What is your current position at your brewery and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?
I am head brewer and co-owner of Golden Goat Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado with my family. To open the brewery, I made a huge transition from public health scientist to brewer. While many microbiology and data analysis skills translate well from field to field, I transitioned from a biosafety fume hood to a brewing rig. I adapted my homebrewing experience to our 7 barrel system with lots of help from other brewers in the area.
What’s new at Gilded Goat?
A GABF gold medal for our second year in competition! This honor is especially gratifying because our Bock was one of my first craft beers, the first beer we made on our 7bbl system, and the fact that bocks have a long association with goats. It was a really fitting win and a huge boon for our little brewery.
What’s the best part of being part of the craft brewing community?
The people, the customers, the enthusiasts, the brewers… we are there for them, of course. We offer a place for the community and a profession to which we have dedicated our lives. The craft brewing community is a new form of experimentation for me. We experiment with flavors and processes, then test them in our bar.
Name a favorite beer-food pairing.
Probably our amber rye lager, X Rye Z, with white clam chowder. Spicy rye cuts through the sweet cream and brings out the clams and salt pork.
What is your greatest achievement unrelated to your job?
The end of higher education was an important step. I had devoted a decade of my life to training, experimentation, and analysis, resulting in a vast expanse of knowledge in an extremely narrow field. After graduating, I was finally able to enjoy other aspects of life.
What’s your favorite beer that your brewery doesn’t produce?
My long-standing reserve is 90 shillings from Odell to Fort Collins. It’s a solid, full-bodied, malty delight that pairs well with just about any food or occasion.
What is the most memorable travel destination where you had the opportunity to taste the local beer?
It doesn’t count as local beer, but drinking fermented goat’s milk with the Masai people in Kenya was interesting. Also, trying Budvar from the source in the Czech Republic was an amazing historical experience.
What do you like to do during your time away from the brewery?
My wife and I, along with our German Shepherd, enjoy camping or hiking in the woods. Being away from the hustle and bustle of the brewery and into nature is a great way for us to reconnect and reset.
