Thank you Left Hand Brewing

Left Hand Brewing is a brewery in Longmont, Colorado that just celebrated its 20th year in operation. It's also one of two new places of employment for me - which makes me real happy? Why? I've been slowing warming up to the craft beer industry for about five years now. Now that I'm bartending in the tasting room at Left Hand, my education just got put on the fast track toward Cicerone Certification and inside knowledge on what it really takes to produce, distribute and sell craft beer in America. Needless to say - I'm super stoked on this opportunity. Furthermore - I could not have asked for a better company to work for. The owners/founders are still part of the day to day operations, they've been on a steady, smart growth pattern over those twenty years - and the beer is absolutely incredible. So much so, they took home three gold medals at last year's Great American Beer Festival. No small feat - especially for a brewery of their size. Left Hand produced just over 63,000 barrels of beer in 2013, and is targeting somewhere around 90,000 for 2014. What else can I tell you - "we" now offer our famous "nitro in a bottle" technology for two other beers besides the Milk Stout. Our "Wake Up Dead" Imperial Stout is now being sold in nitrogenated 12 oz bottles, as is our Sawtooth ESB. Though these bottles are currently only available in Colorado - look for them to slowly be introduced across the United States into the 27 states where our other beers are currently being distributed. Thank you Ben, Cinzia, Morgan and the rest of the Left Hand that are helping make my dreams a reality. So much to look forward to!

My road to the craft beer industry...

My friend Jeff laughed saying I was having a midlife crisis. I had to remind him that this was, in fact, my second "midlife crisis". My first being the transition from Graphic Designer to Video Producer in 2004, now, I'm moving out of the video and design world, into the wonderful world of beer. As my few readers may or may not know, the craft beer industry has been experiencing astonishing growth over the last decade, unfettered by the recession. My knowledge, love and passion for craft beer has continued to grow to the point that I started my little web series, Beer City Television, back in 2009. Now, after spending so much time with brewers, founders, owners and other craft beer industry folks, I've decided it's the place for me. On a recent shoot with Boulder Beer, I met with the President of the company, Jeff Brown, and discovered our mutual love for bicycle racing - particularly mountain-biking. Jeff was kind enough to agree to let me buy him lunch so I could pick his brain a little about the industry, which I'll be doing tomorrow (and reporting on right here). To add to the craziness of it all, after agreeing to meet me, their Marketing Director posted a job for local Sales Rep - to which of course - I had to apply for - with a touch of my own creativity. Oddly enough, as I was typing this blog just now, my phone rang. Boulder Beer calling... "would you like to come in for an interview tomorrow?" - What the what? Umm... hell yeah! Hilarious. Interviewing with the three gals in the marketing department at 11:30am, then going out to lunch with the president at noon. Something seems to be going right for me here - I'm going with it. Wish me luck friends and peoples! I'm settling into Boulder more than I ever dreamed I would. This is good. :)