Gary Brown

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What’s your current position at your brewery, and how did you get started in the craft brewing industry?

I am the owner and head brewer at Boondocks Brewing and Boondocks Brewing Tap Room & Restaurant [in West Jefferson, N.C.]. Craft beer has been a growing passion of mine dating back to the early 1980s. Around 2008, while working as an IT professional in the banking industry, I rekindled my hobby of homebrewing and became involved in the craft brewing scene in North Carolina that was just starting to blossom. After taking early retirement in early 2012, I made the decision to pursue a longtime dream of opening a bar and restaurant, and then taking it to another level and including a small nanobrewery.

What’s new at Boondocks?

Since opening in 2012, we have expanded into a second location in West Jefferson that now houses our 5-bbl brewhouse. This location also serves as a special events venue.

What’s the best part of being a part of the craft brewing community?

The people you come in contact with in the industry, the openness to share, and the genuine passion for quality. The fact that I have the opportunity to make so many new friends both behind and in front of the taps makes the hard work worth it.

Name a favorite food and beer pairing.

The next one. We hold monthly five-course pairings that are totally off the hook. Every course and every pairing is a new experience and there is just no way to pick a single favorite.

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?

The truth is, everything that I have done, accomplished, and failed at all lead to where I am today. My “job” is doing my part to make this a better world one moment at a time. Being able to do that through craft beer is a true blessing.

What’s the most memorable travel destination at which you’ve had a chance to sample the local beer?

San Diego and Denver. If I have to explain, then you just would not understand.

What do you like to do in your time away from the brewery?

Read about brewing, visit other brewers, think about brewing, talk about craft beer, drink craft beer, and count the hours until I am back in the brewery.


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