I’m very excited to finally get these guys onto the podcast because this brewery should’ve been on the pod many years ago, but life happens and then life throws a pandemic at you. But the second time’s a charm because I am fortunate enough to have both owners join me! DTSJ Brewing was started by a close friend of mine Dave whom I met when we started the now disbanded “Best in Show” brew club and his longtime friend and high school classmate Ron. Both Dave and Ron are San Jose natives and alum of Mt. Pleasant High School and after years of not seeing each other, it was at a party that fate would have it that they found out the shared passion for craft beer.
Now the amazing thing that I appreciate about DTSJ, and we do discuss this a lot in the episode, is their balance, not only in the business aspect, as they are the sole operators and brewers, but balance in their focus on their styles and what they brew. Ron is more of a modern style brewer where his focus is on IPA’s and Dave is more old world where, as you’ll find out, is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to beers.
Also what’s great about coming back around to get DTSJ on the podcast is that they finally have a larger facility and taproom which they both built, basically, from the ground up. Thankfully both Ron and Dave are in the tech world, so figuring out components to their draft system and even creating, in my opinion, one of the coolest sound systems ever was not too much of a hassle. One thing that sets them apart, especially when it comes to the taproom, is the listening area. Now you won’t find them listening to a streaming service, rather they have a phenomenal vinyl collection to which they took inspiration from Japanese Music Rooms where people can go have a drink, pick music on vinyl, and experience the music in its purest form, especially out of the speakers Dave has acquired.
The most impressive thing about DTSJ is their honesty. They say they don’t want to take over the world or create a huge facility, rather they wish to give back to the community and create a community and space for others to come and enjoy one another. With that I hope you enjoy this episode and also find time to get down to DTSJ to experience this community for yourself, also don’t be afraid to ask Dave or Ron to crank it up to 11.
Cheers \m/,
Joe Hawk
