Texas Beer Enthusiast: July 2018

Favorite Texas brewed beer? Favorite non-Texas brewed beer? My favorite beers that I didn’t make are probably the Martin House Salty Lady, first gose I had and it got me started on my trek into sours, and the Odell Elephant IPA, the first best IPA I had playing darts with my dad.

Your favorite beer to brew and/or your favorite beer that you brew? I really like experimenting and brewing up new stuff. Our rotating seasonal IPA spot is always fun to come up with and do something I haven’t done before with a style that I like to both drink and brew.

What beer styles or classifications do you feel could possibly be overlooked by local beer enthusiasts?It feels to me like pretty much all the praise is over the latest extreme thing in a beer, which I get, I am a fan of bold flavor. But I do think that leaves a lot of solid, classic styles off people’s radar. A malty and sessionable beer like ESB is great when you don’t want to wreck you palate with hops or your stomach with sweet, sour, or booze.

Describe a Bucket List setting or event where you hope to enjoy a beer one-day? I would love to go to the bigger beer festivals. I’ve never been. GABF and Oktoberfest in Germany are definitely on my beer bucket list.

Describe your favorite setting or event which you have enjoyed a beer? It’s hard to beat Dungeons and Dragons and Beer. The last and/or most interesting job you held before becoming a professional brewer. I am a mechanical engineer by training and worked in oil and gas out of college before making the switch into beer.

Words of advice to anyone hoping to turn their passion of brewing and beer into a career. Be ready to sweat, and clean everything.

“The state of the Texas craft beer scene is Mind blowing. It’s crazy and awesome how many new and fantastic beers are coming out. We’ve got a long way to go before catching up to what everyone else considers the beer states, but we’ve got the room for it and every day turns out another great addition to the scene.

Favorite perk and least favorite aspect of working in a brewery? The best thing about working in a brewery is making the beer. I’ve always enjoyed making things from my first LEGO set, to pinewood derby, shop class, camp fires, and now beer. The worst part of working at a brewery is the blanket of humid heat that is Houston weather 10/12 months. Like most places, our production has no climate control, so it’s fans and Gatorade all day. If you had to start working in one other brewery starting tomorrow which brewery would it be and why? If I had to start somewhere else, I’d go out west somewhere. I got a taste for dry climates in college and I’m always tempted to go back to the desert when Houston shows off how much of a swamp it is.