The Eye of the Beerholder

I’ve often been asked how I got into the world of brewing, a question with some obviously simple answers that are somehow unsatisfying. The scope of the real story has always seemed too complex, difficult to define, and overwhelming to relay, and so I’ve stuck to the unsatisfying answers for far too long. In a brewing career spanning nearly 34 years and counting, I’ve been witness to and participant in an industry’s birth, adolescence, and maturity, death, rebirth, and evolution. It’s been an interesting ride, and in spite of the fact that there may be few who want to hear about it, I’ll try to recall my experience of it the best I can. Where to begin? Well I heard someone much smarter than me once say, “Begin at the beginning”, and that would seem like as good as place as any to start.