Laura Paz Smith, a 2003 University graduate, won the Emerald’s “Name
Our Beer” contest with her entry, Hop Off the Press.
Her name beat out two other finalists, Brewspaper and Unfiltered
Truth, in a poll by Emerald readers to name the beer, brewed by
Oakshire Brewing of Eugene.
Paz Smith, an advertising major in the School of Journalism and
Communication, lives in Milwaukie, Ore., and works for RPA, a Portland ad
agency. Paz Smith, 31, was a creative designer at the Emerald from
1999 to 2002 and served on the company’s board from 2007 to 2010. Her
husband, Jeff Smith, was an Emerald sports reporter and editor.
After the Emerald asked for reader suggestions to name its beer, Paz
Smith said Hop Off the Press just came to her.
“It took five seconds,” she said. “Jeff and I were going out to dinner,
and he told me to think about it. it just popped into my mind. He
said, ‘That will win.’”
The first keg of Hop Off the Press will be tapped during a release
party at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at Rennie’s Landing. The beer will be
available in other campus-area bars this fall. Hop Off the Press will be a
light-bodied amber with citrus-hop aromas.