I just received some sorrowing news from one of my closest friends from London about the passing of a friend of ours, Jeff Cunningham. While neither of us were extremely close with Jeff, his passing still hits home because of the great memories we shared together in Amsterdam (where he boarded us in the amazing beer shop he owned and is pictured in above, The Cracked Kettle) and the unsettling tragedy of another life cut short by cancer.
As many of you know beer has become a great passion of mine and were it not for Jeff, that passion may never have blossomed so wonderfully. Believe it or not, before taking this trip to Europe (which was also my first truly independent adult vacation) in 2005, beer was as foreign to me as Amsterdam was. Spending that weekend on makeshift mattresses on the backroom floor of a beer shop with a seemingly unending supply of world class brews changed it all. I went to Amsterdam as green a beer drinker as a teenager and came back with a love for the stuff that I know will never depart and the person I have to thank for that is Jeff. His passion for beer was in full bloom years before the craft beer revolution we're in the midst of now came to fruition. At that time in my life, I honestly didn't even know how to wrap my head around how an American could pick up and move his life to a foreign place simply because of his love for beer. Looking back now, I actually wish I had asked for job in his shop!
Six years ago Jeff opened his doors (and floorboards) to a couple American kids he didn't even know on the recommendation of a mutual friend. Not only that, he selflessly set aside his weekend to show us an Amsterdam we would have never seen on our own while at the same time planting the beautiful seed of beer appreciation into my life.
While I didn't know him as well as many of the friends I've had the pleasure of knowing throughout my 30 years of life, I will never forget Jeff Cunningham and will always attribute my love for beer to my time spent with him at The Cracked Kettle in Amsterdam.
-- May you always rest in peace, Jeff.