Bill Warnke | Co-Founder / Owner
Bitter the Elder, Bill is an alpha male on a mission. A mission to create something that others like enough to buy – and to come back and buy again. Like quality craft beer. Some would say that makes him a people pleaser, but those people would be wrong. Trained in the culinary arts, Bill spent years exploring the craft of fine food. His mise en place as kitchen commando involved sustainable, organic vegetables and meats – not hops and yeast. But brewing is in Bill’s blood – his great grandfather was a brewmeister in Germany. Hence, beer had a presence in his formative years, though it was Stroh’s, and not the kind that brought about real inspiration.
It wasn’t until 2009 that Bill got caught up in the heady days of the craft beer scene in San Diego where he soon realized that, as with many things in life, all beer is not created equal. So began his passage into the craft where Bill navigated the frothy beer waters as, volunteer, investor and willing taste tester. Learning what flavor profiles he gravitated towards and held in spiritual reverence, Bill decided to embark on a new journey. And since he and his younger, less bitter brother grew up in a Midwest glass-half-empty household, the name “Bitter Brothers” seemed fitting for this family affair. These days you can find Bill managing his modest master plan for world domination and overseeing, well, just about everything.
Monica Andresen | Co-Founder / Owner
Monica is the Bittersweet half, the charm, the smile, the soft edge of Bitter Brothers – or so they say. One visit to the tasting room and you’ll see for yourself. Monica is the one tasked with overseeing the tasting room, brewery events and sales. Monica get’s that experience from her time as senior event designer with Waters Fine Foods and Catering where you can still find her by day.
There, she sharpened her skills, and it’s not hard to notice how she’s translated her eye for design into the welcoming aesthetic of the Bitter Brothers tasting room. To Monica, breweries and design are not mutually exclusive concepts so she’s set out to ensure our tasting room is the type of place you’ll want to park yourself for a while. You’re welcome to stay. Except after brewery hours. Then Monica might politely ask you to leave.
Kurt Warnke | Co-Founder
Bitter the Younger, Kurt is still thanking his good ole Aunt Clara for giving him an early introduction to beer. Anything but a late bloomer, Kurt was just four years old when she used to give him sips of Schlitz – with plenty of chocolate, so that makes it OK. His early affinity for beer followed him through to adulthood, but thankfully Kurt’s palate for great beer has expanded since then. Much like his older brother, Kurt likes to keep his belly full and his hands busy.
Whether he’s home brewing, cooking, painting or sculpting, he’s a man with the need to tinker. An operations guy by trade, Kurt caught the brewing bug years ago after seeing craft beer take off. Not one to sit back and watch, he started home brewing in his free time and taught himself some tools of the trade.
John Hunter | Head Brewer
A San Diego native, John grew up around craft beer and brewing. When he was twelve his uncle bought his dad a home brewing kit and it was at that moment that John was able to observe the magic of beer making first hand. Instantly, he decided he wanted in on that magic. Fast-forward to when he was in college (and of legal drinking age) at San Diego State University, when John began home brewing himself. After graduation, he took additional courses online at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, the oldest brewing school in the U.S. After that, his brewing career started with the opportunity to return to San Diego and apprentice at Mission Brewery. From there he went on to work as a keg line operator at Stone Brewing, assistant brewer at Karl Strauss Brewing Co., bar manager and research and development brewer at White Labs and, most recently, head brewer at 32 North.
John’s contributions to the San Diego beer lineup include the recipe for Karl Strauss’ beloved Peanut Butter Cup Porter and several Berliner Weiss variations while at 32 North. Having worked in so many different capacities at a number of breweries, John brings a diverse skill set to Bitter Brothers Brewing Company and will help not only with recipe development, but also with the day-to-day brewing operations (including cleaning tanks, sorry John) and, in the future, packaging and development.
Delanie Koken | Tasting Room Manager
Delanie is a born and raised San Diego native who jumped into the craft beer scene before she was legally allowed to drink. She started as a home brewer in 2007 and then went on to open the White Labs Tasting Room in 2011 where she stayed for several years.
Cicerone certified, Delanie brings a serious appreciation and adoration for beer to Bitter Brothers Brewing Company. She’s also the opposite of bitter when you chat with her, and one hell of a pin up babe who adds a dose of charm to the brewery.
Although she says she’s an equal opportunity beer drinker she tends to favor sours and session beers. She loves being in the beer scene and being one of the bad ass beer babes who pours your beers!
Corey Esoldi | Sales & Events
Corey started home brewing in 2010, and after that he was hooked. He always thought he wanted to make his own beer. Things changed after graduating college with a visual arts degree. Looking for a part time job, while trying to “figure shit out” he reached out to a friend working at Stone Brewing Co. Realizing that beer had become life itself, he soaked in all the knowledge he could.
Shortly thereafter, while working at Societe Brewing Company, he earned his level two Certified Cicerone. His time, contacts, and experience there allowed him to be brought onto the Bitter Brothers team heading up Sales and Events. You can find him normally in his car or at a bar, but not at the brewery (he doesn’t need to sell beer to them!).