California State Fair in 2001. She won first place with her American Amber Ale. In 2014, she shared the recipe for this beer with everyone.
• In 2004, Annie won the Queen of Beer award. She achieved this by winning four first-place awards and being named "best in show" in the competition.
• In 2012, Annie entered and won Pilsner Urquell’s Master Homebrewer competition. This event took place in San Francisco, California.
• Annie's Lite American Lager and Mow the Dam Lawn beers helped her win the 2013 National Homebrewer of the Year award. She competed against 8,200 other beers to win this honor.
• Annie Johnson is a national beer judge for the Beer Judge Certification Program. She has also created many recipes for PicoBrew's recipe library.
• In 2019, Annie was given the 2020 American Brewers Guild scholarship.
• In 2020, Annie was chosen to be on the American Homebrewer Association's Governing Committee. She will serve on this committee for three years.

See also

In Spanish: Annie Johnson para niños