DRINK WITH THE WENCH PRESENTS:
The Beer Blogger Interview Series
Curious what goes on in the minds of your favorite beer bloggers? Well, The Beer Wench is and she has embarked upon a mission to interview as many beer bloggers that she can — from all over the world. Are you a beer blogger? Do you want to share your story? Send me an email!
INTRODUCING: MARIO RUBIO
AUTHOR OF: BREWED FOR THOUGHT
Beer Blogger Interview
Full name: Mario Rubio
Internet nickname (if applicable): Not official but Fred Abercrombie called me Mario the Brewsario
Twitter handle: Brewed4Thought
Name of blog: Brewed For Thought
Current location: Santa Rosa, CA
Background “Snapshot”
1. Where did you grow up?
Seaside, CA (aka the Monterey Penninsula)
2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?
Baseball, basketball, football
3. How old were you when you had your first beer?
First craft beer, 17
4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?
Freshman year of college. Went with my fraternity brothers to Raleigh’s (now Manny’s) in Berkeley. We sat outside in their wonderful beer garden and pitchers of amber liquid were brought out. It was Boont Amber. It blew me away. I was instantly hooked.
5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?
UC Berkeley, 3 Years of Civil Engineering, 1 year of Chicano Studies. I was a fraternity member (Alpha Sigma Phi) and an avid supporter of Cal athletics but not a participant.
Craft Beer Epiphany
Every craft beer enthusiast has at least one pinnacle craft beer experience that completely changes ones perspective on beer. I refer to this mind-blowing moment as a “craft beer epiphany.”
1. What was your first craft beer epiphany? Recall as many details about it as you can:
See above
2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:
At Rogue Ale House in Eugene about 5 years ago. For some reason everything I had been trying to understand about beer through homebrewing and sampling finally made sense. It was over a pint of Chocolate Stout. That took me from beer enthusiast to full on beer geek.
Beer Blog Background
1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?
October 2007
2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?
It had been a plan since college with some friends, I finally took the initiative.
3. Why did you chose the name of your blog?
My friends and I started the site. Originally we were going to be the Beer Brothers but after 7 years of not starting a site, the name was taken. A friends wife said Brewed For Thought. It was a winner.
4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?
Originally the goals were to receive free beer. Mission Accomplished. Now, I hope to somehow make a living.
5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?
Shaking hands with Fritz Maytag.
6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?
Beer Talk
1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?
Hoppy, Malty and yeasty.
2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?
I have no idea. Lagunitas, Russian River and North Coast
3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?
Moonlight, I think Brian Hunt not only brews amazing beer but also is an inspiration for how a business can/should be run.
4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?
I brew boring styles. I put lemon zest in my Rats in the Attic Pale Ale, maybe my Wonderful Welcome Wheat Porter I brewed for my daughter’s birth. The names are more interesting than the beers.
5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?
No one will officially back my status as a beer geek.
6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?
IPA and Carrot Cake.
The Personal Side
1. What is your current day job?
Unemployed.
2. If you could change your career at this very moment, without any restrictions on what you could do, what would you want to do and why?
Something in the brewing industry. I’d like to be involved with brewing somehow.
3. Are you married? Children?
Yes. One daughter, 2 yrs old.
4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?
Sports, cooking, travel, movies, music but all of these seem to be decreasing with parenting. I’m completely not cool.
Off The Beaten Path
1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be an why?
A mild. I’m a beer at 12:30 kind of guy.
2. You were caught smuggling beer illegally, which has now been made punishable by death. Right before you are sent to the executioner, you are offered one last beer. What beer would you chose and why?
Red Nectar. It reminds me of drinking beer on my deck with friends and BBQing when I was in college.
3. If I contracted you to brew a beer (or design a beer recipe) called “The Beer Wench” — what style would you chose and what, if any, extra ingredients would you add?
Pure cane sugar. Just to boost the ABV.
4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
Is not having to work for a living a superpower?
5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?
Looking back at it, getting behind the wheel after having drank too much. As a youngster, didn’t seem so bad. Now, it’s simply stupid and dangerous.
6. What are your thoughts on bacon?
It’s tasty.
SPECIAL THANKS TO MARIO FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!
CHEERS!
February 4, 2010 at 3:15 pm
I’d been meaning to give you a better picture of Kaleigh. Here she is on an afternoon at Russian River with daddy.
http://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff212/brewedforthought/Other/utf-8BSU1HMDAyNzctMjAwOTEyMDUtMTQwN.jpg