Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Two key experiences placed him on the unwavering path towards professional brewing:  “I was introduced to my first craft beer called Redback Wheat from Australia—it changed my whole idea of what beer should taste like,” he recalled.Then in 1992 in San Diego, he brewed his first batch of beer on the kitchen stove of friend and early brewing mentor Paul Zawilenski.  The next year, Lisa’s mom purchased a beer-making kit for his birthday, and Brian was totally hooked. His first five-gallon batch burned on the stove and early attempts at pale ale and a wheat beer had to be sent down the drain, but success soon followed.Next, Brian constructed his own 20-gallon, all-grain brewing system that he still owns today.  With the encouragement of friends who lined up for his latest brew, it started him thinking:  “I’m good at this, so maybe I should make more,” he recalled.To join the professional ranks, he knew formal training was essential.  When he learned about a program taught by a U.C.D. professor of fermentation sciences, he signed up for the 14-week program in the fall of 1996 taught in Woodland through the American Brewers’ Guild.  “I learned everything from malting science and yeast biology, to fermentation and fluid dynamics” Brian said.A major segment of the program was serving as an apprentice, and Brian scored a plum assignment at Rubicon Brewery, launched in 1987 and one of the first in Sacramento.  After graduating, Brian was resolute:  “My ultimate objective was to open my own brewery; my immediate goal, however, was to get a job as a brewer,” he explained, and throughout the process, he continued to work as a contractor.

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale

Brewing Ale