Meet Austin–
Aslan’s most senior brewer. For over 5 years, Austin has been working with Aslan to craft delicious and drinkable organic craft beer. Whether that means working with our 30-barrel system in the brewpub, or taking charge of the barrel projects down at the Depot– Austin has done it all.
“It sounds really cliche but I’ve wanted to be a brewer since I had my first craft beer” states Austin. “When I realized what beer could truly be, it sparked a passion in me that I couldn’t shake”. With that passion and drive, Austin spent his college years studying chemistry at University of Northern Colorado and immersing himself into the craft beer scene there.
Austin working with one of Aslan’s barrel projects
“My entire college career was structured around learning as much as I could about brewing and beer in general”, recalls Austin. “I spent my weekends trying as many different types of beer and different types of styles as my liver and budget would allow. I went to as many breweries as possible [and] talked to as many people that were more knowledgeable than I was.”
Austin doing something important
This passion and commitment to craft beer later led him to a quality control internship at New Belgium Brewing, where he spent 5 months learning about the scientific process of beer. “After that I spent 6 months at Two Beers Brewing in Seattle, where I helped stabilize and structure their quality control program. [However] after living in Seattle for 6 months, [I decided] I needed a change of pace … Now I’m here!”
Since the move, Austin has been cranking away on Aslan projects big and small. Some of Austin’s most recognized brews include the Chai Milk Stout, The Butler, Irish Coffee, Inside Voice, and Arcade Dreams. All of these, created by Austin of course.
More recently, Austin brewed a West Coast IPA known as “Inevitable”– a refreshing IPA featuring a pop of Hibiscus florals. The beer was brewed to celebrate him and his partner Kiersten’s 5 year anniversary and was released as a complete surprise to her! While the beer itself was a delight, we believe it’s the story behind Inevitable that made it so special–
“When my partner Kiersten and I began our journey in craft beer, she was working as a bartender at a local brewery. I wasn’t in the industry yet. She had an opportunity to brew a beer with the brewers and she decided on a Hibiscus and Rosehip IPA. It was amazing.”
“Then, we decided to brew a beer for our wedding in 2014. I designed the recipe and brewed it while we still lived in Colorado. After a few hiccups during fermentation, I was able to bottle it right before we moved to Washington, just 3 months before our wedding. We had to pack everything into a POD to move across the country, including the beer, which was still bottle conditioning. When we got to WA and tasted the beer, it was HORRIBLE. Unfortunately we weren’t able to serve any of our home-brewed beer at the wedding.”
“Five years later, I was given an opportunity to brew a beer for our anniversary. I combined the recipe from our wedding beer with Kiersten’s Hibiscus and Rosehip IPA to create Inevitable, a West Coast IPA with Hibiscus. I brewed that beer to be a surprise for Kiersten. It was one of the most fun, and most meaningful, projects I’ve been fortunate enough to create while at Aslan. Kiersten was completely shocked and touched.”
Inevitable IPA
This grand gesture perfectly encapsulates Austin as a human being. He is kind, thoughtful, empathetic, hard-working, and passionate. Sometimes while working he bears a furrowed brow– completely lost in concentration. However if you stop to bug him, he’ll be sure to greet you with a warm smile -or on particularly good days- an overly-enthusiastic cheesy grin.
Austin keeps things lighthearted and fun in his demeanor, whether that means sporting a new hairdo (from Mohawk to mullet to man-pony. We’ve really seen it all) or the Calvin and Hobbes themed “Let’s Go Exploring!” tattoo across his arm– when paired with his strong and focused work ethic, he is practically a walking paradox of work and play.
Austin is strange and wonderful in the best way, and part of what makes the Aslan family really feel like family. We are thankful for his expertise and knowledge in all things beer, and look forward to seeing what other kinds of projects he’s got brewing in the future.
Thank you Austin for being a valuable member of our team. Your Aslan family loves you!
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