(Press Release)
CALGARY, Alta.—On Sunday, November 15, longtime Cask employee and microcanning pioneer Jamie Gordon passed away in Denver, Colorado. He was 56.
Below is a statement from Cask founder Peter Love regarding Jamie and his role in the development of micro-canned beer around the globe for Cask:
It is with a very heavy heart that I have to announce that our wonderful friend and mentor, Jamie Gordon, passed away last week in Denver, Colorado. He was doing what he loved best – working with his friends and customers in the craft brewing industry.
On Thursday, November 12, Jamie completed an installation at Grist Brewing in Littleton, Colorado, and went on to Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver to help the staff with an equipment issue. He then returned to his hotel in Highlands Ranch where he suffered a heart attack and collapsed in the hotel lobby.
The hotel staff gave Jamie CPR and emergency medical staff attempted to restart his heart before taking him to Littleton Adventist Hospital and placing him on life support. Unfortunately he did not recover and was removed from life support Sunday afternoon.
Jamie’s family graciously agreed to donate his organs to a donor association in Colorado, where he played such a large role in the development of our company’s micro-canning efforts. His organs will help save and improve numerous lives in Colorado and beyond.
Jamie has been instrumental in the growth and development of Cask Brewing Systems Inc. since he started working for us almost 30 years ago. He initially sold homebrew kits for us in Eastern Canada while he still operated his homebrew store in Montreal, Gordon’s Cave a Vin.
He helped us grow in the “brew-on-premise” industry by designing a filing system to help these entities meet new government regulations for that burgeoning industry.
During our work with those homebrewer-minded enterprises, a brew-on-premise owner asked us if we could somehow create a small canning system for the store. Jamie eagerly took up the challenge and designed our initial manual canning system back in 1999. The rest, as they say, is history. We soon formed our great association with Ball Corporation and introduced micro-canning to the craft brewing industry around the world.
Jamie Gordon has been a wonderful ambassador for our company in North America and around the globe. As one of our customers recently told Jamie’s son Andrew, “Jamie has rock star status in the craft brewing industry.”
Jamie was a certified beer judge. He presented at a number of industry events for the Master Brewers Association of America (MBAA) and the United States Association of Cider Makers. He was recently asked to speak to the Brewery Engineers Association of England at their annual Technical Day in Burton-on-Trent this coming March.
His passing is a big loss to our Cask Brewing System’s family. A chapter in our company history is now closed.
Receptions to celebrate Jamie’s wonderful life will be held in his home town of Montreal this Saturday, November 21 and in Calgary the following Sunday, November 29. Details are at the bottom of this message.
Tool Shed Brewing in Calgary is brewing a “Flat Cap” stout in Jamie’s honor. The beer is named for Jamie’s beloved and signature driving cap. They plan for the beer to be a staple in their standard beer list, with packaging graphics that include a picture of Jamie.
Our deepest condolences go out to Jamie’s wife Anne Marie Fontaine and their two sons, Andrew Gordon and Alastair Gordon, in this difficult time.
Jamie Gordon will be missed, but never forgotten.
–Peter Love.
November 18, 2015
Reception Details:
Saturday, 4 PM, November 21, 2015 — Hilton Garden Inn Montreal Airport,7880 Côte de Liesse, Montreal, QC, 1-514-788-6088
Sunday, 4 PM, November 29, 2015 –Tool Shed Brewery, 801-30 Street NE, Calgary, AB T2A 5L7. 1-403-775-1749
For more information, contact Marty Jones at 720-289-9345 (cell) or [email protected].
So sorry to hear about Jamie, Anne Marie, my thoughts are with you at this time and my sympathies to your family…..
So terribly sorry to hear of this horrific loss Anne Marie. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your boys during this most difficult time.
as mentioned in the article Jamie operated a home brewing and winemaking store in Notre Dame de Grace, a suburb of Montreal in the 1980s. I guess he was in his twenties then. A number of people who were his clients went on to found microbreweries in Montreal; myself, establishing McAuslan Brewing in 1988, and Laura Urtnowski, a Gordon’s employee who founded Les Brasseurs de Nord the same year. This little store had an enormous impact on the development of microbrewing in Quebec. Jaime went on to be a key player at Cask, and the development of small canning lines for the small brewery industry. He has left a significant legacy in the industry. This is a terrible loss for his family.
Jamie was a close friend, mentor, and instrumental in the development of my career. It was because of Jamie that I moved to Calgary, met with Peter at Cask, and enjoyed years of personal and business fulfillment in the craft brewing industry. I am so happy to have spent time with him a few weeks ago. As usual, we were engaged in passionate conversation about “the tules of baseball” while we watched thew Blue Jays monumental win. Another glorious moment shared with Jamie, and my last… Farewell my friend… you will be missed by many!
Anne- Marie, I am so very sorry for your loss. I can’t begin to imagine your pain. My thoughts and prayers are with you.