From The Archives
Amy Spackman has a thirst for knowledge.
This originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of West Coaster Magazine. I got to share a couple ciders and beers with Amy last week, so it seemed like the perfect time to re-share her beer story here! Enjoy, and thanks for reading.
I challenge anyone reading this to find a more infectiously positive person in #sdbeer than Amy Spackman. In the many occasions we’ve been in the same room, I’d categorize her lowest mood as merely “upbeat” rather than her normal “ecstatic”. The only time I’ve seen her approach anything resembling even the slightest irritation is when she talks about her previous career as a preschool teacher. More specifically, when people make the joke that “drunk adults are the same as toddlers,” inferring that’s why she’s such a good bartender.
“I hear that all the time. I got it!” She rolls her eyes behind her signature cat-eye glasses. But she doesn’t deny her lifelong love of educating has served her well in her transition into craft beer in 2015. Despite entering a fairly mature local beer scene, Spackman has carved a niche for herself by continuing both her beer education as well as transferring her knowledge to others as a beertender at Karl Strauss, BJCP judge, and current San Diego chapter leader of the Pink Boots Society.
(Quick update: As of March 2021, Amy works at Ballast Point’s Home Brew Mart in Linda Vista.)
Her first stint in local beer was at Manzanita Brewing Company in Santee, which went through multiple iterations before closing in 2016. From there, she moved to Mission Brewery, where part of her duties included giving tours of the historic building. This provided the perfect segue to marry her two passions—beer and teaching. “It was so cool to be in a teachable role. It made me a much better bartender,” Spackman says.
But her thirst for knowledge couldn’t be quenched. In 2016, she enrolled in San Diego State University’s Business of Craft Beer program and went to her first Pink Boots Society meeting, despite not knowing a single other person in attendance.
Spackman wasn’t deterred; she’s been a Pink Booter ever since and has made it her mission to find women who, like she did, may feel apprehensive about entering an already tight-knit community. She’s adamant about promoting inclusion and eliminating cliquishness that can seem off-putting to newbies. In her mind, it’s just the decent thing to do.
“I think it’s our job as a community, and as women, to help each other out,” says Spackman. “You always need to learn something. No one is going to know everything.” She credits people like Daniel Cady (Mikkeller San Diego) and George Thornton (Home Brewing Company) in mentoring her to find her place in San Diego beer.
Even with a slew of speaking engagements under her belt—including speaking at this year’s Pink Boots Conference, moderating a panel at the California Craft Beer Summit, and giving talks in downtown San Diego and Baja—Spackman’s showing no signs of slowing down. “One day, I’d love to be on the national board for Pink Boots. That’s a goal I have for myself.” She also plans to try for her Cicerone certification. But in the meantime, she’s content to drink her beloved coffee stouts, listen to Hot Water Music with her cutie patootie pug Noli, and maybe even do a couple of yoga pop-ups with the hashtag #drinkbeerdoyoga. (Did I mention she’s also a yoga teacher?)
“Beer education, staff education, they’re all so huge to me,” explains Spackman. “That’s what I want to keep going. I guess the teacher never dies.”
Prohibitchin' is made possible by a sponsorship from Hopsbauer, a woman-owned hops brokerage company based in San Diego. Hopsbauer brings the best hops from around the world to craft breweries. Find out more by visiting Hopsbauer.com, and thanks to Liz Bauer for her generous support!
All content ©2021 Beth Demmon