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].

Dock Street Brewing Company opened in 1985 in Philadelphia, PA, in a 110-year-old converted firehouse. The brewery is known for its award-winning beers, flagship beers, and food. Mark Russell is the head brewer at Dock Street Brewing Company. Read more to find out his introduction to beer, important lessons he has learned so far, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I was first exposed to beer in the way I’m sure many people were – in high school surreptitiously drinking some terrible (likely out of code) macro swill that someone pilfered from their parents’ fridge. Needless to say, I wasn’t hooked. Fortunately, sometimes it’s nice to have older brothers, and by the time I was ready to revisit beer again, my brother was happy to help corrupt me. I have specific memories of some of the first craft beers I sat down and enjoyed, including Sierra Nevada Celebration, Dale’s Pale Ale, Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin, and Duck Rabbit Milk Stout. My interest developed quickly from there.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I brewed my first homebrew in college at Temple, which quickly developed into a twice a week habit that lasted about two years. During that time I joined the Philly Homebrew Club, and at a club event held at Dock Street West, I met the former head brewer, Vince DesRosiers. By that point, I knew I wanted to get into the industry and had spent a handful of days volunteering at a recently opened brewery in my hometown of York, but that was the extent of my “professional experience.” Vince took a risk on me, hiring me as a part-time assistant. Part-time be damned, I came in 5 days a week anyway for the experience of it. I became Dock Street’s head brewer about a year and a half later.

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

The very act of brewing feels creative to me, and it’s what I like most about this job. I get to create a tangible product that you can see, taste, smell, etc. A hard day’s work results in physical things. We definitely get the most reps brewing hoppy beers and it’s fun to switch up hop varieties, quantities, hopping schedules, etc, and see clear changes in the beers. But frankly, I feel the same way about malts, yeast, water chemistry, and even just general process/technique. Most recently decoction brewing has been a big interest, but again it’s just one part of the whole thing for me.

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

My first brew ever was an all-grain 1 gal homebrew kit from Brooklyn Brew Shop that was gifted to a friend of mine. Pretty sure it was an oatmeal stout, to which we added some bourbon-soaked oak chips and a couple of vanilla beans. It was fine. I learned how little I knew at that point and how interested in the process I immediately found myself. It kicked off a lot of reading, self-educating, and experimentation that drove me steadily into the industry.

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

I think the best parts of the industry will stay the same. To me, that’s small independent brewers making quality beers and serving them directly to the customer. I expect to see more breweries opening up multiple taprooms rather than focusing on distribution. I expect the best breweries to continue to focus on locality, consistency, and innovation.

On a broader and less optimistic note, there is a bubble that has to burst on the distribution side of things. Lots of small guys are competing for the same shelf space and tap lines and there are more options than ever before. This, coupled with the invisible hand of influence that huge beer corporations have on price point, perception, and distribution networks makes for an extremely competitive wholesale market. The economies of scale alone create a huge price gap, exacerbated by the fact that big guys go out of their way to make sure the customer doesn’t realize who is actually making the beer they’re buying. It’s not uncommon to see a tap list of “craft” beers where 90% of the beers on tap are just macro breweries using a different name or the craft beer section of a bottle shop mostly full of non-independent breweries’ beers.

Oh also – I expect more craft lagers. I’ve never seen as many American non-brewers interested in quality lagers as I have in the last couple of years. IPA isn’t going anywhere, but there is room for both!

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

Probably similar to what it’s like being a brewer in other states. Everyone in the industry is nice, everyone is always eager to lend a hand when asked. It’s really a pretty amazing community and I don’t know another industry like it.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

I have no good catch-all answer for this. In fact, plenty of our beers are just named after the style of the beer, like our Bohemian Pilsner, Amber Ale, Golden IPA, and Rye IPA for example. Other times it starts as an inside joke, or we brew a beer and then have to figure out a name, or conversely, we figure out a name and brew a beer inspired by it. I’m all for a good name, but ultimately my focus is on the liquid itself.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

Crispy lagers with plenty of hop character. We’re making an Italian Pilsner now and it’s pretty much all I drink.

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

No amount of floor drains is too many, I wish I had them in every room of my house.