Unless you drank beer in Colorado, in the 1990s you probably never tasted one of Gordon Knight's beers. If you did, then you'd remember.
Gordon Knight won numerous gold medals at the Great American Beer Festival for three different breweries. Each of the champion beers was very different than the others, but they shared one thing in common- all were made using the same system that followed Gordon from brewery to brewery.
Why did Gordon move around from brewery to brewery so often? Isn't fame, fortune and beer god worship the ultimate goal? Naw. "Gordon likes to make beer; the rest of the stuff he doesn't really care about. The startup is what really turns him on." -Jim Parker, former business partner.
Gordon was born in Nebraska. He earned a Purple Heart as an Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He moved to Boulder, CO. in 1988, and soon went from home brewing to professional brewing. He also worked as a helicopter pilot, most often related to fire fighting.
Gordon Knight, at only 52, died heroically after his helicopter crashed while he was fighting a fire near the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. He was dropping water on hot spots in a 4,000-acre blaze. Gordon, radioed in about 6:30 p.m. and calmly reported, "I'm going down," a Forest Service spokeswoman, Ellen Hodges, said.
"Gordon didn't have jobs, Gordon had passions. Gordon's job was his passion and visa versa. That's a good way to live and I thank him for challenging me to do the same. If you knew Gordon Knight, please take a moment to reflect on his life and his family. I will miss him." -fellow brewer, Brian Lutz.
So that's the story behind the naming of Oskar Blue's Gordon Ale. A beer brewed in tribute to a local hero and beer pioneer.
"Here's to a long life and a merry one.
A quick death and an easy one.
A pretty girl and an honest one.
A cold beer-and another one!" -old Irish toast
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