Earlier this month I wrote about a bar crawl that my family and I enjoyed (that post can be found here). The second stop on that crawl was the legendary Town Hall Brewery. I won't go into how much I enjoyed their beer and their space (I did enough of that in the bar crawl post). Rather, with this post, I want to share an email interview that Town Hall's brewmaster, Mike Hoops, graciously made the time to respond to.
Mike Hoops brewing career is intertwined with Minnesota - he was the first brewer at Fitger's Brewhouse in Duluth, Minnesota (Mike's brother Dave is the current brewmaster there), and he has been brewing beer at Town Hall for approximately 10 years. Both places are legendary in Minnesota beer circles for brewing great beer for some time now. Should you ever be in Minneapolis or Duluth, Minnesota, take the time to visit either or both places. You will not be disappointed.
In this interview Mike talks about homebrewing, Town Hall, and Minnesota beer. Enjoy!
Midwest Beer and Brewing (MBB) - I read in an interview
you did with mnbeer.com that you homebrewed in San Francisco with your brother Dave. How long did you
homebrew before you became a professional brewer?
Mike Hoops (MH) - Probably 5-6 years
MBB - Did someone introduce
you to homebrewing or did you come upon it on your own?
MH - It was introduced to
me on that trip to SF. Upon returning to MN I started homebrewing brewing with
some college buddies
MBB - Did you and your
brother Dave start homebrewing at the same time or did one of you introduce the
other to it?
MH - I believe that was the
first batch for both of us. I started homebrewing from that point on, Dave
started a few years later
MBB - Is there a beer style
that you enjoy brewing more than others?
MH - I really enjoy the
challenges of brewing all beers. I have noticed as of late I really have
gravitated to brewing lagers, brewing with honey, and of course playing with
all kinds of new hop varieties.
MBB - Do you recall the
first beer that you had that made you go ''wow that is good!!'?
MH - I spent a year at
University in the Midlands of the UK. I ran into a standard bitter there called
Brew 11 and also Sara Hughes Ruby Mild, it was one of those times. This was the
early 1990s
MBB - Before you considered
becoming a brewer, what did you do for a living?
MH - Line cook, restaurant
manager, construction, Alaskan fisherman just to name a few. I finished my
college education with training in GIS before landing in professional brewing.
(GIS = Geographic Information Systems)
MBB - If brewing beer was
not an option, what would you like to be doing?
MH - Probably a GIS guy or
a geography/history teacher
A few of the awards, in banner form, that Town Hall has won over the years
MBB - How long have you been brewing professionally?
MH - 15 years
MBB - In the aforementioned
interview with mnbeer.com,
you mentioned that you attended brewing school in the UK. What was it about the
UK that made you want to study there as opposed to UC Davis or Siebel (for
example)?
MH - I had lived there for
a year while in college and loved my time abroad. When formal brewing school
became an option I jumped at the chance. Further travel and learning a
different brewing tradition from the one I was brought up in grabbed my
attention. If I had it to over I think I would have done schooling at
Siebel/Davis first and then sought out further schooling in a different country
MBB - Where in the UK did
you attend brewing school?
MH - University of
Sunderland- Brewlab
MBB - How has 2012 been,
thus far, for Town Hall?
MH - Great! Further growth
in beer production as we continue to seek/find ways to get our beer to the
marketplace. Our sibling Tap house has been received very well and I would not
hesitate to suggest you may see another soon. The brewery has seen some
turnover which makes things challenging in a small brewery. Two of our keys guys
have moved on to other brewery endeavors we are happy to say. This gave us the
chance to bring in new brewers that brought a new set of talents
MBB - What are your thoughts
on the Minneapolis/Minnesota beer community? By 'community' I mean other
breweries, homebrewers, and beer fans.
MH - Beer fans have become
much more educated in ways of beer. New breweries dot the map, and homebrewing
is exploding in popularity. This is all super great and the community
grows with more people drinking MN made craft beer. I love it! At Town Hall we
have embraced that change/growth with commitment to beer quality. We have
invested in a small lab and education monies for our brewery staff to name a
few things. We feel this larger beer community is here to stay and it our duty
to provide the highest quality beer to it that we can.
MBB - How does
Minneapolis/Minnesota compare to other beer loving cities that you have
visited?
MH - You know, I have found
the growth in craft beer means great breweries and tap houses everywhere. When
I travel I can always find new "beer centric" places to visit. The
Metro as well as the state has turned into a place like most now that offer a
great number of places to visit
MBB - What is your favorite
part of your job?
MH - The creativity that
our customer base allows us
MBB - What do you enjoy the
most about the craft beer industry and its fans?
MH - Craft Beer is
surrounded by a welcoming passion. Name another industry like it, I can't.
MBB - Do you have any advice
for homebrewers looking to improve their skills/beer?
MH - Never over estimate
your abilities or under estimate the value of education
MBB - Do you have any advice
for the homebrewer that is considering becoming a professional brewer?
MH - Commit the time and
money for brewing school. If you can make it happen....you belong in the
professional brewing community
Many thanks to Mike Hoops for taking the time to answer my questions!! I greatly appreciate it!
Many thanks to Mike Hoops for taking the time to answer my questions!! I greatly appreciate it!
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