Freewheel Brewing Company founder dies: Friends remember local entrepreneur, brewer and resident Malcolm McGinnis

The brewery specializing in subtle English-style cask ales grew rapidly in popularity throughout the Bay Area, as its trademark approach marked a diversion from the many high gravity, hop-forward beers flooding the Northern California craft market.

With assistance from co-founders Peter Krausa, Larry Bucka and Gary Waymire, the brewery’s reputation and production grew, even though McGinnis’ role waned in recent years following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.

In the wake of his death Tuesday, Sept. 13, Krausa shared fond memories of his longtime friend and business partner.

“To me, Malcolm was simply the best of best friends. He was kind, funny, generous, loved his family, never liked fuss or to be the center of attention,” said Krausa in an email. “An all-round amazing man.”

Krausa and McGinnis established Freewheel Brewing Company nearly two decades after they first met when working at Applied Biosystems in Foster City, where they developed a shared interested in developing DNA sequencing technology.

Around 2001, the two split to form their own company, Atria Genetics in South San Francisco, where they worked for several years before the venture was acquired. With training in science and experience in founding a successful company, the shared appreciation between Krausa and McGinnis for beer became the focus of their next endeavor.

McGinnis lived by the adage “any good biochemist worth his weight in salt is able to brew a beer,” said Devin Roberts, the marketing and sales director at Freewheel Brewing Company.

A committed home brewer, McGinnis and his colleagues elected to buck the growing local trend of focusing on hop heavy beers in favor of crafting more bitter, lower alcohol English ales conditioned and served from casks.

The unique initiative paid dividends in critical acclaim almost immediately, as the California State Fair Craft Beer Competition awarded London Calling, one of the brewery’s trademark beers, first place in the English pale ale standard/bitter category, followed by its pale ale in second.

Though the brewery grew in notability over time, McGinnis maintained his interest in preserving the feel and character of the brewery’s headquarters from its humble home amidst the neighborhood shopping center adjacent to Marsh Road, said Krausa.

“One thing Malcolm and the other partners were keen to build was a community pub, which like a proper British pub, is one were you’d go to have a few jars with your mates,” said Krausa. “And that is something he was very proud of, especially when locals told him that if it wasn’t for the pub, they would never have met neighbors that have lived in the same street for years.”

Roberts said the brewery’s ability to maintain a meek reputation in the face of growing success and acclaim was an immediate reflection of McGinnis.

“He was really respected. He did really well for himself financially. But he was the most humble and down-to-earth guy and genuinely cared about everyone,” said Roberts. “He was just a very big-hearted guy.”

His compassion and care for the crew was spread throughout the company, said Roberts, as McGinnis was known to move from his work in the brew room to helping cook fries in the kitchen.

“He was the best boss I ever had,” said Roberts. “Never got upset or was condescending. He talked to everyone with such respect. He really valued people’s input.”

As Freewheel Brewing Company moves forward without the man who first mastered the company’s craft, Roberts said the rest of the team will remain committed to preserving his legacy.

“We want to keep his spirit alive in what we do,” said Roberts. “His vision was cask ale. And even though we’ve expanded and started to do some kegs and bottling, we are never going to get away from his original vision of classic English cask ales.”

Malcolm is survived by his wife Irene Searles; his son Duncan and daughter Lauren McGinnis; parents Arthur and Gladys McGinnis, as well as his sister Brenda Reid, Heather Screaton and brother Cameron McGinnis, and many nieces and nephews, all residents of Canada, according to his obituary posted on InMenlo.

Memorial services are scheduled later this fall, but Krausa said those at the brewing company held a celebration honoring their friend the day after he died at Freewheel where they raised glasses in his honor.

“He will be greatly missed,” said Krausa.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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