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!

Welcome to the first interview of two in a mini-series featuring the authors of TheBeerGeek.Com and BeerGeek.TV! TheBeerGeek.com is co-authored by a husband-wife team from California. Together they have joined on a mission to visit as many breweries and pubs around the world as humanly possible.

INTRODUCING: CHRIS NELSON

CO-AUTHOR OF: THE BEER GEEK

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Chris Nelson
Twitter handle: @thebeergeek
Name of blog: thebeergeek.com
Current location: Carmel Valley, CA

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

A lot of places but mainly Fairfax, VA and Carmel, CA

2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond?

Soccer

3. How old were you when you had your first beer?

15

4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it?

Typical high school story… out with friends on a Friday night before a basketball game. It was Budweiser

5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college?

Graduated from the University of California at Berkeley with degrees in History and Political Science.

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:

Drinking Ironhorse Alt from Devil Mountain Brewery at Raleighs in Berkeley in the late 80s.

2. Have you have additional craft beer epiphanies since the first? Detail as many of them as you wish:

First pint of Guinness in Dublin. Visiting all seven Trappist breweries in a week.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog?

Since July 2007

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

Being a finalist for the Four Points Chief Beer Officer

3. Why did you chose the name of your blog?

beergeek.com was already taken

4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it?

To encourage people to become beer travelers; to seek beer out at its source.

5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger?

Getting a tour of the Hallertau from Inbev-AB’s European Hop Director

6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Besides ours? Pete Brown’s Beer Blog, beermapping.com

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

IPA, Flanders Red, Hefeweizen

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Bear Republic, Russian River, Andechs

3. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer?

Used to but not anymore

4. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they?

Nope

5. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Rauchbier and Pork. Actually any beer with pork.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

Web Designer

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?

Be a beer evangelist. I don’t think that needs any explanation.

3. Are you married? Children?

Married since 1989, no children.

4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies?

Reading history books, walking my dogs on the beach, watching soccer.

Off The Beaten Path

1. . What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story?

Spent all my life’s savings on beer travel.

2. What are your thoughts on bacon?

I am firmly pro-bacon

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRIS FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

STAY TUNED FOR THE BEER GEEK (dot) COM INTERVIEW SERIES ROUND TWO!

CHEERS!