My Last Pint #44 – Dan Reed of Stone Brewing Co.
Dan Reed
Dan Reed sounds like a skateboarder name. If someone said, “Who is Dan Reed,” I’d guess he was a pro skater. But he is not. He is a tour guide at Stone Brewing. Thanks to my wonderful wife who came back from San Diego with this on her camera. It was a nice surprise (along with the beer in her bag).
Thanks Dan!
My Last Pint #43 – Don Chapman of Grimm Brothers Brewhouse
Photo: Grimm Bro. Facebook
Sorry it has been so long since the last MLP (What is worse than a blogger apologizing for not posting frequently enough? Not much). I have been busy putting this together. Grimm Brothers Brewhouse is located in Loveland, CO. Don Chapman is the president and head brewer at Grimm Brothers.
.
Photo: Perfesser
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
DC: A rich malty clean doppelbock.
.
Photo: jamtea
What would be the setting for your last pint?
During a spring sunset in Lindau, Germany overlooking lake Constance.
.
What would you eat with your last pint?
Nothing, I would just savor the beer.
Nothing, I would just savor the beer.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
With my beautiful wife and daughter.
.
Thanks Don!
My Last Pint #42 – Gordon Schuck of Funkwerks
Photo: Gordon's Facebook
Gordon Schuck is the other half of Funkwerks. Being a saison-only brewery, Funkwerks are used to doing things differently. So I was not surprised when Gordon rearranged my questions to weave his answers into a belgian short story. I respect that.
.
Photo: Anguskirk
MLP:What would be the setting for your last pint?
GS: The setting would be in Brugge, Belgium on a warm spring evening. The trees have just budded their first leaves of the season. The birds are chirping as they scour the cobblestones for a bite to eat.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
I’m with my beautiful girlfriend Carolee. We had just finished sightseeing and visiting museums that afternoon and found a quaint little café for dinner. We decide to sit outside and enjoy the evening.
.
Waterzooi Photo: pumpkiny
What would you eat with your last pint?
I order the braised pork chop with a Westmalle cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. Carolee orders the waterzooi. We split an appetizer of various artisanal cheeses and cured meats.
I order the braised pork chop with a Westmalle cream sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and brussel sprouts. Carolee orders the waterzooi. We split an appetizer of various artisanal cheeses and cured meats.
.
Photo: puamelia
What would be the last pint of your life?
Carolee orders the La Trappe Dubbel. Although that sounds tempting, I opt for the perfectly aged vintage bottle of Rodenbach Grand Cru. Ah, perfection.
.
Thanks Gordon!
My Last Pint #41 – Brad Lincoln of Funkwerks
funkwerks
Brad Lincoln is a co-founder of Funkwerks. Brad along with Gordon Schuck opened Funkwerks in the Fall of last year. They are a a saison brewery in Ft. Collins, CO. And they are one of my top five breweries I want to try this year. It will happen in 2011.
.
Photo: Caroline on Crack
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
BL: I would choose a fresh glass of St. Bernardus Witbier. It is everything a wit should be and nothing more.
.
Photo: cwgoodroe
What would be the setting for your last pint?
Though typically wits aren’t associated with tropical surroundings I think given the citrus and spicing they would go well in the Caribbean. I am imagining a deck shaded by palm trees overlooking a beach. That said right now I am looking out a window to grey snowy weather so the tropics seems particularly appealing.
.
What would you eat with your last pint?
Nothing! Either I am eating or drinking but rarely both at the same time (though I hear this is healthier).
Nothing! Either I am eating or drinking but rarely both at the same time (though I hear this is healthier).
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My wife and friends. Initially I was thinking about famous people but none of them seemed particularly interesting. If its my last pint I want to share it with the ones I love, as cheesy as this sounds.
.
Thanks Brad!
My Last Pint #40 – John Cheek of Orlando Brewing
John Cheek
John Cheek is the president of Orlando Brewing. I wish more presidents were loose and fun enough to wear a Santa hat during interviews. Granted, this was shot two days before Christmas, but it really sheds light on the culture at Orlando Brewing (and craft beer!). Good times.
Thanks John!
My Last Pint #39 – Gene Lohri of Orlando Brewing
Gene Lohri
On Orlando Brewing’s website Gene Lohri is listed as the Director of Brewery Sales. But if you ask him, he will probably give you another answer. Orlando Brewing is located near downtown Orlando. If you are in town for the Disney thing, shoot down I-4 and give Orlando Brewing a visit. It’s a lot better than “drinking around the world” at Epcot.
Thanks Gene!
My Last Pint #37 – Silas Parker of Darkside Fermentation
Photo: Silas
Silas Parker is the brewer (Silas prefers Saccromancer) and owner of Darkside Fermentation. Darkside is a nanobrewery in San Marcos, TX run out of Root Cellar Cafe. They are true craft beer – small, hand bottled, hand labeled and tasty. They are quickly becoming the best reason to stop in San Marcos whilst driving between San Antonio and Austin. With Silas’ plans to expand into a full production brewery, San Marcos may eventually become the destination.
.
Photo: MLP
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
SP: Rodenbach Grand Cru, the epitome of Flanders barrel-aged sours.
.
Photo: PaddyMurphy
What would be the setting for your last pint?
Canoeing down the San Marcos River during the springtime, heading towards the Gulf of Mexico to meet my oily maker.
.
Photo: Silas
What would you eat with your last pint?
One half ounce of Psilocybe Cubensis.
.
Photo: Wikipedia
With whom would you drink your last pint?
Nobody! 8 ounces of beer is tease. If he brought his own, I would invite Aleister Crowley to sit in the FRONT of my canoe. He’s not the kind of guest you turn you back to.
.
Thanks Silas!
My Last Pint #36 – Matt Thrall of Avery Brewing
Photo: Avery's Website
If Avery Brewing is not your favorite CO brewery, I bet it’s close. One of the people you can thank for that is Matt Thrall. Matt is head brewer at Avery Brewing. .
.
Photo: Bernt Rostad
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
MT: Freshly packaged Hog Heaven.
.
Photo: StevenM_61
What would be the setting for your last pint?
On the summit of Mount Sneffels in the beautiful San Juans of Colorado.
.
Photo: Chrystian Guy
What would you eat with your last pint?
Assuming another pint doesn’t count, I would opt for an extremely rare filet mignon.
Assuming another pint doesn’t count, I would opt for an extremely rare filet mignon.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My beautiful, intelligent, and humorous wife.
.
Thanks Matt!
My Last Pint #35 – Frederick Rizzo of Avery Brewing
Photo: Avery's Website
Frederick Rizzo is a brewer at Avery Brewing. Like I said last time, I love Avery’s beers, but I am sad to admit I have never had their porter. This is the second time it’s been mentioned on this site. Obviously, it is time for me to try one (or a few). Next purchase = New World Porter.
.
Photo: tabounds
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
FR: I think it would have to be our New World Porter. From the second we get it on tap till the second it’s gone NWP is almost all I drink. Perfect balance of huge hop nose and flavor with a roasty, malty backbone.
.
Photo: jessamyn
What would be the setting for your last pint?
Without a doubt the setting would be in my yard back in Vermont next to a raging bonfire on a near freezing fall night. Wouldn’t be the first time this has happened but every time it does it’s killer and I have a hard time thinking of a better place to be.
.
Photo: azgalarneau
What would you eat with your last pint?
Only because of the beer I chose, I would have to say a rare bacon cheese burger (with thick cut bacon and VT cheddar of coarse). Sorry mom your lasagna was a close second.
Only because of the beer I chose, I would have to say a rare bacon cheese burger (with thick cut bacon and VT cheddar of coarse). Sorry mom your lasagna was a close second.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
Closest friends and family.
.
Thanks Frederick!
My Last Pint #34 – Riley Finnigan of Avery Brewing
Photo: Riley's Facebook
Avery Brewing is located in Boulder, CO, where Riley Finnigan works in production. I did not drink any Avery beer until moving to Austin a few years ago. Their IPA and White are wonderful and their seasonals are great as well. I always felt they were underrated . . . well until recently. Lately they seemed to have caught fire. Everyone is talking about them.
.
Photo: tabounds
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
BE: Avery New World Porter.
.
Photo: oregon ducatisti
What would be the setting for your last pint?
I’d enjoy that Porter perched on the cliff that hovers above Steelhead Falls on the mighty Deschutes river outside Bend, OR.
.
What would you eat with your last pint?
Nothing. I’d be too busy basking in the glory of my beer to be distracted by food.
Nothing. I’d be too busy basking in the glory of my beer to be distracted by food.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
Lizzie. And my dog Maya would surely be hanging out, chasing critters.
.
Thanks Riley!
My Last Pint #33 – Bill Eye of Dry Dock Brewing
Photo: Dry Dock's Website
Bill Eye is the head brewer at Dry Dock Brewing. By now you know the background of Dry Dock: Aurora, CO . . . open since 2005 . . . awarded more than a handful of medals. So take it away Bill:
.
Photo: foreverdigital
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
BE: A pint? It would be a Maß of Augustiner helles.
.
Photo: Anne Helmond
What would be the setting for your last pint?
The Biergarten at the Augustiner-Keller in Munich, under a giant chestnut tree in late summer.
.
Photo: bionicgrrrl
What would you eat with your last pint?
A simple snack of obatzda and a brez’n.
A simple snack of obatzda and a brez’n.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My wife and son. My son so that I could share my life’s work and passion with him and my wife because she would enjoy it every bit as much as I would.
.
Thanks Bill!
My Last Pint #32 – Kevin DeLange of Dry Dock Brewing
Photo: Dry Dock's Facebook page
Kevin Delange, along with Bill Eye, opened Dry Dock Brewing in 2005 in Aurora, CO. Since then Kevin has owned and operated Dry Dock. He’s grown it into the award winning brewery that it is today.
.
Photo: aaronchamberlain
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
KD: A Belgian sour I’ve never had before. Light, dry, slightly tart and acidic without being so sour that it makes you pucker.
.
Photo: iursu
What would be the setting for your last pint?
Along the canals in Brugge.
.
Photo: Bret Arnett
What would you eat with your last pint?
Pizza with a light, crispy thin crust, lots of sauce and pepperoni and green olives.
Pizza with a light, crispy thin crust, lots of sauce and pepperoni and green olives.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My wife.
.
Thanks Kevin!
My Last Pint #31 – Walt Chleva of Dry Dock Brewing
Photo: Dry Dock's Facebook page
Walt Chleva is an assistant brewer at Dry Dock Brewing. Dry Dock is one of the smallest breweries in Colorado and the only craft brewery in Aurora, Co.
Photo: subsetsum
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
WC: An aged English Barleywine. Big, rich, malty and complex, this is my favorite style. A good amount of hop bitterness in the background, but the maltiness is cat’s pajamas for me.
.
Photo: fauvevivre
What would be the setting for your last pint?
It would be atop Kuli’ou’ou Ridge outside Honolulu, Hawaii. I took a hike up there a few years back and found it one of the most beautiful places I’ve even been.
Photo: Tojosan
What would you eat with your last pint?
Macaroni and cheese of course! I am fairly certain that macaroni and cheese can be paired with any beer.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
I would drink it with my wife and two dogs. My wife has always been there and supported me through everything life’s thrown at me….and the dogs LOVE Barleywines. What good is having a great beer if you can’t share, right?
.
Thanks Walt!
My Last Pint #30 – Lachlan McLean of Dry Dock Brewing
Photo: Dry Dock's Website
Lachlan McLean is an assistant brewer at Dry Dock Brewing, located in Aurora, CO. Dry Dock have been brewing since 2006. Since that time they’ve been highly praised. They were awarded GABF Small Brewery of the Year in 2009 and then followed that up with four silver medals at the 2010 GABF.
Photo: Charlie Essers
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
LM: My last pint would be a Wee Heavy. It would be brewed by my two older brothers just for the occasion.
.
Photo: Robbie's Photo Art
What would be the setting for your last pint?
I’d like to think that it would be somewhere in Scotland, maybe on the Isle of Mull, but the truth is I’d rather be sitting on the deck at my parents’ house in the Adirondacks, where I grew up, surrounded by woods.
Photo: u m a m i
What would you eat with your last pint?
Haggis. With neeps and tatties.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My parents, my brothers and sisters, and my wife.
.
Thanks Lachlan!
My Last Pint #29 – Doug Riley of Asheville Brewing Company
Doug Riley
Doug Riley is the brewer and owner of Asheville Brewing Company in Asheville, NC. Beer, Pizza and Movies — pretty much a can’t lose situation. Doug was in Austin for the annual Austin City Limits festival, which makes sense as Doug and the Asheville Brewing crew are big music fans. This is obvious, with the release of beers like MOOG Filtered Ale.
Thanks Doug!
My Last Pint #26 – Steven Pauwels of Boulevard Brewing Co.
Steven
I have not had a bad beer from Boulevard Brewing C0. I can’t say that about a lot of breweries. They have a solid regular lineup and an outstanding 750ml program known as their Smokestack Series. Included in that series is one of my favorite belgian style ales, Sixth Glass quadruple. Steven Pauwels is the brewmaster for Boulevard. I met up with Steven at Central Market in Austin where he was sharing his beer during CM’s Brewtopia events.
Thanks Steven!
My Last Pint #25 – Pete Cabrera of Rogue Ales
Pete
Rogue was probably my first craft beer. I did not actually catch the “craft beer fever” until a few year later in NYC, but whilst at college in Jackson, MS we drank our fair share of Rogue bombers. A now defunct bar called Musiquarium would have Rogue night every Wednesday and we were usually the first ones to belly up to the bar. Pete Cabrera is the Director of National Accounts at Rogue. He was in town for Hop Fest, but he was nice enough to meet up with me the night before his event at the Ginger Man. Sorry for the low lighting in this one, but at least you get some cool skyline shots in the background.
Thanks Pete!
My Last Pint #24 – Jim Kenny of Green Flash Brewing Co.
Jim
Jim Kenny is the National Sales Director at Green Flash Brewing Co. Jim was in town for Austin’s Flying Saucer Hop Fest. He refers to Chuck a couple times in the video; that would be Chuck Silva, Green Flash’s brewmaster. Chuck makes it, Jim sells it. Good system.
Thanks Jim!
My Last Pint #23 – Chuck Silva of Green Flash Brewing Co.
Chuck
According to the ever trustworthy Wikipedia a green flash is an “optical phenomena that occurs shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible, usually for no more than a second or two, above the sun, or a green ray shoots up from the sunset point.” What does that have to do with beer? Not sure. But Green Flash Brewing Co. makes damn good beer. Green Flash was founded in 2002 by Mike and Lisa Hinkley in Vista, CA and Chuck Silva came on board as their brewmaster the following year. I got the low down on Chuck’s MLP at Austin’s Flying Saucer during their Hop Fest event.
Thanks Chuck!
My Last Pint #22 – Rich Doyle of Harpoon Brewery
Rich Doyle
Rich Doyle is the co-founder/owner of Harpoon Brewery. Harpoon opened in Boston in 1986. An early east coast craft beer pioneer, Harpoon was created for a simple reason:
…we loved beer and wanted more good choices. While traveling in Europe after college, we drank many wonderfully diverse, fresh, local beers. We also saw firsthand how important local breweries were to their communities.
Not only do they make delicious beer, they also have one of the greatest logos in craft brewing:
Classic.
I caught up with Rich at Austin’s Flying Saucer, where he was for the Saucer’s Hop Fest.
Thanks Rich!
My Last Pint #21 – Arlan Arnsten
Arlan
I think I wrote a similar thing for Sam Calagione’s MLP, but here it goes: If you are reading this blog or watching the video below, there is little to no doubt you have had at least one Stone beer in your life—an Arrogant Bastard (possibly their most famous beer), their excellent IPA or maybe their lovely anise kissed russian imperial stout. Arlan Arnsten is the Vice President of Sales at Stone and has been with the brewery since 1997. I caught up with Arlan at the Ginger Man in Austin as he was touring the country and continuing to spread the gospel of Stone Brewing and craft beer.
Thanks Arlan!
My Last Pint #19 – Josh Hare
Photo: Josh's Facebook
Josh Hare is owner and brewer at Hops and Grain. Hops and Grain is one of the numerous breweries planning on opening within a year in Austin. At this point they are in the planning and fundraising phase. They are currently looking for a space for their brewery and honing their beer lineup. Not only are they planning on brewing fantastic beer for Texas, they are also selling dog biscuits from the remains of their brews. Beer for your dog! Isn’t that a Toby Keith movie?
.
Mountain Sun
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
JH: Colorado Kind Ale from the Mountain Sun Pub and Brewery in Boulder—An amazing blend of caramel sweetness and insane hop flavor and aroma. Has a really big mouthfeel but ends very dry and crisp, perfect finish for an incredibly hoppy beer. I’ve been working on my own version of this beer for the past 4 years. It smells incredibly similar to Pine trees and the smell would remind me of trail running in the mountains. Every once in awhile they will have it available on a Nitrogen tap, excellent!
.
Photo: Alaskan Dude (Frank Kovalchek)
What would be the setting for your last pint?
There is a place in Wyoming at the foot of the Grand Tetons called Oxbow Bend. It is on a stretch of the Snake River that forms a bend and if you’re on the East Side of the river and the wind is calm you can see a perfect reflection of the Grand Tetons. This is also a place that I have spent some time fly-fishing. One particular trip I was fighting probably the largest fish that I have ever caught on a fly rod. It took at least 20 minutes of fighting and as the fish got to within almost five feet of me it jumped out of the water and broke my line. This made a huge impression on me as a 12 year old. At first my adrenaline was rushing and I was mad that I had lost the fish but I was so overwhelmed with excitement that I couldn’t help but smile at the battle, I even shed a few tears (you know when you are a kid and you get in a fight and then you start crying from the rush of it). I’ve held onto this memory and have always subscribed to the idea that life is about the journey, not so much about the finish line. So, I would sit on the banks of the Snake River at Oxbow Bend, drink that Colorado Kind Ale and I’d leave just a tiny bit of it in the bottle.
What would you eat with your last pint?
No food. I’d want to soak up the moment and save my palate for the beer and the mountain air.
.
Suzy
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My Golden Retriever Suzy, and I’d have a Colorado Kind Ale in her bowl.
.
Thanks Josh!
My Last Pint #18 – James Watt
Photo: James Watt
For the last few years, James Watt and the BrewDog crew have been making quite a stir. Or maybe I should say making waves, crashing on the shores of the US. They’ve been brewing “Beer for Punks” since 2007 out of Scotland’s North East Coast. In three short years they have become one of the leaders in the European Craft Beer boom. In addition to their full line of brews they’ve kept busy with collaborations beers with the likes of Stone, Cambridge Brewing and Mikkeller and battling with Schorschbräu for the world’s strongest beer.
.
Photo: BrewDog's website
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
JW: This is all very depressing. It would depend I guess on how I am going to die. Again very depressing. I tried to figure this out and it involved me trying to pair beers with different eventual death scenarios for myself. A hoppy IPA before being eaten by jungle animals, a black lager before a hungry shark finds me rather appetizing whilst I am diving, a saison before being light-sabered by Vader, a bottle of World Wide Stout before I die in a car crash (causality?), a cheap generic lager before being taken out by the Budweiser mafia and a lambic before being crushed herd of stampeding human size Easter bunnies.
The unfortunate thread running through all these scenarios is me dying before my last pint. Not much fun on a leisurely Sunday morning. Rather than die I would rather just give up drinking. So let’s assume there are no hungry sharks or stampeding bunnies or Budweiser mafia and I am simply giving up beer, forever. Upon further reflection this is only slightly preferable to the bunny fate.
As for the beer, I would brew one specially for the occasion. Since this would be my last beer it would have to be my masterpiece, my great symphony with the inherent tragedy that I will only drink it once. I would try to combine a few different things that I am passionate about in the beer. It would be a big imperial stout, with cocoa nibs and a twist of chili. I would then add loads of raspberries after fermentation. After that I would age it in single malt Scottish whisky casks for 2 years before bottle conditioning it in old rum bottles which I will scavenge from a sunken pirate ship.
.
What would be the setting for your last pint?
The North Atlantic. Aboard the Ocean Quest which was the setting for our Atlantic IPA. In my spare time I am a north Atlantic Captain and have worked on fishing boats all my life. I would be drinking the beer out on the deck (in nice weather) whilst watching the sun set over the horizon as it burns a red trail through the ocean. The beer drinking would be so monumental that the sunken Pirate ship would rise up from the ocean floor and sail once again. The pirate brethren would then welcome me aboard the ship and I would begin my post-life beer as a pirate captain, sending as many ships carrying Stella, Heineken and Budweiser to the bottom as possible. The vessel would be crewed by salty sea dog versions of the Easter bunnies.
Chess?
What would you eat with your last pint?
Nothing. Although I love beer and food pairings, if this is going to be my last ever beer, I want the focus to be 100% on the beer itself. I might have a little snack afterwards though, and another little snack after that. I may turn to comfort eating to console my post beer existence. Either that or I will need to find a new hobby. Chess anyone.
.
Drinking Buddies
With whom would you drink your last pint?
Darth Vader, Bracken the Dog and Winston Churchill.
.
Thanks James!
My Last Pint #17 – Sean Wilson
Image: Fullsteam's website
Sean Wilson is the founder and president of Fullsteam Brewing in Durham, NC. With a bold and unique philosophy on brewing, Fullsteam is bound to make a mark on the beer landscape in the years to come. For example, their “Plow to Pint” series, which “are crafted with Southern farmed ingredients…going local, seasonal, and organic whenever possible.” A couple beers in this series: Carver Sweet Potato Beer and Maison Derrière Country Beer.
.
Bell's Two Hearted
MLP: What would be the last pint of your life?
SW: Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, because it’s my everyday ritual. Basically, I’d like my last pint to be no different than the pint I had the day before. I’d rather go quickly and unexpectedly than deal with deathbed melodrama. Thus, I’d like my last pint to be the ordinary beer I drink on an ordinary day. I revel in the ordinary more than the Ortolan.
.
Photo: aaronchamberlain
What would be the setting for your last pint?
I hope someday to own a small farm with a garden — a homestead I long for but don’t yet enjoy. I gulp up that last pint after collecting a bountiful harvest of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Photo: Weaselmcfee
What would you eat with your last pint?
A peach. Why not. This is my vision of a last pint, and a peach and a Two Hearted sounds pretty darn good.
.
With whom would you drink your last pint?
My awesome wife Carolyn, who also loves Bell’s Two Hearted. That last pint would be a single, shared beer — one she poured, started, and then offered to me. Carolyn has sacrificed so much for me over the years…words can’t even express.
.
Thanks Sean!