Jess Reiser - Owner Burial Beer Co.
1. Where is your brewery?
Asheville, North Carolina
2. What was the first beer you had that made you realize craft beer was going to be a bigger part of your life?
Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus was one of the first beers that caused me to reflect on the process and begin to truly appreciate beer as a craft.
3. What is your favorite style to brew and why?
Burial Beer Co., finds infinite inspiration from brewing Saisons.
4. If you were stranded on an island (with a working refrigerator that automatically replenished itself) and you could only have one beer for the rest of your life in that fridge, which would it be?
I would say a saison - from there I would crack coconuts, find mangos, pick hibiscus flowers, and other edible to do infusions to keep it interesting. I believe saisons to be one of the best styles for adjunct infusions.
5. What is your favorite music to listen to in the brewery?
Well, I am just one of many people who plays the music at Burial - it ranges from death metal to David Bowie.
6. Which other brewery has inspired you the most? Why?
Truly, most Belgian breweries - De Dolle, Cantillon, Rochefort, Rodenbach - although we also brew American styles, our inspiration and passion lies in Belgian ales and Saisons. The process and the history behind beer in Belgium is fascinating and a constant discovery for us.
7. Single hop beer - which hops are you using?
We love Huell Melon, El dorado, and Mosaic hops.
8. Where is your favorite place to get a beer after work and why?
Burial. For me, its a combination of a place for my kids to feel welcome, a way for me to try the new beers we have on, plus I am just the most comfortable there. It's my home away from home - truly.
9. What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone who thinks they want to get into the craft beer industry?
Owning a brewery or any small business, I imagine, is like having a child. It is a full time, around the clock commitment for a life time - you make a ton of sacrifices, it is stressful and challenging, but at the end of the day, for those willing to rise to the occasion, it makes you a better person and is worth every bit and then some.
10. Dogs or cats?
Kids and beer.