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].

Chestnut Hill Brewing Company first opened in January of 2017 at 8231 Germantown Ave in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. Opening at first with a small space at the Market at the Fareway, the brewery expanded in September of 2019 with a 1,800 sq/ft taproom in the space adjacent to their brewing operations. The brewery operates a 5BBL brewhouse with 10 beers on tap. For food, they offer 11 different styles of wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, some small bites, and also vegan-friendly pub fare.

What was your introduction to craft beer?

I’m from Minnesota and Summit EPA, which I discovered about 15 years ago, was my first introduction to craft beer. I like that it was a perfect balance between bitterness, maltiness, and floral. It opened up my eyes to what beer could be. I was used to drinking domestic light beer and this discovery changed my world.

How did you get started as a brewer?

My youngest brother got a stovetop extract beer kit from Northern Brewer, a homebrew supply shop in Minnesota. It inspired me to start homebrewing 5-gallon batches on my stovetop. I first tried to recreate the Summit EPA and see how close I could get it. I fell in love with the process and creativity and then I moved to make 5-gallon all-grain batches, brewing every spare chance I could. Eventually, I upgraded to 10-gallon batches, experimenting more with IPA’s, because I loved west coast IPA’s. Firestone Walker’s Union Jack IPA and Stone IPA were two of my main inspirations. I watched Brewing TV, a YouTube series sponsored by Northern Brewer. I learned all about the history of brewing and about different techniques. My passion grew the more and more that I learned. Books that inspired me were, “How to Brew” by John Palmer and “Brewing Up a Business” by Sam Calagione.

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

I have played around with making Stouts the most. I have made different stouts including some with coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and toasted coconut. I have also barrel-aged it and have experimented with different malts to bring out a variety of flavors. It’s a style that has a large range of possibilities.

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

As mentioned above, I first brewed a Summit EPA extract kit from Northern Brewer. I learned that brewing can be as easy as making pasta and as complicated as biochemistry; it just depends on how much control you want.

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

I see a big trend towards lower ABV beer, below 3%. I think the next generation of drinkers are going to trend towards healthier options such as lower ABV beer and hard kombucha. I still don’t see the industry trending far from IPA’s being a big share of the market. I would love to see the classics such as pilsners and other delicate beers grow in popularity.

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

It’s awesome being part of Breweries in PA, which has been a very supportive organization. PA drinkers have a great love for craft beer and it inspires me to keep producing great beer. I like being surrounded by a variety of breweries with talented brewers, which I can visit when I have a moment to get away. I’m excited about the new flash-freezing technology for wet hops, which allows me to brew a wet-hopped beer, which I wouldn’t otherwise be able to do on the East Coast.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

My everyday life and how I am feeling in that moment. Our team helps us come up with names and when my wife and I are bantering, if there’s a good one-liner, we add it to a list of possible names. Sometimes the names describe the beer, such as Motra, which is our flagship IPA, and I use equal parts Mosaic and Citra… get it? Double Double Birthday came from an interaction with a team member who came in to celebrate on his birthday. We have a dog theme so some names are inspired by our goofy Newfies.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I like to drink our Space Drip, which is currently on tap. It’s our wet-hopped IPA and won’t be on tap long!

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

Leave room for expansion. We oversized our chiller when we first opened and it’s a good thing we did that! However, we didn’t really leave a lot of room to add fermentation tanks or brite tanks and it has made operations a little more challenging as you can see when you visit us; we’re a little spread out.