1. Where is your brewery?

Our brewery is located in the Wynwood Arts District in Miami, Fl.

2. What was the first beer you had that made you realize craft beer was going to be a bigger part of your life?

I grew up in Pennsylvania so I was raised on Yeungling lager. By the time I was 21 I had been into beer for a while and going to different festivals but still couldn't get in to really hoppy beers. Even Sam Adams Boston Lager was on the bitter end of beers that I could handle... until one time at an even after a beer show I was handed a double IPA, called Edgar, made by Bullfrog Brewery in Williamsport, PA. I don't know why this particular beer affected me the way it did but I remember after drinking it I knew that my palate was forever changed. After that, hops became a major part of my life.

3. What is your favorite style to brew and why?

I love brewing the big beers; 9% and up. The ones with two mashes to one boil. Yeah its more work, longer day, etc., but it just makes the beer taste that much better.

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?

Either Magic City Pale Ale (my favorite beer style and a recipe based on a beer I drank almost exclusively for close to a decade) or Father Francisco (a recipe based on Duvel, another one of my favorite beers).

5. What is your favorite music to listen to in the brewery?

It all really depends on the mood and time of day in the brewery. We start really early, so in the mornings I like something a little more mellow, maybe some Pink Floyd or Sublime. If we are hustling around and have a ton of work to do, we may need something more up-beat like some punk rock or metal. But one safe thing to say about the music selection in our brewery... anything goes! You never know what you might hear.

6. Which other brewery has inspired you the most? Why?

That is definitely a long list, but I have to say that Sierra Nevada is at or near the top of that list. I had a chance to visit their new facility in North Carolina and I was blown away. The amount of thought they put into recycling energy and water is just awesome. They have also become one of the largest craft breweries in the Country, yet they still don't budge on quality... I will never turn down a bottle of their pale ale.

7. Single hop beer - which hops are you using?

Something amazing and hard to get... Simcoe, Falconer's Flight, anything from New Zealand. Some of those hops have an absolutely amazing flavor and aroma.

8. Where is your favorite place to get a beer after work and why?

I'm a dive bar kind of guy (as long as they have decent beer!) After work I like a nice quiet place with some decent scenery. Anything outside and by the water will work.

9. What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone who thinks they want to get into the craft beer industry?

Go down to your local brewery and volunteer. There is A LOT more to this job than just brewing beer. Get a feel for what it involves on a daily basis, then decide if that is something you REALLY want to to do. Especially when you start out, you are going to be doing back breaking work for very little money. Still interested? Start reading. Working in a brewery encompasses many different fields: microbiology, chemistry, and engineering to name a few.

10. Dogs or cats?

Fish.