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].

Funk Brewing Company opened up in February 2014, in Emmaus, PA. Funk has since expanded with a second location in Elizabethtown in late 2015. Scott Adams is the head brewer at Funk Brewing. Read on to see how he got started in craft beer, the first beer he every brewed, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

A friend of mine worked at Shangy’s right around the time I turned 21. I hated beer at the time because to me beer meant Coors Light and Yuengling Lager or whatever else we would steal from our parents. Even after being introduced to some IPAs, Imperial Stouts and Barleywines I wasn’t really hooked until I tried La Trappe Dubbel. I bought a case on my friends recommendation right after my 21st birthday. We went for a hike that night in the middle of a snow storm and put a few bottles in the snow on the way up the mountain and on the way down we sat down and each cracked a bottle. I was hooked at that first sip. It’s like when you have a very vivid image in your mind about what an unknown place or person will look like and upon seeing it for the first time it does’t look anything like you imagined it would. This was the opposite. This is what I always thought beer would taste like.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I started home brewing shortly after being exposed to great beer. It took a few years until I got pretty good at it. I started bartending at bars known for their beer selection and eventually became a buyer and curator for a beer only bar with a selection of over 400 constantly changing beers. I pretty much sampled any style of beer you could imagine and continued to home-brew regularly. I made some great friendships with brewers, amateur and professional over the years and really ran with the idea of being a beer professional. When I came to Funk I actually started as a part-time bartender and jumped at an opportunity when a part-time brewery position opened up. In 3 months I was full-time and about a year and half later I was head brewer.

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

I’m not really sure any one style or styles lock you into a box or allow to be more creative than the next. There is always room for interpretation and my opinion the creativity is more behind the scenes than most people realize. Processes and problem solving are where I think really great and innovative brewers thrive as opposed to throwing gummy bears in the mash or other such frivolities. Not that that can’t be fun and creative; but does wearing a silly hat make you unique or are you just wearing a silly hat?

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

The first beer I brewed was very poorly done Imperial Stout I made in my parents’ kitchen with an extract kit. It was terrible. I picked a bunch of wild raspberries and crushed them up and threw them in to see if that would save it. It did not. I definitely learned that I needed to learn a lot more and be willing to make more bad beer before I got results I was happy with.

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

Honestly if I knew I wouldn’t tell you! That’s the billion dollar question that no one seems to know the answer to but there is room for all kinds of business models and directions. I just hope I get to keep making beer in my hometown.

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

There are just so many breweries in Pennsylvania that it you kind of get anything you want out of it from the production or consumption side. Pennsylvania and especially the Philadelphia area have always been great places to find good beer. The recent distribution law changes and tasting room boom haven’t really changed that as much as they have shifted the experience for the consumer away from a bar setting into a much more family friendly community gathering place.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Haha. I have no idea.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

Imperial stouts.

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

Don’t drink too much beer. Get plenty of sleep and exercise. Eat healthy and hydrate. This is hard work. Stay humble. If you want to do it for a long time you need to take care of yourself.

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