Category: Uncategorized

I have visited a handful of breweries in the past few months. There is an obvious pattern that has reared its ugly and expensive head with a lot of beers out there, over hopping!  I have seen the world of IPAs go from British Bitter to American Alpha bomb to juicy.  Each of these interpretations has its own techniques and nuances that need to be adhered to make a balanced and delicious beer.  Isn’t that the end goal that we all strive for?

Balance is a term that gets thrown around a lot by brewers.  It really isn’t about one person’s opinion but an extensive and critical survey of the market.  Beer drinkers do not have the same tastes and expectations in every market.  Some markets really like beers that are on the bitter end of balance.  Some markets like the sweet.  That is what makes exploring different markets so interesting.  Brewers have learned to make beer that sells best in their market.

The key to all of this is that malt and hops play off each other in a harmonious dance with the hundreds of flavours at play in beer. Letting more than one flavour contribute to the overall taste profile is necessary in making a palatable product.  Beers that are brewed with singularity in mind are missing the objective.  I have tasted way too many beers that utilize the most neutral two row pale malt and little else.  This neutral base is then subjected to several massive hop charges throughout the process. The result is a beer that is often  very attenuated with nothing for the hops to work with other than some ethanol.  Hops need malt.

Give your beers some structure to work with.  Hops don’t play well on their own.  Craft with dimension in mind and your business will thank you.

Cheers!

I wanted to share the reasoning behind this website.  I have been working with virtual breweries, contract breweries and startups in the brewing space for quite some time.  They each have their own unique challenges but what has been universal is the desire for an experienced brewer that is just as confident in the board room as the brewery.  A good brewer has to take ownership of production but has to also be a key member of the marketing and administration teams.  Call me biased but I see a confident and communicative brewer as the key to a successful brewery.

I have talked to five brewery owners in the past week that are dealing with the same issue.  “Brewer is a pre-madonna that won’t embrace our corporate culture”.  “Brewer is too difficult to manage”  “Brewer makes good beer but does not want to help sell”.  “Brewer only wants to focus on making beer and still thinks he is under paid”.  The question I ask myself is why are there so many unhappy brewers.  It is the best profession in the world in my opinion.

Brewers are often characterized as bitter and salty.  Often thrown in with the likes of professional kitchen staff.  Every restaurant owner knows that a happy kitchen is a clean and productive kitchen.  A fun environment rooted in hard work and respect for the craft is all the staff need to be happy.  The key words are fun, hard work and most important of all RESPECT.  This is what brewers crave in their day to day.

There are often a few easy solutions for creating a healthy, happy and productive working environment.  They just need to be identified.  This is why I started this company.  I saw the opportunity to help breweries retain staff and keep their breweries fun.