Homebrewer to World Traveler
Beer for me is not only a passion but a conduit for friendships, experiences, and even love. What started as a hobby turned into a career, led to opportunities to travel the world, and played a large role in shaping who I am. Let me explain.
One thing I learned quickly in the brewing industry was to always stay humble and give everyone the time and attention you’d like to be given. Be genuine and engaging, and it can lead to big opportunities.
Starting out slinging glasses and cleaning floors, I gave myself completely and passionately to the craft of brewing and it started to give back. I was a unique part of a system and suddenly I had value. I found myself holding conversations with titans, being introduced to successful and celebrity brewers, and sharing pints with literal rock stars. So much happened so fast and before I even really knew what was unfolding, I was standing in a brewhouse in the south of Brazil developing recipes with a translator and converting everything to metric and degrees Celsius. The great Cavalcanti brothers of Bodebrown Cervejaria in Curitiba had invited me on an all-expenses-paid brewing tour across the massive expanse of the country. I was privileged to stand on brew decks through the rolling hills of wine country in Bento Gonçalves, the beautiful countryside of Cascavel, enchanting Porto Alegre, the stunning metropolis of São Paulo, the beachside breweries of Rio, and at the mouth of the Amazon River in Belém do Para. By bus, planes, trains, and automobiles we covered every region and brewed beer shoulder to shoulder with the best of Brazil. I fell in love with the country and the people, and after returning several times I even met my wife on a beer train (literally just a train where they serve a lineup of craft beer for a 3-hour trip through the Atlantic Forest).
After my adventures to the southern brewersphere, I again found myself in a far away land doing what I loved. I landed in Stockholm by way of an invite from some of the greatest names in Swedish brewing and beer culture. Through several acquaintances and distribution networks I had come to know a man named Jörgen Hasselqvist, one of the biggest American craft beer importers of Scandinavia, who then introduced me to Patrick Holmqvist, who was at the time the Production Manager at one of Sweden’s biggest craft breweries, Nils Oscar. On a trip to the Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, Colorado, Patrick had asked if I would meet him for a beer to discuss the possibility of accepting a summer job at the brewery in Nykoping, about 1.5 hours south of Stockholm by train. I was quick to shake his hand and take the position.
Not long after arriving in the small seaside town, a series of unimaginable events started to unfold and I was working full-time on a brand-new fully automated Kaspar Schulz brewhouse, learning European brewing techniques and immersing myself in a whole new world. The culture shock was surprisingly limited, and I attribute that to beer. Anywhere you go in the world, there is always beer, and that societal brotherhood amongst its creators and admirers. Over the six months I spent in Sweden, dreams came true for me. Nils Oscar was asked to develop signature beers for some of my favorite bands. Not only was I invited to join in the creative process, but I was asked to meet the members and present our beer to them. One of the greatest days of my life was going backstage at the massive Getaway Rock Festival in Gävle and joining the members of Slayer, one of my favorite bands since I was 15, while we pitched our brew and sampled our pilot batch for the Slayer666 Red Ale. And they loved it!
