Brian Sollenberger RIP Diamond Knot Brewery

[jmg]

From what I undestand Brian Sollenberger from Diamond Knot Brewery in Mukilteo, WA passed away this morning. From time to time he posted on these forums and it is a sad loss to brewing world.

I'm not sure of the details but I am saddened by the loss and hope that others will raise a pint in celebration of the life that was lead.

Brian was active in these forums and has had an important role in the pacific northwest brewing community. He will be missed.

[brianandrewtaft]

hey i just heard this on washingtonbeerblog. brian was a great contributor here and i learned a bit from him. i just visited diamond knot a few weeks ago, but didn't meet brian. any idea what happened?

condolences to his family and the whole crew up there in mukilteo.

[GlacierBrewing]

All of us at the Glacier Brewing Company send our deepest sympathies and prayers to Brian's family, friends, and co-workers. What a blow! Brian was a valuable, insightful member of the craftbrewing community.

Brew in peace Brian.

[Sulfur]

I'm very sorry to hear about this. I didn't know him personally but I felt some of his energy and enthusiasm thru his posts and was always happy to read them. Condolences...

[admin]

Brian had a total of 305 posts here at ProBrewer. He was a vibrant asset to this forum and the brewing community at large. He will be deeply missed.
Admin

[SRB]

Salmon River Brewery sends its condolences to the Diamond Knot Brewing family.
We are so sorry for your loss. What a dream Brian helped weave. 15 years of passion and hard work has clearly been realized.

[BrewinLou]

RIP brew brother.

[tsewong73]

When I was working on our business plan in 2005, Brian posted frequently on the message boards and I learned a lot from him then. Brian also helped me out with a few more specific questions and problems I had. I still have his suggestions and information on file in my office.

I'm very sad to hear about Brian's passing. It would've been nice to actually meet him and thank him in person someday.

Here's to Brian Sollenberger!

[DKnot Brewer]

Thanks to all of you in the ProBrewer community for your kind words and thoughts concerning the tragic, untimely passing of Brian Sollenberger.

Brian was the founder of Diamond Knot Brewing Co, my friend, mentor and business partner for nearly ten years. His expertise in everything brewing will be sorely missed by everyone whose lives he touched. As was typical, he was working late at our production facility on Friday night, excitedly laying plans for our new glycol system. He returned home at around midnight (shockingly early for him), most certainly wanting to be able to spend much of Halloween, his favorite holiday, with his boys. His wife found him at the bottom of their front steps at approximately 05:00. We don't yet know exactly what happened.

He leaves behind a wife and three sons, for whom our hearts break more than any others. We at Diamond Knot will persevere, keeping Brian's dream alive in his memory and with the wealth of knowledge he imparted to us all. But first and foremost we all need to send thoughts, prayers and good karma to his family.

Thanks again,

Pat Ringe, Brewmaster/Co-Owner
Diamond Knot Brewing Co.
pat@diamondknot.com

PS- I'd love to hear some tales from anyone that Brian helped out via these forums. Please post or send me an email/PM

Cheers to our fallen brother. :(

[tariq khan]

Very sad to hear the bad news, I also did not know Brian personally but found his wisdom and experience on this website very helpful to me, especially when I was starting out in this business.

My thoughts go out to his family, friends, and co-workers.

Tariq (Big Ridge Brewery, Surrey, B.C.)

[beauxman]

I also have experienced Brian's help and advice on Probrewer and in person. He was always willing to help out and build the greater community of what is craft beer. The first time I "met" Brian was in about 96-97 when I was a homebrewer in Mississippi. There was an article in "Brew your own" magazine that featured Diamond Knot and these two guys from Boeing making a go of it. In 2000 I moved to Seattle to pursue brewing and got into the industry in 2001. As I became more involved in the guild, I met some great people. Brian was one of them. I have enjoyed many a pint with him, mainly at his B2 production facility. Discussions of engineering, brewing, marketing, airplanes and life were usually the conversation. The last time I saw Brian was at GABF last month and he gave me a big hug and told me how proud he was of my accomplishment (opening the Black Raven Brewing Company). I will never forget it. I brew today with thoughts for his friends and family. This has been a hard year for the Washington brewers. We have lost some great brewers and great friends this year. It feels a little bit lonely today...

-Beaux Bowman
Black Raven Brewing Company
Redmond, WA

[jimvgjr]

I initially met Brian over 10 years ago when he approached us to size and build a chiller system for the brewpub. As many know, Brian can be very intense and he really put me through my paces with questions and comments that most customers would never care to ask (or care to know). I quickly realized that he wasn’t challenging me to be “difficult” or prove how smart he was; he was genuinely interested in knowing everything he possibly could learn about the system. In the process he made me a better salesperson and ultimately helped us provide a better product for the brewery market. We’ve had numerous discussions over the years; ranging from glycol piping ideas, issues on their keg cleaner (he built from scratch), to his boys as they entered into manhood. Most of these talks were over more than one frosty malted beverage! I feel real fortunate to call Brian a friend, a one of a kind, that I’m going to really miss. Cheers to you Brian! All of us here at Pro will keep his family, coworkers (from DK and Boeing), and friends in our thoughts and prayers.

Jim VanderGiessen Jr
Pro Refrigeration Inc.

[gitchegumee]

Brian and I PM each other often over the years and shared many opinions and insights regarding brewing. Two years ago, my wife and I met another caucasian/asian couple on a lonely beach on the north side of Bali, Indonesia. The man was surprised to hear I was a brewer since one of his best mates was an engineer he worked with at Boeing that had gone to brew beer. Even on the other side of the world, his presence was known.

[tarmadilo]

Rest in peace, Brian!

Tim

[zachjenny]

I met Brian at his B2 warehouse a few years ago to discuss opening my brewery. He was a huge help and I always considered him my "wise council" when it came to brewery questions. I'm gonna miss him. Rest in Peace Brian.

[DKnot Brewer]

Sorry if this is a duplicate for any of you, just wanna make sure the info gets out there....

Thanks to all for your kind words in the past few days, here's the schedule for Brian's memorial/reception/toast, etc.

Friday November 6th, 2009

9:00 AM Public Viewing
10:00 AM Funeral Services
Evergreen Washelli Funeral Home
11111 Aurora Ave. North
Seattle, WA 98133
Phone: 206-362-5200

Grave Site Service procession following Funeral
Abbey View Memorial Park and Cemetery
3601 Alaska Road
Brier, WA 98036
Phone: 425-483-0555

Reception at Mukilteo Boys and Girls Club (Food will be provided)
1:00 PM till 3:00PM
1134 2nd St
Mukilteo, WA 98275-1722
Phone: 425- 347-3183

Toast to Brian following the Reception
Diamond Knot Brewing Co. Production Facility
4602 Chennault Beach Rd. Ste. B2
Mukilteo, WA. 98275
Phone: 425-315-0703

Cheers,

Pat Ringe
Diamond Knot Brewing Co.