Steve Jones (Steve.Jones@oregonbrewcrew.org)

I retired from Nike in 2019, after a nearly 40-year career in Engineering, Manufacturing, and Sports Product Development & Testing. Outside of brewing beer, I have expanded my interests in making other beverages (cider, mead, wine, kombucha, ginger beer, kefir and tepache), and other fermented foods (pickling, hot sauce, sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, gochugaru and many others). I have also re-engaged with gardening, starting most of my plants from seeds indoors, then taking over our backyard every summer.

I am married, with two sons and two grandkids (that we love to spoil). I also enjoy hiking, backpacking, travel and other outdoor activities.

John Koger (john.koger@oregonbrewcrew.org) - John moved to Portland from Ohio in the spring of 2022 after retiring from a 38 year career, including 24 years on active duty and 14 years as a civil servant, in the US Air Force.  Just before coming to Portland John earned a certificate in sustainable brewing from Kalamazoo Valley Community College in Michigan.  He has been home brewing off  and on (mostly off) for 15 years now.  Since joining OBC in early 2023 he has become a certified BJCP judge.

Other than home brewing John"s interests include hiking, riding motorcycles, flying, reading, fitness, and Euchre (a card game you probably have never heard of if you're not from the midwest).

John lives with his girlfriend, Liz in SE Portland and has two adult children, Ryan and Ashley, who live in NE Portland.

Corey Oravetz (corey@obc.beer) - Hi OBC Members! My brewing story starts back in 1992 at UC Davis, where a group of passionate grad students introduced me to homebrewing during my biochemistry studies. Who knew those weekend and late-night brewing sessions would spark a lifelong passion that's wound through my professional and personal worlds? Over the past three decades, I've zigzagged between scientific labs and the innovative pulse of Silicon Valley tech startups all while trying to squeeze my hobbies into the margins of a crazy-busy life.

For many, many years my homebrewing was basic - trying to make an extract kit or clone, no pH or temp checks, water out of the tap and Chico yeast.  All in between work, projects, family and way too many other hobbies (fly fishing, woodworking, gardening, 3D printing and way too many others). But over the past ~ 5-6 years, I've fallen deeply in love with the craft. I've upgraded my setup, gone all-grain, started creating my own recipes, and starting to learn the subtle art of tasting and describing beer, mead and cider. This later part has been way more difficult than I every imagined. Brewing has become this incredible blend of art and science - a delicate dance of chemistry, creativity, and community.

The more I dig into this hobby, the more I realize there's always something new to discover. From perfecting water chemistry, understanding new yeast strains, or exploring new methods or techniques for making different styles. The learning curve seems endless - and that's what makes it so engaging for me.

So if you see me at an event, come say hello! I'd love to hear about your brewing adventures, swap war stories about brew days and disasters, or just share a pint and talk about random topics.