Erica Hopperstead touched countless lives within the craft beer community and outside of it. Since her recent passing, there has been an outpouring of remembrances and donations honoring her life. Shawn Howell was there for much of that journey.
Hopperstead “went to high school with my wife, Margaret,” he said. “They worked together at La Hacienda Ranch on [Texas State Highway] 121 when they were teenagers, and then they both moved over to the Saucer [in Fort Worth] where I met them both.”
The tenacious Hopperstead could be a “hardass,” he said. “But if she was on your side, there were few better people to have in your corner.”
She worked at The Flying Saucer for seven years, he added, first as a server, then as a bartender and, later, floor manager. She then followed Howell to The Pour House, working under him to train and manage staff. Her most recent job was as a sales representative for Lakewood Brewing Company.
There are a number of ways you can support Hopperstead’s memory and help her family pay down her remaining medical bills. Later today, Lakewood Brewing Company is hosting a special event with all proceeds going toward a special fund for Hopperstead. This Saturday, there will be a live auction at Danny’s Celtic Pub (2824 Central Dr, Bedford). And if you miss those events you can always contribute to an ongoing fundraising campaign.
“She was awesome,” Howell said. “The beer community rightfully loved her; She was a great steward for the industry and carried the right attitude when it came to beer. I love her like a mean sister I never got to pick on as a child, so I just had to do it as an adult. She’s going to be missed dearly.”
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On Tap this Week:
The Collective Brewing Project’s Ice Cream Festival
From Collective: Join us for a celebration of frozen treats benefiting children across Tarrant County through the Back to School Roundup on Saturday, August 26 from 2 to 6pm. We’ll have scoops and pops from a few of DFW’s best frozen confection shops: Alchemy Pops, Alma’s Paleteria, Gypsy Scoops, Lake Highlands Creamery, Melt Ice Creams, Pokey O’s. Visit the event page here.
Raise a Beer to the Environment
From the Sierra Club: Join us for a day of beer and fun. $20 gets you a souvenir pint glass and three beers. The club keeps half the proceeds as a fundraiser. Just identify yourself at the door as being with the Sierra Club. Saturday (12 to 5pm) at Panther Island Brewing.
