Librarian Wins Award for Service to Local Beer Industry

Cal State San Marcos librarian Judith Downie has received the Outstanding Service Award from the San Diego Brewers Guild.

Downie, who curates the Brewchive through the University Library, was given the honor during the San Diego Beer News Awards on March 25 at Societe Brewing in Kearny Mesa. She was recognized for her tireless volunteerism on behalf of the San Diego Brewers Guild.

For almost a decade, Downie has served as the curator of the Brewchive, a comprehensive archive launched in 2017 that celebrates a county that’s widely regarded as the capital of craft beer. The collection is one of only a handful of special collections nationwide focused solely on beer.

It includes photos, videos, marketing materials, coasters, beer lists, menus, recipes, brewing logs, brewing manifestos, unique or rare trade periodicals, and interviews. Many of them come from the personal collection of Greg Koch, who founded Stone Brewing with Steve Wagner in San Marcos in 1996.

Downie, a special collections librarian, has worked for the University Library since the early 1990s, when she was still a student at CSUSM. She graduated from the school in 1994.

Media Contact

Brian Hiro, Communications Specialist
bhiro@csusm.edu | Office: 760-750-7306