A Brewer's Life

Here's a new feature that I hope you find interesting. A Brewer's Life will contain a more-or-less daily account of what goes on here at Gottberg Brew Pub. I'll include pictures when I can, but since I mostly work alone, I won't be in many of the pictures myself. (Some may consider this a Good Thing.) If you've ever thought you'd like to make beer for a living, A Brewer's Life will give you an idea of what you have to look forward to.

Some background: I started brewing at home in 1990, and after four years I decided that making beer for a living would be a lot more fun than continuing my computer technical support career. I moved to Hawaii in 1995 to join a brewpub startup on the island of Molokai, but that was a total bust that cost me all of my retirement money. I returned to civilization in 1998 and attended the Professional Brewer Certification Program at the Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago. They helped me land my first brewing job at Egan Brewing, a small brewpub in De Pere, Wisconsin. I was there right up until they closed in September 2001 due to the owner's illness. Subsequently, I brewed in Bonduel (6 months part-time), Oshkosh (14 weeks), Green Bay (4 week temporary gig), and Clear Lake (12 months), all in Wisconsin.

In May 2005, I heard about a job opening in Columbus, Nebraska, just an hour from my hometown. They hired me right away, and I've been here at Gottberg ever since. As in all my previous jobs, I'm responsible for Everything Beer, from ordering the ingredients and creating the recipes to cleaning the taps and everything in between.

So I hope A Brewer's Life will show you what it's like to brew for a living. But even if you don't find it entertaining — or even useful — at least it will give me a record of what I've been up to and get me to stop procrastinating so much.

have fun

RDS