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

I wear all the hats including booking agent and bookkeeper [at Dolores River Brewing Co. in Dolores, Colo.], but brewing has always been my passion. I got started brewing professionally at BridgePort in 1986 and have been at it ever since. What a long, strange trip it’s been!

What’s new at Dolores River?

We’re turning 10, and we started canning this year, 16-ounce pints, ’cause that’s the way I like it. It’s great to drink our beer on the river for a change—nothing like it after an especially gnarly rapid!

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

For me it’s full of old friends, and I’m constantly meeting new ones. I’ve been out of touch for a couple of years and it’s fun recirculating.

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

I’m a skier, tele style; and a biker, mountain style; and a boater, rafty style. I live in a river town in the mountains, so we do a lot of outdoor playing. I’m also the best ukulele player in my town, which probably isn’t worth bragging about.

What’s your favorite food and beer pairing?

I’ve always been a pizza fan. I built a wood fired oven in the middle of our pub, and there is no shortage of variety comin’ out of that bad boy. I love the smoky flavor of roasted peppers with a sweet imperial stout. That’s this week’s perfect pair.

What’s your biggest accomplishment unrelated to your job?

I have four beautiful, talented, healthy kids, and I’m still sane! I consider that quite an accomplishment!

What’s your favorite beer that your brewery does not produce?

Paulaner Oktoberfest. I could drink it all day, and often do. Surly Bitter Brewer, ’cause I had one about a year-and-a-half ago, and I think I can still taste it. And anything from Gigantic Brewing in Portland. They actually aren’t brewing yet, but I know it’ll be killer when they do.

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

I went to the Carlsberg Brewery in Copenhagen. It’s not only the birthplace of lager beer, but a killer brewing museum and pilot plant with a tasting room to rival anywhere in terms of quality and selection. They had 16 beers on tap, of which only two make it outside Denmark and most never reach beyond Copenhagen. I rode a bike there with my dad and my wife. Carlsberg sits atop the highest hill in Copenhagen and it was glorious to ride down it after a lengthy session in the tasting room.