Scott Daniel Spicola Photo Gallery

4Peaks-MacNut

Wed, 16 Mar 2011 06:47:35 -0700

Friends of Scott came out of the woodwork to celebrate and throw a few back, as they say, of Macadamia Nut Brown Ale, his signature beer, in his memory. Four Peaks Brewery ran the event. One of the owners, Arthur Craft, was a good friend of Scott's. It came as a total surprise, although Arthur and I had spoken of it many times. So on Wednesday, March 24th, he sends me this email saying the beer is being brewed and will be ready to serve on Friday, April 2nd. That gave me about 8 days to prepare everything to make this a successful event. Not a lot of time to write a story about the history of Ali'i beer and Scott. Get AccesSurf, the charity, to get me their material; design and produce table cards and donation cards; design and produce tank tops for the waitresses and t-shirts for the waiters and bartenders; get the word out to Scott's many friends, some of which flew in (had to be the most expensive beer they ever had) while others drove 6 to 7 hours to be there Friday night for the launch. It was hectic, scary, and emotional, all at the same time. These things can be bittersweet, as they are exciting on the one hand, yet bring back all the sadness on the other.

Well, I will not bore you with any more details but this. When Four Peaks runs a seasonal beer, they make 14 kegs and it generally takes them 7 to 10 days to blow through it. The Macadamia Nut Brown was a secret recipe that Scott shared with no one. We had the basics, but did not know exactly how he created the unique taste, so we winged it. It came out very strong and had to be toned down. By the time they toned it down enough we had 20 kegs. It launched on Friday morning, April 2nd at 11 am. I, naturally, was there to take the first draft. After all, it was 5 o'clock somewhere, right. Bottom line, it sold out in three days. by Sunday night, it was virtually gone. I do not know how much was raised for the charity as all has to be tallied, but here is the great news. The brewery owners originally were going to donate $1 of every beer sold. When you read the article you will see they decided to donate ALL of the proceeds from the sale of the beer along with all the donations. I saw people giving $20 bills and writing several $100 checks.

I share this with you all only because I wish you could have been here to celebrate Scott's memory, but most importantly, the fact that it went to such a fine cause. AccesSurf you will read provides ocean access to the disabled, and when you read the list of maladies these poor people are afflicted with, one can only be thankful for the health we have. Paraplegics, quadriplegics,, the blind, cerebral palsy, and so on. It truly is amazing. They take the first weekend of every month and with over 400 volunteers, they get these people into the ocean, on surfboards for the thrill of their lives that otherwise they would never be able to experience.

SPICOLA FEST II

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:06:12 -0700

Photos from Spicola Fest II - Friday 13th 2007, Anna's, Honolulu, HI. These albums are a tribute to the life, family, and friends of Scott Daniel Spicola.

Scott Daniel Spicola Web Album

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:05:31 -0700

Scott, our son, and Shannon's brother packed an amazing life into 35 years. Scott left us unexpectedly on March 10, 2006 on Maui, Hawaii. The Spicola family moved to Scottsdale in 1981. Scott was a graduate of Brophy College Prep in Phoenix, and the University of Hawaii. Scott was the proud owner of Alii Brewery in Honolulu until 2001, and then worked as a self-employed contractor on the west coast and in Hawaii until his untimely passing. Scott was truly a "FREE SPIRIT" who loved every aspect of his life in Hawaii.

Scott loved surfing and traveled extensively to surf his dream spots. He never met a stranger and his door was always open. Scott will be greatly missed by everyone he has touched and loved - especially his heartbroken family, his magnitude of friends, and all the children he cared for so deeply.

His parents, John and Muriel, and sister Shannon, all of Scottsdale - his paternal Grandmother, Carmela Spicola, and his treasured aunts, uncles and cousins, all in Rhode Island - cannot realize a life without him and his infectious smiling eyes.

Scott will be forever missed ~ but know that Scott is saying Aloha and Mahalo to all who touched him.

Back in the Water!!

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 12:04:58 -0700