Good Beer Hunting

Nøgne-Ø’s unlikely founder, Kjetil Jikiun, was an airline pilot who ran routes between Norway and the US for years before he took advantage of his luggage privileges — transporting beers, then ingredients like grain and hops, and eventually even equipment that helped him start home brewing. wWhat started as a creative hack in his kitchen turned into one of the world’s most respected breweries, transforming a nation of beer drinkers, and now leading Norway’s start-up brewing industry into its second generation.

Episode 11 takes us on the road in Brooklyn, New York with author Joshua Bernstein. After a walking tour of Queens nano breweries, we gather around the table for a bottle share with some Brooklynites to discuss the NYC beer scene and the questions I've been dying to ask the natives.

Second chances are rare. But what a difference a second chance can make, especially in brewing. The first attempt at starting a brewery is replete with mistakes, naiveté, simple, misguided notions about what it means to make beer and run a business from it. The learning curve is as steep, and many fall by the wayside, or soon might. But for a few people, like Jason Spaulding, having a chance to take a second run at it brings an immense amount of satisfaction. The second time around, the concept is more concise, the education and knowledge is deep, and knowing what you don't want to do is just as as important. Jason Spaulding and his wife and business partner, Kris, have taken on that challenge in Grand Rapids Michigan with Brewery Vivat. Constraint, discipline, and focus are in this pair’s DNA, and that’s helped them carve out a space in Michigan Brewing unlike anyone else.

Chicago’s brewing industry is now bursting at the seams. There are nanos, micros, and production breweries opening up in almost every neighborhood, and the suburbs are experiencing their own boon as prospective brewers look for the spaces that fit the perfect balance between low overhead and access to market. But in the early days, getting a craft brewery up and running in Chicago was still a pretty crazy idea. And no one knows that time period better than Tracy Hurst of Metropolitan Brewing. Her and Doug Hurst, the brewmaster, started a lager-based brewery in Chicago in 2008, long before most of the bars, let alone the breweries you love were even conceived. But perhaps the most important part of the Metropolitan legacy is their role in helping other brewers start up around them. In Chicago, most of the brewers I know have Tracy’s number in their favorites list, and solve their technical and business problems one text message at a time. Her and Doug have seen it all in their day, and mostly had to figure it out themselves. And they pass on that knowledge on to everyone that comes through their door. Chicago brewers always love to talk about how collaborative and helpful the brewing scene is here. But I’d wager that it wouldn’t be that way at all if these two hadn’t set the tone from day one.

I sit down with a coffee guy, Collin Moody, a store manager for Intelligentsia here in Chicago. He’s taught me so much about the world of coffee, ironically enough, usually over a beer or two. He’s a guy that embodies the craft ethos, exploring his palate through the food and beverage world, and everything he’s learned from tasting coffees over the years, he’s translated wonderfully into beer. He’s got a knack for describing flavors, he reads up on process — he’s exactly the kind of person I hope to see more of on the beer side of things in the coming years, as we go beyond the bottle to understand the agricultural process behind each brew, the ingredients, the flavors. It’s going to get interesting.

I sat down with Nathan Micklos, the brand manager for Pacifico Beer, a beer

with a unique story, and a conflicted perception. Is it big beer? It’s

owned by one of the largest importers in the world after all. Or is it an

underdog? It’s still that small brand that started in Baja California and

made it’s way across the country as the beer of choice for surfers. In

fact, it may be one of the most successful lifestyle brands in beer. You

get a psychological taste of a place, a time, and a lifestyle whenever you

pick up the beer. It’s a powerful influence. Some of our favorite craft

breweries produce lifestyle brands too.

I sat down with someone I consider to be a bit of brewing history himself — Brett Porter of Goose Island in Chicago. He’s been brewing since 1988 when he graduated from the University of Oregon before continuing his studies in biology, chemistry and English. He interned at Bunce's Brewery and Holden’s Brewery in England, and then landed back in Oregon where he served as head brewer of Portland Brewing until 2005. But his real claim to fame was his stint at Deschutes in Bend, Oregon from 2005-2010, following a major expansion that included a new production brewery with a 50bbl brewhouse. Not bad for a brewery that did 310 barrels in its first year back in 1988. And in 2011, Brett Porter joined Goose Island as brewmaster, less than two months after the sale to Anheuser-Bush. I’d imagine that looking ahead at the expansion AB had in store for the brewery, that getting a guy like Brett into the captain’s chair felt very comforting.

Some amazing things are coming out of St Louis these days. Perennial Artisan Ales. Side Project’s barrel program. Urban Chestnut is expanding rapidly. And 4 Hands Brewing is opening up distribution. Today, Kevin Lemp, founder of 4 hands is in the GBH studio to talk about his start-up story. Kevin is a mild-mannered guy with two sons Rowan and Fischer, and the more I heard his story, the more it reminded me of someone else — John Barley of Solemn Oath Brewery here in Naperville, Illinois. Both of these guys started up in similar ways, both hired a talented brewer and didn’t waste any time trying to make the best beer they could possibly produce. They both create environments for creative exploration, while staying laser focused on their business goals. And they both think about the future when their sons might one day pick up the business and carry it into the next generation of brewing. But most importantly, they both seem to have an insatiable appetite for learning. So for this episode of the GBH Podcast, I turned the mic over to a pair of brewery founders and let them take the conversation wherever they liked. It's like a first date. And it's great.

Over the years, some of my favorite stories have nothing to do with craft beer producers, business trends, or even great discoveries. It’s about the people, like you and me, that love drinking this stuff. I call those stories “Hunter Gatherers” Simple, straight-froward interviews with a guy or gal a meet at the bar who’s more than happy to tell me about their beer journey. I've done 14 of them to-date. This episode of the podcast gave me a chance to explore theater producer Mark Spence's beer journey even deeper, and discover what really makes the craft beer geek such a force of nature.

Wisconsin is a beer state, no doubt about it. With the brewing history they have in Miller, Leinenkugel, Stevens Point and others, brewing beer has long been a part of the social and economic fabric of the population. But when it comes to craft, most breweries, even the more successful ones like Capital, Lakefront, and Sprecher are producing good beers, well within style when the rest of the country has been crossing those lines and exploring new territory for more than a decade. New Glarus is an notable exception to that rule, producing wild beers unexpected twists on older styles. But recently they pulled back from interstate distribution and dedicated themselves to serving their home state of Wisconsin in perpetuity. So in Wisconsin they ten to keep the best stuff for themselves, until now that is.