10.09.2023

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Today’s Forecast

57º | Mostly sunny | 5% chance of rain | Sunrise: 7:22 a.m. | Sunset: 5:06 p.m.

Bottoms up for this brewmaster

San Josean spotlight: Dan Gordon of Gordon Biersch

Dan Gordon poses behind the bar with Gordon Biersch beer infront of him.

Celebrate Dan Gordon at this year’s Valley of Heart’s Delight fundraiser. | Photo by Susan Harding

At History San Jose’s upcoming Valley of Heart’s Delight Annual Fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 12, the organization will honor a very special San Josean — brewmaster + Gordon Biersch co-founder Dan Gordon.

Gordon + his co-founder Dean Biersch, started a little Palo Alto brewpub in 1988 that would grow to become Santa Clara County’s biggest brewer.

⭐ The man, the myth, the legend

Born in San Jose in 1960, Gordon grew up in Los Altos and attended Homestead High before pursuing a resource economics degree at UC Berkeley in the 1980s.

After college, he was accepted into a prestigious five-year brewing engineering program at the Technical University of Munich in West Germany. He earned his degree in 1987 and and interned at Spaten Brewery.

With all these skills in his back pocket, Gordon was destined to brew something up back in the US.

🍻 Dedicated to San Jose

Following the opening of the flagship Gordon Biersch restaurant in 1988, the two co-founders opened a chain of 11 more brewpubs.

Though San Jose’s location closed in 2018, the Gordon Biersch brewing + bottle facility that opened in 1997 in the old California Canners and Growers plant is still going strong.

As the director of operations at the Japantown brewery, Gordon is committed to being a community player. He’s pushed for a frequent San Jose Jazz presence (he used to play trombone regularly with the group), and hosts the summer Gordon Biersch Night Markets annually.

💰 The fundraiser

Though tickets are no longer available to Thursday’s event, anyone wanting to make a donation in Gordon’s honor to support History San Jose + its Title I School Fund, is more than welcome to do so. The fund helps students from local Title I schools attend immersive field trips + learn more about their local heritage.

❓ Trivia question

What can Dan Gordon be credited for inventing?

A. Beer cozies
B. Garlic fries
C. Beer-battered onion rings
D. Mechanical hops separator

Make your guess.

Asked

What can Dan Gordon be credited for inventing?

A. Beer cozies
B. Garlic fries
C. Beer-battered onion rings
D. Mechanical hops separator

Make your guess

Events

Monday, Oct. 9

“Mrs. Christie” | Monday, Oct. 9 | 2 p.m. | Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View | $27-$47 | In parallel storylines that blend past, present, and Poirot, this glimpse into Agatha Christie’s real-life mystery proves that sometimes you need to disappear in order to find yourself.
Monday Night Social Poker | Monday, Oct. 9 | 6-9 p.m. | Off the Rails Brewing Co., 111 S. Murphy Ave., Sunnyvale | Free | Meet new people, enjoy beer + wine, and learn how to play Texas Hold’Em.

Tuesday, Oct. 10

Tully Night Market | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 5:30-8:30 p.m. | Tully Community Ballfields, 800 Tully Rd., San Jose | Free | This fall market is back with gourmet food trucks, local vendors, and live entertainment.
Becky G: Mi Casa, Tu Casa Tour | Tuesday, Oct. 10 | 8 p.m. | San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 S. Almaden Blvd., San Jose | $59-$254 | The singer is on a debut headlining concert tour promoting her third album “Esquinas.”

Wednesday, Oct. 11

Chopsticks Alley’s Creativitea Open Mic | Wednesday, Oct. 11 | 7-8:30 p.m. | Olinder Theater, 848 E William St., San Jose | Free | Enjoy this month’s AAPI open mic/revue that includes all types of artists, from poets to comedians + beyond.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Tech

📱 Want fewer robocalls and spam texts?

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The good news? There’s something you can do about it.

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Plus, our readers can now snag an Incogni annual plan for 55% off with the exclusive discount code 6AMCITY.

Less spam, more life

News Notes

Announced

The VTA board of directors unanimously approved leasing the Cerone bus yard to the city to create 200 temporary homes for unhoused residents. This 7.2-acre project is the first homeless housing development of its kind in North San Jose and it aims to be ready in eight months. (San José Spotlight)

Civic

City Council voted to make San Jose Power its municipal utility. This approval means the council will study the power company’s economic impact, service areas, and costs before offering its services to the city as an energy alternate. (Silicon Valley Business Journal)

Featured

Local food pop-up Hết Sẩy was recently spotlighted by KQED for its creative use of ingredients in popular Saigon-centric Vietnamese dishes like bánh mì — one has a broccoli, goat cheese, and apples. You can find the vendor at several local farmers markets. (KQED)

Health

As COVID-19 cases rise once again, South Bay health officials are urging everyone six months and older to get vaccinated, wash hands, and wear masks in indoor crowded areas. Head to the county’s website for more vaccination information. (NBC Bay Area)

Community

Spanish and Vietnamese translators are now present in-person and virtually at San Jose City Council meetings. Some councilmembers are pushing for more languages represented in agenda packets + memos, as well. City data showed that 57% of residents speak a language other than English at home. (San José Spotlight)

Regional

Santa Clara County has activated its Welcoming Migrants Plan in response to migrants seeking asylum + being dropped off in the Alma neighborhood last week. The migrants, who were previously detained in El Paso, are being placed in temporary homes with the help of community-based organizations. (KTVU Fox 2 News)

San Josean

San Jose native Daniel Ortega talked to KTVU recently about his journey building one of the fastest growing food truck businesses in the Bay Area. He credits the success of Con Sabor a Mexico to his grandmother’s recipes and parents’ hardworking attitudes. (KTVU Fox 2 News)

State

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 616, which extends paid sick leave from three to five days for minimum wage workers in California. Our state was second after Connecticut to guarantee sick leave statewide in 2014. The new policy will start next year. (KRON 4 News)

Plan Ahead

This Saturday, Oct. 14, San Jose-based Cruizers will host a rideout for its three-year anniversary. Come out with your bike, board, scooter, or anything on wheels to Reid Hillview Park at 10:30 a.m. for pre-ride festivities. The official ride goes from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Wellness

Did you know some foods contribute to unwanted pounds, especially around your midsection? Three common breakfast foods can act like glue and attract fat — this video explains how.*

Health

Hear this: The world’s first hearing aids featuring dual processing — and backed by cutting-edge German technology — were just unveiled. 385,000+ customers have transformed their hearing with double the power and double the clarity (plus: a 45-day, no-risk trial).*

Community

🍃 Take a walk in the park

Heinlenville Park opens in Japantown

Heinlenville Park acknowledges the nuanced history of the Japantown neighborhood. | Rendering courtesy of Shea Properties and City of San José PRNS

In May 2022, the new Heinlenville Park in Japantown broke ground — 17 months later, the project is now complete.

San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services + San Jose officials will host a ribbon-cutting tomorrow, Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 650 N. Sixth St. to officially open it to the public.

🌳 What’s in a name

After much debate about a name, “Heinlenville Park” was chosen to honor the vibrant Asian American community that lived in the Japantown neighborhood, even before it was Japantown.

The story began when a German immigrant farmer named John Heinlen leased property in what is now Japantown to those seeking refuge after a 1887 fire destroyed San Jose’s Market St. Chinatown, located at the present site of the Signia Hotel in Downtown.

Despite public backlash, Heinlen continued to protect San Jose’s Chinese community and made Heinlenville — as the neighborhood became known — a safe haven for the broader Asian American community.

What to expect

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The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Alyson

From the editor

I’ve been bowling a lot more these days and frequenting bowling alleys all over the South Bay. I’d say my favorites are the ones that include bars... but I can’t dismiss the old-fashioned alleys like Homestead Bowl that takes me right back to my childhood one in Dublin. What do you think, should I make a roundup of bowling alleys? Let me know.

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