What’s your current position at your brewery, and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?
I am the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Owner for Port Brewing and The Lost Abbey. I got my boots first wet in 1996 working at Cervecerias La Cruda before becoming Head Brewer at the world famous Pizza Port in 1997. I spent nine glorious years working in that awesome space before my partners and I founded The Lost Abbey back in 2006. To think that I have been part of the amazing craft beer universe for 25 years is something I never take for granted.

What’s new at your breweries?
We are putting the finishing touches on opening a new satellite tasting room in East Village San Diego. This will be our first tasting room in San Diego City (proper, not county). We will be located five blocks from the right field entrance of Petco Park (home to the Padres). The tasting room is a historic Presbyterian Church that dates back to 1905 and we’re so excited to finally have “found” our abbey.

What’s the best part of being a part of the craft brewing community?
The people, the places we get to go and the beers we get to share. It’s an amazing dynamic and vibrant culture of passionate producers. We are truly blessed to get out of bed everyday and do something we love so much.

Name a favorite food and beer pairing.
Humboldt Fog Cheese and Russian River Temptation. BOOM!

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?
I am the proud father to two amazing daughters (Sydney and Lexi) and they remind me every single day that I am more than just a brewery owner.

What’s your favorite beer from another brewery?
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (my love is pretty well documented).

What do you like to do in your time away from the brewery?
We sponsor a crazy one day bike race each year called The Belgian Waffle Ride. So for the past few years, I have been riding a bike in my spare time to create fitness (or is it less fatness). This “ride” attracts some of the most incredible athletes and the event is a blast. So, in the little time I am away from the brewery, you might catch me pedaling the areas around the brewery and our tasting rooms.

What’s the most memorable travel destination at which you’ve had a chance to sample the local beer?
In my 25 years, I have traveled so many places it’s hard to pick one. I would have to make a strong argument for Brussels. I was taken to an incredible restaurant called Selecto and we drank Cantillon and De La Senne. Mostly it was the great food, the conversation, and timing that brought those all together. Plus, Brussels.