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].
Animated Brewing Company opened in March of 2020 in Coatesville, PA, with a 7 barrel brewhouse. Jared Castaldi and Steve Orsborn are co-owners and brewers at Animated 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?
Jared: Well, we’re both from the Downingtown/Coatesville area, so Victory was definitely my first step into craft beer. I’ll always have room in my heart for Prima Pils. I also remember someone giving me a Founders Centennial Ale about 15 years ago and being completely confused and amazed by it at the same time.
Steve: It was most likely a Victory beer and most certainly brought to a party by our friend Andy who did our logo work.
How did you get started as a brewer?
Jared: It started for me in my kitchen about 10 years ago. It was a one-gallon batch of a horrible pale ale and it took like 9 hours to make. We still drank it though.
Steve: Home-brewing with my friend Matt Stone.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
Jared: IPA’s for sure but you can do some interesting things with the darker styles too. You just have to find that nice balance between those dark malts and your adjuncts. We’re not a fan of super dessert stouts and fruit purée beers so if we do anything with an added flavor, we tend to be pretty conservative on those additions.
Steve: IPA because of the many combinations of malts, hop, and yeast varieties that are acceptable to the style.
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
Jared: It was that one gallon batch of pale ale in my kitchen.. We learned that you can’t rush a brew and it’s gonna take a while (longer than you think it will). Also, we learned that brewing is actually just cleaning things all day every day.
Steve: A classic porter that later had cherries added and was iced.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
Jared: Hazy lagers! Hahaha, who’s know for sure though! Things are changing every day and you just have to pay attention to where things are going and try to stay ahead of the curve.
Steve: A swing back to clear beer.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
Jared: It’s kinda like a big family. We’re all in this together. I don’t think there’s a single brewery in PA that wouldn’t help you out with something if you asked. We also try to get out to say hi to other brewers when we get that rare day off.
Steve: It’s like being in a grunge band in Seattle in the 90s (there are a lot of us and the scene is very vibrant).
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
Jared: They’re mostly just song names or lyrics from bands we like. Others are inside jokes, like Beer #2.5. Our buddy Mike said we should just name all our beers Beer #1, Beer #2, Beer #3, etc etc. So we did that for our second brew.
Steve: Mostly influenced by bands that we listen to.
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
Jared: If it’s a lager or Pilsner, I’ll gravitate towards that. Mainstay Brewing has a great pils that I’ll grab if I see it at a shop.
Steve: Any good pilsner.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
Jared: Nothing is cheap. Everything is expensive.
Steve: Always look upstream and downstream before disconnecting hoses.
Thank you to Jared and Steve for talking with us! Make sure you visit Animated Brewing Company for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Animated Brewing on Facebook and Instagram!
