Hometown: Laurel Springs, NJ
Favorite Beer: I love that the over-hopped beer trend has been giving way to more obscure French, Belgian, & German styles in recent years. We’ve seen the rise of the Urban Farmhouse brewery with places like Upright, Logsdon, & The Commons delivering with delicious Old World-influenced recipes. I think it’s great that many Oregon brewers are embracing the wild, funky flavors of brettanomyces these days. And even the biggest hop-headed brewers are tinkering around with styles ranging from Rauchbier to Saisions.
Favorite Beer Haunt: Aw man, I’m honestly all over town on my days off. You’d think I wouldn’t want to be in a bar after my workweek but I’m such a tap junky. Bailey’s is my home and I love to knock a few back with my favorite customers when I get the chance.
What was the first craft brew you ever tried? What did you think? Stone Arrogant Bastard. I thought I was “not worthy”.
Do you homebrew? If yes, favorite homebrew to date: No, I’ve made one beer kit brew (red ale) that I was really “meh” about. Luckily, my roommates liked it and drank it all so I didn’t have to.
How’d you hear about the pdxbeergeeks? Michael Umphress would frequent Bailey’s and once handed me the now infamous pdxbeergeeks hashtag sticker.
What does being a beer geek mean to you? A beer geek is some one who immerses oneself in the beer culture. It’s wanting to know the whole process, knowing every ingredient, who brewed it where, when’s the next bottle release, etc. It makes for a solid, supportive community and Portland is one of the best examples.
If you could change one thing about beer culture in the US, what would it be? Sometimes beer style names annoy me. Like here’s a great beer but because it’s called a “yadda-yadda” ale and tastes like a “blah-blah” beer it’s deemed subpar. I like Hair of the Dog’s model where the beers are just named, they write a little sentence under the title describing it’s influence and that’s it. A good beer is a good beer.
What do you love about Portland’s Craft Beer scene? I love the number of breweries, craft bars, & enthusiasts in such close proximity to one another. Portland is synonymous with beer and the average person living here has a dense beer vocabulary and a lot of knowledge to share.
Where can we find you on the web?
