Michael LaCross

Chief Operating Officer – Tracy Team

Bachelors Degree – Urban Studies, San Diego State University

Michael LaCross was raised in the East Bay. After finishing high school, Michael moved to San Diego where he attended San Diego State University and graduated with a degree in Urban Studies. It was in San Diego where Michael’s love and appreciation of craft beer began. On his 21st birthday, he was given a home brew kit and began making beer on his apartment stove top. What started out as a hobby, soon became an obsession that would become a huge part of his life. At first he was brewing once a month but quickly added more fermenters and it turned into a weekly activity and would continue to be so for many years afterwards.

Michael spent 10 years in San Diego. To help with paying for college, and some extra spending money, Michael worked at various bars and clubs. He was exposed to the booming beer culture that exists in San Diego and fell in love with the craft beer movement. In his free time, he would tour breweries to learn about the beers he carried at work, and because of his own passion for making beer at home. At that point, however, making beer for a living was not a career path he envisioned for himself. He saw himself eventually becoming an owner of a bar.

After 10 years of living in San Diego, Michael found himself maxed out in terms of his potential at work and started to look for a bar to call his own. His search took him back to Northern California where he would find Schooner’s Grille & Brewery in Antioch. It provided a perfect opportunity to combine his experience in the bar industry with his passion for making beer. Michael and his father, David, partnered up and purchased Schooner’s Grille & Brewery where Michael oversaw the operations of the restaurant and worked with Craig Cauwels, the Brewmaster. They entered the California State Fair Craft Beer competition, won two golds, a bronze and were named California’s Brewery of the Year. Later they medaled at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival. It was at that point in time that Michael and Craig made the decision to leave behind the time consuming stresses of operating the restaurant to team up, scale up, and focus on their real passion – brewing beer. They moved the brewery to Tracy and rebranded it Morgan Territory Brewing.

Michael’s formal title is Chief Operating Officer, though he wears many hats and is involved in nearly every aspect of the business. His favorite things include making beer, drinking beer, and talking about beer……. pretty much anything that involves craft beer. Introduce yourself to him when you come and visit the tap room or you see him at an event … just make sure you have a beer in your hand when you do….. he doesn’t trust people who don’t love craft beer.

Age: Capricorn of the early 80s
Likes: Beer, ocean, sunsets, long walks on the beach, spicy stuff
Dislikes: Oxidation, sulfur, hipsters
Favorite Song: Sports Radio
Favorite Beer: Beer
Favorite Food:Food
Favorite Movie: Shawshank Redemption

Craig Cauwels

The Brewmaster – Brew Crew

BS/MS – Biology/Molecular Biology, San Jose State University

Craig is Brewmaster for Morgan Territory Brewing in Tracy, CA. He has been brewing professionally since 2004. He was head brewer at Schooner’s Grille & Brewery in Antioch as well as brewer at EJ Phair in Pittsburg, CA. He has done consulting work for several start-up breweries, as well as, contract brewing for well known local breweries. In 2014, his work helped win Schooner’s “Brewery of the Year” from the California State Fair. He has brought home at least one medal from the Great American Beer Festival every year he has competed as well three awards from the World Beer Cup. He holds a Master of Science in Biology with a concentration in Molecular Biology from San Jose State University and worked in the Biotech Industry for 7 years prior to becoming a brewer.

The Birth of a Brewer

Brewing started for me back in college when a buddy of mine got a home brew kit from his girlfriend for a birthday present. We were both biology majors and I was fascinated by the science of brewing. This began my journey into craft brewing throughout my undergraduate and graduate years. After many years in the biotech industry, that same buddy who began hobby brewing with me was starting a brew pub of his own in Antioch, CA so of course, I invested. By then I was director of the genomic laboratory at Dana Faber Cancer Institute in Boston, MA. When my buddy called and jokingly asked “what would it take to get you to move back to California?” I replied, “Make me your brewer.” The universe must have heard because a few weeks later, his brewer resigned because his wife transferred with the Air Force.

Now I faced a decision – could I make a career out of brewing? With the support of my wife, we sold the house, packed everything up, and drove across country to begin a new adventure and I’ve never looked back.

My first day at Schooner’s, I began learning the professional system and the tricks of the trade from Shawn Burns and Chris Hendricks. The secret of success for me was to document the process and the details of each brew. I have collected binders full of brewing details over the years and can refer back to my award winners whenever I want to recreate the results.

I also began networking with other professional brewers in the Bay Area who generously shared their experience with me. I’m thankful to Steve Altimari, JJ Phair, Arnie Johnson, James Costa, and many others.

Becoming a professional brewer has turned out to be one of the best decisions. It marries my love of craft beers with great flavor profiles with my scientific approach to the process.

Austin Lesley

VP, Sales and Distribution/Partner

Austin Lesley joined Morgan Territory Brewing in 2018. As Brand Ambassador for MTB, Austin touts the glory of our products to bars, restaurants, and distributors as well as festivals and events. Before joining, Austin owned and operated a craft beer/wine bar in Lodi, California.

Tyler Petersen

Brand Ambassador – Sales Team

Cicerone Certified Beer Server

Tyler Petersen joined Morgan Territory Brewing in April, 2017. As a California native, Tyler grew up in the Bay Area and has a passion for studying and playing music. His music addiction landed him in several bands and he started playing music professionally at 17. But soon Tyler realized he had a greater passion for craft beer. As his fascination grew, he parlayed his passion into selling positions at BevMo, Young’s Market, and JARDESCA California Aperitiva. As Brand Ambassador for Morgan Territory Brewing, Tyler will be making connections with Northern California bars, restaurants, and distributors to get the word out about our award winning beers.

Cassandra Santos

Tasting Room Manager

Cassandra’s love of beer started when she was of legal age. Most of her adult life was spent in corporate retail while she would venture to local breweries in her free time. During the Covid-19 pandemic her career path took a different turn and she began working at Epidemic Ales. She was hired on as a beertender and shortly after got promoted to regional sales rep. She learned in those past two years that she had found an industry that she loved and would never go back to corporate life. We welcomed Cassandra, a Tracy local, here to Morgan Territory in early 2023.

James Noah

Head Brewer – Brew Crew

UC Davis Brewing Program

Mike Durland

Brewer – Brew Crew

Brian Rudd

Brand Ambassador – Sales Team

Cicerone Certified Beer Server

Brian Rudd joined Morgan Territory Brewing in May of 2021 towards the end of the Covid era while the restaurants, bars, and pubs were beginning to reopen. Brian, being from Sacramento, he is immersed in the wonderful beer culture our state’s capital has to offer!

BJ Khinda

Beertender – Tracy Team

Cicerone Certified Beer Server

BJ Khinda, a Tracy local, graduated from West High School. Growing up in his family-owned stores, he found his love for Craft Beer. BJ has been a friendly face in the community with a wealth of beer knowledge.

Elias Hernandez

Tracy Team Lead

Cicerone Certified Beer Server

Elias Hernandez is a local to San Joaquin County and grew up a town over from Tracy. Elias joined MTB in late 2020 during mid pandemic. He played a pivotal part in maintaining the makeshift store front to keep our MT Family happy during the Covid Craziness. Elias’ expertise in the restaurant industry made the transition from Store Front to Outdoor Patio Service a smooth transition post Covid-19. Elias being a seasoned bartender with beer and whiskey knowledge, he can help direct you to your favorite brew!

Andrew Cauwels

OG odd jobs and Tasting Room Personality

Andrew Cauwels joined Morgan Territory in the Summer of 2017. He is responsible for general odd jobs in the brewery and recently joined the Tasting Room Staff. He is a high school student who loves playing baseball, soccer, and video games.