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: DAVID PHILLIPS

AUTHOR OF: CHEESE AND CHEERS

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: David Phillips
Twitter handle: @cheeseandcheers
Name of blog: Cheese and Cheers
Current location: Contiguous suburb of Chicago

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up? Near Ft. Lauderdale.
2. What sports if any did you play growing up, through college and beyond? Skateboarding and bowling.
3. How old were you when you had your first beer? 14?
4. If you can recall, what is the story of your first beer? Where did you have it? What style and brand was it? The brands us JDs drank back then were really bad, like Wiedemann and Colt 45.  But I remember seeing a cover band doing a ZZ Top song at a horse ranch on a humid summer night, after having drank a couple cans of the swill, and I’ll never forget the heightened sense of being alive.
5. Where, if applicable, did you go to college? What did you study? What additional activities, organizations, sports did you partake in during college? Went to Broward Community College in Florida, then I transferred to Loyola Chicago.  Studied journalism, and I was on the newspaper staff at community college, also put out a punk fanzine called The Borington Journal. I helped start a film society at Loyola, and took my studies quite seriously.

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:

Okay, I was a reporter at a tiny daily in Illinois and I kept getting p.r. calls from an agency pushing a story about Beer Across America, one of the early beer-of-the-month clubs. Caved, and ended up writing a column with the headline “Good Things Come in Big Smelly Packages”—one of the bottles of the two 12 packs had broken. Then I started looking, and I found a place in Rockford that kept Bell’s Amber or Kalamazoo Stout on tap. The smell from the broken bottle was lovely like something from a bakery rather than a bar-room floor, and the Bell’s beers had such character, I knew instantly that this is what beer was supposed to be like.

Later I started reading Jackson’s books and that lead to drinking tall glasses of Hefewiezen with stacks of pancakes at sidewalk cafes in Chicago, and marveling over my first bottle of Saison DuPont on the front porch while my daughter created sidewalk chalk masterpieces.

Then there was the string of epiphany’s that came about from joining Chicago Beer Society and hanging out with some of the smartest, most passionate people in craft beer.

Beer Blog Background

1. How long have you been writing your beer blog? Just a couple months (Mid-March).
2. What inspired you to start writing your blog? I was looking for a way to make a living from two of my passions—craft beer and artisan cheese. I needed a website, but the blog was almost an afterthought. Once I started doing it I got hooked.
3. Why did you choose the name of your blog? Well, really to support the business of the same name.
4. What are you personal goals for your blog? What do you hope to achieve with it? Hope to keep the frequency to two or three posts a week. Will cover all things related to beer and cheese and their intersection. Will post pairings, hope to have some guests. Still planning to develop a cheese and beer consulting business, but I love making this wonderful juxtaposition and I simply enjoy sharing it with others. If no one beats me to it, I plan to write a book on the subject.
5. What is one of the coolest things that happened to you as a result of being a beer blogger? I’ve made friends with beer bloggers in the UK.  Must admit I feel the same kind of fondness for the UK as I might for a favorite old girlfriend.
6. What are you top 3 favorite beer blogs/beer websites?

Argh!  To begin with, I’ve only been following beer and cheers blogs for about a year, so I may not as of yet found the faves. Still, I have found many, many nice ones. Here goes:

BEER:

• Zak Avery’s Are You Tasting the Pith
• Appellation Beer from Stan Hieronymus
• The Beer Wench
• Michael Agnew’s A Perfect Pint

CHEESE:

• Gordon “Zola” Edgar
• Cheese + Champagne
• It’s Not You, It’s Brie

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles? Glad you gave me three: Saison,  Bitter (all ranges), and Lambic.
2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries? Wish you gave me more: Right now I’ll go with Meantime, Jolly Pumpkin, New Belgium. (+Bell’s, Cantilion, Goose Island, Ayinger, Three Floyds, Dogfish Head, DuPont, Lagunitas, Lost Abbey, The Bruery, Great Lakes, Allagash, Orval, Rodenbach……ahhhhhhh!!!)
3. If you could work with or for any one brewery, which one would it be and why? Dogfish Head, because they like to have fun, but they are serious too, and Dogfish is big enough that they might be able to meet my salary demands.
4. Are you a homebrewer? If yes, what is the most unique and interesting beer recipes you’ve brewed as a homebrewer? Yes, and a member of the Chicago Beer Society.  hmmm. I’m kind of a traditionalist when it comes to homebrewing.  Berliner Weisse, and Wit Bier with brett might be as interesting as I’ll get, but both the Mild and the Kolsch I did recently with my new brew brothers completely kicked ass.
5. Do you have any beer certifications (BJCP, Cicerone, Siebel, American Brewers Guild)?? If so, what are they? Certified Beer Server (Cicerone Certification Program).
6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing? Oh God, just one? Bam Bier with steamed mussels, maybe.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job? Beer and cheese consultant, if that counts.
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? Didn’t I just do that?  A major league starter with a 98-mph fast ball and some wicked junk seems like a decent gig. Or a brother at Orval.
3. Are you married? Children? Yes, God bless her, and we have three lovelies–a graduating high schooler, a first grader (both girls), and a six-year old boy.
4. Outside of beer and writing, what are some of your other hobbies? American artisan and farmstead  cheese (I am also a member of the American Cheese Society), jazz, punk, bicycling, camping, fishing, Chicago sports teams, dreaming about high performance sports cars, architecture, and 21^st century ironic and iconic American filmmakers, like Wes Anderson, the Coen Brothers and Sophia Coppola.

Off The Beaten Path

1. If you were a style of beer, what style would be and why? A Best (Premium) Bitter. It’s just so comfortable and relaxed, and yet dignified, all of which I would like to be.
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? Gosh. A special occasion calls for Cantilion Gueuze or Iris, or a Hansens Kriek. I have a couple friends who have some vintages they would never share with me unless I was about to be killed. Then again, Orval might send one off in the right direction.
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? A lovely ruby-colored mild, with about 20% brown malt, and 8% rye malt, and whole cone Fuggles.
4. If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be? Flying would be awesome, X-ray vision, but really I would just want to drive something like a Ferrari 458 Italia with a weird skin job.
5. What is one of the craziest things you have ever done and lived to tell the story? One!? Skateboarded down circular expressway ramps in Miami as a kid. Swam through a culvert at the bottom of a rock pit, pulled a fish hook out of a gator’s mouth. It was small gator. Hooked a water moccasin with a fishing lure.
6. What are your thoughts on bacon? I think I want to make the ultimate beer cookie—oatmeal, toasted pecans, chocolate chips and crispy bacon. I’d pair it with Lagunitas IPA, or maybe Hop Stoopid.

SPECIAL THANKS TO DAVID FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!

DAMN IT … Now I’m craving cheese and beers!

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: BRADLEY STARK

AUTHOR OF: DR. STARKWEATHER’S MIRACLE ELIXERS

Beer Blogger Interview

Full name: Bradley Stark
Twitter handle: @DrStarkweather
Name of blog: Dr. Starkweather’s Miracle Elixers / #Gents
Current location: Chicago, IL

Background “Snapshot”

1. Where did you grow up?

Eastern Michigan, around Detroit and Ann Arbor.

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

I played Baseball and Basketball all through little league until I was old enough to play High School level, where I promptly realized I wasn’t good enough in either. I grew up a good year younger than most the kids in my class, so while I kicked ass in little league when they group you by age, I was just too small to play High School. But I did get involved with Tennis in spite of my (at the time) small frame and went on to make Varsity.

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

I had little sips from my parents as a kid, but I stayed away of my own volition until I was 19. Canada was always a hop skip and 30 minute drive and their legal age in Windsor was 19.

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

It was Budweiser, and I just remember that I was pissed off at some things in my life and so when someone shoved a beer in my hand, I didn’t set it down like I normally did.

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 spent 2 years studying Greek and Roman Classics at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had a morning radio show at the campus station, was in the Honors program, and messed around a bit with car audio. Then I transferred and got a Degree in Film/Video at Columbia College in Chicago, and got really into Quake 3 and even played with some pro clans.

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:

It was Bell’s Two Hearted, and tt was a summer evening. I was at a megachurch young adults function that I had been invited to by a good friend. We snuck off at one point and drank a six pack from the back of a guy’s Jeep.

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

It happens all the time. I find I fall in love with a style until it gets too familiar and then it happens all over again.

Beer Blog Background

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

I started the homebrew blog back in December as a way to point people who ask on twitter what Im up to. But Iv been #gents for almost a year now, and thats probably how Im best known. Being a part of the #gents.

2. What inspired you to start writing your blog?

Andy Farley and Stephan Freshnock had homebrewing blogs and they kept telling me to start one.

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

Its kind of the name of my fictional brewery. If I ever had my on brewery I’d use that name. I think its a fun snake oil salesman type name.

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

Not a lot of ambition with the homebrew blog. I want to focus not just on what I’m brewing but on specific ingredients or techniques. I think the #gents thing is a lot more ambitious, but thats because we have so many ambitious guys behind it. We started doing live events for a bit, but we didn’t nail the format and Id like us to try and go back and figure it out. There has also been talk about doing a #gents CBC event since it is in our backyard this year.

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

Well I got invited to a brewery and then left with a box full of beer (Thanks Todd!). I think that makes it all worth it and the relationships I’ve made through twitter have been really awesome.

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

• BeerNews.org
• BYO.com
• HOPFENTREADER

Beer Talk

1. What are your top 3 favorite beer styles?

Tripels, RIS, and Barlywines

2. What are your top 3 favorite breweries?

Surly, Avery, and Kuhnhenn

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

Something small like Half Acre. I would want to keep the brewing fun and with dozens of employees and a 24 hour brewing schedule I would have to believe the larger craft breweries are a little more serious than I would want.

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

Yeah, I’ve been homebrewing since September 2009. My most interesting beer so far was a Vanilla and Oak belgian brewed with caramelized sugar and Abbey Ale yeast.

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

I’m currently working with a few guys doing BJCP study groups. In the future I’d like to maybe do Siebel and Cicerone if my life takes me in that direction.

6. What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

That would be Bell’s Hopslam and 7-eleven Chilidogs.

The Personal Side

1. What is your current day job?

Freelance Animator

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?

A Mythbuster. Seriously, those guys have an awesome skill set and they get to blow things up and have so much fun.

3. Are you married? Children?

No to both.

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

I’m a bit of a hobby collector. I tend to learn a lot about hobbies and subjects and then move on. Im also a big TV fan. I would like to someday figure out how I can turn watching TV all day into a high paying career. Ill keep you updated on that.

Off The Beaten Path

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

Wild Ale. My brain often goes to weird places and you cant be sure what I’ll do next. Just like a Wild Ale can keep you guessing.

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?

Surly Darkness. So that the transition to hell isn’t as severe.

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’d do a spontaneously fermented blonde ale recipe. Aggressively hopped for taste and aroma.

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

Master of Time and Space.

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

I’ve wrapped myself up from head to tow in plastic wrap and hurled myself down a snow covered mountain. It was a spectacle thing, my friends wanted to see me do it.

6. What are your thoughts on bacon?

I have always loved the stuff, but my eyes have only been recently opened to all the things you can do to bacon to make it better!

SPECIAL THANKS TO BRAD FOR AN AWESOME INTERVIEW!

CHEERS!