Alehouse Heroes: Shane Welch, President and Brewmaster of Sixpoint

You know, this gig just gets better and better.  For this week's Alehouse Heroes, we have Shane Welch, the President, Brewmaster, and local genius behind Sixpoint.  Sixpoint brews out of Brooklyn, so of course they have my home-team support, but additionally they happen to be absolutely phenomenal.  Their Brownstone is roasty with chocolate tones, the Righteous Rye conjures up a delicious pastrami sandwich, their Deisel Stout is a toffee-lover's dream, and on and on.  My first experience with Sixpoint was at my last restaurant.  We were thinking of adding a Sixpoint to our tapline, and they sent a rep over to give us a tasting.  We were blown away and had a seriously rough time choosing only one.  (Editor's note: we picked Righteous Rye.  Seriously.  It's incredible.)  What was most impressive was how knowledgeable their rep was, and that he brought samples of the ingredients so that we could smell the hops, taste the rye, and see the quality that underlies each beer.  If you go to the Sixpoint website, this is how they roll.  They have in-depth coverage of their brewing process and ingredients there too.  It is this transparency, pride in craft, and superior bold flavors that make them a local favorite.  Hopefully, the rest of the country will enjoy their brews soon.  As for this article, Mr. Welch is incredibly thoughtful and kind with the newbie blogger.  Over the course of this fantastic interview, we talk about his company's penchant for transparency, brewing success, and why a 110 year old Bass can teach us about the future of craft.

T1D: What was the moment your love of beer and brewing came into focus?

SW: Probably the moment when I decided to drop out of school to become a brewer!  I was 20 years old, and at this point in time I was completely obsessed with making beer and reading every manual, textbook, magazine, and trade journal I could find on the subject.  However, I also had the nagging annoyance of my other schoolwork that was detracting me from what I believed to be my true calling.  When I quit school, it opened up so much more time to develop my craft.  During this period, I spent many hours experimenting and building different devices that really honed my technique as a craftsman.  I had so much fun even though I spent so much time alone.  It was like I was a kid again, playing with my G.I. Joes.

T1D: What in particular inspires your creations?

SW: Different pathways....sometimes through experimentation as a homebrewer, and in this sense, it is a little random, and a little intuitive.  Sometimes it is when I travel and I try some amazing flavor combination in foods or beverages that I consume during my journeys..I think to myself, "hey....I should try something like that."  Or sometimes I'm just kicking back a beer with my girlfriend while watching a movie, and the thought just pops into my head.  The best, however, is when the ideas arrive collaboratively, when I'm throwing ideas out with my staff - ideas born collectively are THE BEST.

T1D: We all know you rep BK.  For those around the country who haven't been to Brooklyn, and even we who have, what do you want us to learn or feel about Brooklyn when we drink a Sixpoint?

SW: Sixpoint is Brooklyn-centric by default; NOT by design.  Its where we brew, where we are from, where we were born.  I am going to try to distance myself from putting that presentation out there in future images/interfaces, etc. because now "Brooklyn" itself is being branded as some type of hipster hub by different publications.  I have mixed feelings about that. 

REPRESENTING Brooklyn is something different though...and we're proud to do that.  We want to give Brooklyn a good name.  The people here have been so generous and so supportive of our cause that we want to make them proud.  I want people to taste a Sixpoint and say, "Wow.  Amazing.  That stuff is made in BROOKLYN?  Man, I gotta go there!"

We're happy to do what we do in Brooklyn, but we're like a group of gypsies.  If a flood or fire or warship of Vikings sacked the harbor of New York, my staff and I would set up shop in another like-minded community on this planet...or even another planet....to provide our fellow people with beer.

T1D: Part of my focus is beer's blossoming relationship with fine food.  What kind of food, if any, do you have in mind when you are brewing?

SW: All food really - not just "fine food."  Simple, organic vegetables are elegant things, both in design and in nuance.  The same can be said for barley malt and hops.  I've gotten to know these plants very well over the past 10 years and I'm blown away by how blessed we are as a species to have "co-created" these along with mother nature.  With artificial selection over time, they are like finely tuned instruments, and we are musicians composing beautiful melodies.

T1D: Related to that, every Sixpoint is huge on flavor.  Why the emphasis on big and bold?

SW: Here is my answer to that:  I was at a beer tasting recently and we sampled a dozen or so beers among 15 people.  At the end of the tasting, someone busted out a 110 year old bottle of Bass Ale (yes, the red triangle ubiquitous Bass Ale from England).  We opened up the bottle and all had a sample, and it was pretty hoppy.  As a matter of fact, it was hoppier than a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  This is incredible considering hop flavor in beer diminishes to almost nothing in about 10 years.  Which leads me to believe that when this beer was fresh, it must have been a killer.

Therefore, you say our beers are all super bold and big on flavor, but in our eyes, we are just merely brewing the way it was done back in the day - when it was a CRAFT and not such an INDUSTRY.  Our tastebuds for beer as Americans had been dumbed down so much by an oligarchy which controlled over 90% of the market until very recently.  Now we bring it back to the way it was.

T1D: Another focus I have is entrepreneurship.  What are some tips for home brewers looking to expand or small brewers looking to stay competitive?

SW: Three solid tips:

1) Always remember your roots
2) Stay relevant by having a constant, open dialogue with your customers
3) OVER-REACHING is the kiss of death.  Be content with conservatism, even if it is not in your nature.

T1D: On your website you provide a comprehensive tour of your brewing process.  Is this just something you prefer to do, or do you feel that this is necessary for the consumer?

SW: Well, what do you see when you visit most company's websites?  Often it is a bunch of propaganda and reasons why the company is so great and has such a storied history and should be revered.  What about the product?  How many companies can intimately break down the details of their product in an engaging and informative manner?  If people are buying your product, on some level they are endorsing your choices as a producer.  Therefore, it is not necessary for the consumer to have this information, but it most certainly enhances the experience.  I want our customers to know that we delve into the subtleties of the brewing process, and we are dedicated craftsmen.  I also believe there is a core fraction of the populace that really gets off on this type of material, and we are happy to provide that to them. 

T1D: Lastly, I don't want to cook the beef, but how do you get along with the folks over at Brooklyn Brewery?

SW: We get along fine, and I would like to continue to grow our relationship in the future.  I have tremendous respect for Steve Hindy, Garret Oliver and the rest of the staff over there.  They took big risks back in the day and overcame a lot of odds to pave the way for people like us.  In that sense, we are standing on their shoulders in the crowd.

Garret is really one of my favorite persons.  He has to EASILY be one of the most colorful characters in the brewing industry, and believe me, there are A LOT of dynamic and eccentric people in this industry!  He has such passion and flair for what he does; it is practically infectious.  And he is very generous with his time in educating others, and for these reasons and many others, I believe they are a blessed family over at Brooklyn Brewery.