When Nick Gingold started photographing some of California’s best known brewers in 2012, it didn’t take him long to discover how to make a brewer act natural in front of a camera. “As long as we kept a beer in front of their hands, they were happy,” said Gingold.
Two years later, Gingold has photographed and interviewed more than 45 brewers—most with beers in hand—and the results are stunning. (Scroll down to see more of his work.) His subjects include Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Matt Brynildson of Firestone Walker Brewing Co. and Chuck Silva of Green Flash Brewing Co., just to name a few.
Gingold—a native of Newport Beach—was inspired to start the project when he attended the Firestone Walker Invitational Beer Festival in 2012. “There are a lot of books out there that are guidebooks or on the beer itself, but what impressed me at that festival was the community behind craft beer,” said Gingold. “Because I specialize in portraiture, I wanted to start talking to brewers and see if they’d give me a bit of their time.”
Now, Gingold is looking for a bit of help from Kickstarter to publish California BrewMasters, a coffee table book featuring his photographs and interviews. The project will only be funded if at least $25,000 is pledged by To learn more about the project, visit the California BrewMasters website and its Kickstarter page. Selected photos are also on display at City Beer Store in San Francisco until the end of March.
