Who is Joe Sixpack, Beer Reporter?

He's Don Russell, an award-winning Philadelphia writer with 30 years in the newspaper racket.

Over the years, he's written about crooked pols, stupid criminals and a flying pig. His reports led to the federal government’s first-ever environmental racketeering prosecution, the closure of a county jail, the reform of the Philadelphia taxicab industry, numerous criminal indictments and a highly publicized face-off with the Philadelphia Eagles that eventually allowed fans to bring hoagies into the Eagles’ new football stadium.

And like any decent newsman, he managed to expense his personal lifestyle, which in Russell's case means beer...

Lots of it.

Today, under his more familiar byline, Joe Sixpack Beer Reporter, Russell is one of America's best-known beer writers. He has written a weekly beer column for the Philadelphia Daily News for more than 10 years.

His first two books appear in 2008:

"Joe Sixpack's Philly Beer Guide: A Reporter's Notes on the Best Beer-Drinking City in America" (Camino Books).

"A Stocking Full of Beer: The Cheeriest, Tastiest, Most Unusual Beers of Christmas" (Rizzoli USA).

Russell has traveled to Belgium, France, Iceland, Israel, Austria, Germany, Norway, the Caribbean and throughout the United States and Canada in search of great beer, and great stories.

He has won numerous awards for his beer columns, including 20 Quill & Tankard trophies from the North American Beer Writers Guild. In 2002 and 2006, he was named Beer Writer of the Year.

His reports in Philadelphia about beer shortages at Veterans Stadium led to a government investigation and, ultimately, a price reduction for fans. He counts among his greatest thrills the standing ovation he received on Opening Day 1999 at the ballpark, the day the beer prices were slashed.

Russell is one of the organizers of Philly Beer Week, a non-profit organization promoting the beer scene in Philadelphia. In 2008 it held a week-long beer celebration with festivals, dinners, tastings, tours and a tribute to the late British beer writer, Michael Jackson.

Russell, 52, lives in Philadelphia with his wife, Theresa Conroy, a certified yoga instructor, and their Siberian Husky, Karma.