Chapter Two: Pucker Up and Fly the Concord to the African Basil Beer Fest

Right around this time I started making my own wine from 40-50 year old Concord grapes that were on our property in rural Arroyo Grande.
As I began making wine I also began making the popular series of radio ads for Boo Boo Records (“Wherever you go, there’s a Boo Boo near you you.”). Hmmm, I wonder if there’s a connection?

Anyway I decided to attempt a dry, sparkling version of Concord. The first vintage, 1977, was a lot like that practical joke “pucker gum.” One sip and you looked like you were ready for a kiss.
I tamed it down for the following year and then began making a whole series of dry sparkling fruit wines: Plumpagne, Rhububble (rhubarb), Razzamafizz (raspberry), and some interesting beer.

Several of my beer recipes used to be brewed by SLO Brew as seasonal ales. Holidaze Ale (Yule ale style made with Hawaiian ginger root), Cherry Bomb Ale (4th of July made with cherries) and the famous Basil Ale for the Sycamore Farms Basil Festival (dry hopped with African Blue basil). By year three people were telling me they wouldn’t miss the Basil Festival every year because, “That’s the only time I can get Basil Ale!”

A side note: They laughed when I, along with Sycamore’s owner and mastermind, Bruce Schomler, first proposed an annual Basil Festival.