By David MacDonald T racey, I understand from the research notes that Darryn provided us with that you and your husband first met when you were studying biology as an undergraduate at the University of British Columbia and he was getting his Ph.D. I’ve got to ask: How did a nuclear physicist become a Brewmaster? TL: After Bart completed his Ph.D. in nuclear physics, he quickly realized that employment for him would require relocating to Eastern Canada or the U.S.A. As well, these would likely be short 2 year positions. We were not interested in this nomadic lifestyle. We were both raised in British Columbia and are avid skiers, mountain bikers, and hikers. Although our careers were important to us, we also wanted to live in a community in which we could enjoy outdoor activities when not working. Bart was raised in Revelstoke, so we decided to move there. Unfortunately the demand for nuclear physicists in Revelstoke was zero, so we had to be creative in figuring out what we could do for employment. Bart was a homebrewer and we decided to take his hobby and turn it into a career – like we always say, “Make beer, not war. When we started in 1996 there were less than twenty microbreweries in B.C. Today, there are over 175. DS: Bart had started home brewing when he was a universi- ty student so that he could have cheap beer. He quickly became dissatisfied with the product produced by the stove top kits as they lacked flavour and character. Being the true scientist he began experimenting by altering the ingredients in those kits and sourcing our real ingredi- ents. Early on he was known for producing great beer. TL: And that’s when he went to Chicago to start taking brewing courses because he couldn’t get that in Canada at the time. Now, of course, every province has one or two uni- versities that offer it but back then that’s what he did – he went to Chicago. It was really extreme dedication because he went to school in Chicago in January! What was Canada’s 2017 Brewery of the Year like in the beginning compared to now? TL: We’ve had three locations over our 22 year career. The first two were renovated warehouse spaces not entirely suited for a brewery. This third – and hopefully last location – was custom designed for our business and our needs. The production area is spacious, clean, and filled with natural light – it’s a nice place for our workers to make beer. The number of staff doubled because we had to hire chefs and servers and bartenders but I finally got the retail area and tasting room of my dreams! Our brewery is located above the city of Revelstoke, so from the tasting room we have a beautiful view of the valley and mountains and the occasional bear that meanders by. The
“Bart has a Ph.D. in nuclear physics, but he prefers to make beer and not war.”
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FEBRUARY 2018 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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