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: MARK SINDERSON

AUTHOR OF: BIKE BEER BBQ

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Mark Sinderson
Twitter handle: @BikeBeerBBQ
Name of blog: Bike Beer BBQ
Current location: Atlanta, GA

Links:

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Pittsburgh, PA

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

I played baseball and basketball up until High School then switched to Track and Cross Country.  My best event on the track was the 1/2 mile and my worst was the 1oo meter high hurdles where I earned the comical nickname of “Bullwinkle” because people said I looked like a Moose going over the hurdles.  I continued to run in College and beyond and switched to Road Cycling about 10 years ago.

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

12 or 13

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

I had a friend who sneaked an Iron City (Pittsburgh’s “signature” lager beer) from his fathers refrigerator and we drank it on a hillside overlooking Route 51 and the Slag Pile (a huge man made mountain of the scraps from steel  making) near our homes.  I didn’t like it too much then and I still don’t like it now.

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

I went to Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado where I studied Business.  I graduated with a Bachelors degree in management.  I ran on the track and cross country teams  my first 2 years at school but I was too slow to really compete at that level.

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:

My first craft beer epiphany happened in 1985 at a bar/restaurant called Old Chicago located in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I had just turned 21 and decided that I would complete their “World Beer Tour” which required me to drink 120 or so different beers.  I had a Boulder Beer Porter one of the 1st days and I was amazed by the flavor.  From that point on I was hooked.  I came very close to completing the tour but ran out of money so I never got my name on the “mugs” they had on the walls.  But, I still have my Old Chicago mug that I got for drinking 80 different beers.

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

One of the biggest influences on me was the growth of craft brewers in Fort Collins in the early 1990’s when New Belgium, Odell’s and a few others were getting started.  We lived there at the time and it was great to be able to watch (and taste) the early successes they had.  I’ve had several other “craft beer moments” in the years since then, most of them relating to beers that blew me away in one way or another.

Beer Blog Background

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

I started beer blogging in January 2009 with a site called Video Beer Reviews and merged it into BikeBeerBBQ.com late last year

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

I decided one day that it would be cool to do video reviews of the different beers I drank.  I set up a YouTube account and started reviewing beers and posting the videos to my blog and YouTube.  I figured I would be the only one doing this but soon realized that there was already a pretty good community of “YouTube Beer Reviewers”.

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

Video Beer Reviews was easy to come up with since that was what I was doing.

The current blog name of BikeBeerBBQ came from combining 3 of my hobbies, Bike Riding, Beer, and BBQ.

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

All I really want to achieve is to have fun doing the reviews and interacting with the viewers/readers of the blog.   I do have some Google AdWords and Amazon links on the blog which generate enough income to pay for the hosting.  Other than that I’m not expecting to make any real money from the blog. If I do it’s a bonus.

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

The best part of beer blogging is interacting with the people who watch or read my posts.  The other fun thing is to go somewhere (usually a beer store or bar) and have somebody say “Are you the BikeBeerBBQ guy?”  That freaked me out a little the first time it happened.

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

I really like Pencil And Spoon, Two Beer Queers, and Beer Advocate although I never seem to have the time to read them much.  There are a ton of good beer related sites out there and the number just keeps growing.

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

It’s tough because I enjoy most styles, except for Chili Beer, but at this point I’m really liking IPA’s, Stouts, and Sour Ales.

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

There are so many great brewers but Terrapin Beer, Odell’s (I can’t get them now but loved them from our time in Ft Collins), and Rogue  come to mind.

3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why?

I would say Terrapin because they seem to have a great attitude about beer, and they’re growing but in a controlled manner.

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

I’ve homebrewed off and on (mostly off) since 1985.  I enjoy it but I’m just too impatient to brew my own and there are so many great beers available now.  The “best” beer I brewed was our 1st batch ever when we put too much sugar in the beer for bottling and ended up with a lot of bottle bombs and a beer that tasted like sweaty shoes.  It was terrible but completely memorable!

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

None of the above and I probably won’t get any of them.  I’m too busy and I just want to keep things simple and enjoy the beer I drink.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

I would say a good IPA or Stout paired with some tasty BBQ from my Big Green Egg.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

I work as a financial planning assistant at a small, independent wealth management firm.

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?

I’m very happy with my current career but in a perfect world, if I could do anything, I’d love to open a beer store and split my time between that and riding my bike all over the world.

3. Are you married? Children?

I’ve been married for 20 years to a wonderful person who puts up with my beer “geekiness”.  Sometimes you can hear her eating in the background as I do my beer review videos.  We have no children, unless 2 cats count as kids.

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

My primary passion is road cycling and fitness.  I enjoy cooking (not baking) and BBQ.  I also enjoy reading, music (blues and classic rock), travel, and I also dabble in R/C gliders from time to time.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would you be and why?

Hmm, tough question but I guess I would be closest to a Pale Ale because, well, I’m pale, have a bit of body, some sweetness, and a slight bite.

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?

If I was going to be executed I’d want to be as drunk as possible so I’d probably request a double magnum sized bottle of a tasty, but strong, beer.  Does Mikkeller make Beer Geek Brunch Weasel in a HUGE bottle?

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?

I think it would have to be an Imperial beer of some sort, maybe a Belgian Strong Ale, with some spices added like pepper and cinnamon.

4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?

Definitely invisibility.

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

In college a buddy and I drove home (from Fort Collins to Pittsburgh) for Christmas in his beat-up 1964 Mustang with balding tires, bad brakes, and no real heater.  Well, December along I-70 can be cold and snowy (which it was) but we decided to drive the 1500 miles non-stop.  It wasn’t the smartest decision we ever made but after several near crashes due to ice and snow, along with actually falling asleep at the wheel somewhere in Indiana, we made it.  It’s amazing the stuff we do when young and actually survive to talk about it!

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

Yes, please!

SPECIAL THANKS TO MARK FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!