Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

Stolen Sun Brewing first opened in October 2018, in Exton, PA. Operating a 10 bbl brewhouse, the brewery recently celebrated its two year anniversary, as well as big expansion news to add 6,500 more sq/ft! Chris Preston is the head brewer at Stolen Sun Brewing. Read more to find out her introduction to beer, where she sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I made a New Year’s Resolution one year to expand my beer horizon. I was in college at the time, drinking mostly Natty Light – and if I was feeling fancy, I’d spring for the Miller. I remember specifically being in a bar in college, ordering a Magic Hat #9, and being so surprised that it actually tasted good. I had no idea that beer could have flavor. I felt like I had been lied to my whole life. After that, I was trying all different styles of beer. Some of them I loved, and some of them hated.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I started as a homebrewer and then found the Brewing Science program at USciences in Philly. While in the program, I quit my soul-crushing corporate job to go work for Victory Brewing as the Hop Assistant, where my main responsibility was to weigh out all the whole flower hops for the brewhouse. I was able to turn the position into much more than that by spending as much time as possible helping in the brewhouse and learning as much as I could. At the same time, I was also interning at Root Down in Phoenixville as part of the USciences program, getting valuable hands-on experience. I was like a sponge, just trying to get as much experience and knowledge as I possibly could. I guess that tactic paid off, because I eventually moved up to the brewhouse at Victory, and then on to Stolen Sun as the head brewer.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

Dark beers. I love ‘em. I really like playing with the different malts and complementary flavors that go along with the sweeter beer styles. Coffee, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, raspberry, cherry, etc. I spend so most of my time brewing IPAs (which I do love, don’t get me wrong), so it’s fun when I get a chance to play with other flavors besides citrus and “juicy” hops.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

As a homebrewer, it was some IPA from a kit that my husband bought for me. I don’t remember much about it, other than it was disgusting. I ended up dumping almost the entire thing after convincing myself that it tasted like bleach (I had used bleach to sanitize a lot of my equipment and may have overdone it). But I was hooked. I knew I wanted to brew.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

I’m really hoping for a larger renaissance, but unfortunately, I’m not too optimistic about that. More realistically, I expect the industry to continue to push the limits of crazy ingredients we can put in beer with unicorn dust and hops that taste like Fruity Pebbles, the souls of our enemies.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

Fun. It’s a pretty supportive community, full of awesome people and lots of tradition. I can reach out to other brewers for help whenever I need it, and there’s always someone there to offer advice. I’m proud of the great beer that is being created in this state and proud to be a part of it.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

I’ve only named one beer here at Stolen Sun. If it were up to me, the names would be super simple. They would be something like West Coast IPA, Pale Ale, and Kolsch. It would be very boring. My one proposal to have a series of beers named after serial killers didn’t go over well. I guess people don’t want to order a Ted Bundy Brown Ale, an Ed Gein Gose, or a Gary Ridgway Rye. So it’s probably best that I’m not too involved in the beer names.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I’m a fairly seasonal beer drinker, so right now I’m drinking a lot of Oktoberfests before they disappear for another year. Traditional and not-so-traditional ones. I love a good Marzen, but I also equally enjoy the breweries that push the boundaries of the style and put forward a more hoppy beer.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

That the beer does not care about you or your life or what you had planned. The yeast doesn’t care about your scheduled release dates. The lauter doesn’t care that you have somewhere to be at 7:00. You have to be able to adapt on the fly and accept that a task you expected to take 45 minutes is now going to eat up 4 hours of your day. Once I stopped resisting that, my relationship with the beer became a lot more peaceful. I am the caretaker of the beer, and with that, comes great responsibility.

Thank you to Chris for talking with us! Make sure you visit Stolen Sun Brewing for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Stolen Sun on Facebook and Instagram.