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THE MEAL TICKET INTERVIEW: Gordon Grubb, Brewmaster, Nodding Head
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
THE MEAL TICKET INTERVIEW: Gordon Grubb, Brewmaster, Nodding Head
STATS
Full Name: Gordon Gregory Grubb III (lots of creativity in my family!)
Age: 41
Hometown: I live in Philly now, but I grew up in Fairview Village between Norristown and Collegeville.
How long have you been at Nodding Head: Since July 1, 2003.
Meal Ticket: So how fun is it to wear this fetching cargo-shorts-and-rubber-boots combo every day? I bet the girls love it.
Gordon Grubb: The rubber boots are shockingly popular, and by shockingly, I mean at all. I would say the rubber boot preference occurs in at least 2 percent of women.
MT: What are we brewing here today?
GG: We have a batch of Grog, which is a southern English-style brown ale. It's also our best-selling beer year-round. [Ed: Grog won City Paper's 2007 Beeramid competition. Incidentally, Gordon has to keep Nodding Head co-owner and publican-about-town Fergus "Fergie" Carey supplied with it or he becomes cranky.] Grog is brewed with Maris Otter malt, a base malt that is darker than pilsner malt; a bit of brown malt; a bit of torrefied wheat for head retention; and a little very dark chocolate malt. It has a single bittering addition of hops early in the boil.
MT: How did you learn to brew?
GG: Learn to brew? In reality, right here [at Nodding Head]. I did take the American Brewer's Course, which is six months online, and then an internship. They throw a lot of science at you. When I started on my first day as assistant brewer at Nodding Head and took a look at all of these valves, I realized I didn't know a fucking thing! Look at all these valves! Andrew Greenwood was the head brewer when I started, and he's a master. [Yards Brewing Co. owner Tom] Kehoe and I call him "Science Boy."
MT: What did you do before you learned to brew?
GG: I was restoring antiques, and that was cool. Met a lot of cool people, traveled to a lot of cool places, made good money. I was working on this huge dining set project � table, chairs, sideboard � stripping and staining everything with a friend helping. My friend's neighbor came walking in to this stink of stain, and he says, "I smell tumors!" And that was NOT FUNNY � these are MY tumors! Meanwhile, I got a homebrew kit for Christmas, and was really enjoying the learning process as much as the beer. Since the American Brewer's Course is online and I could still work while I did it, I figured what the hell.
MT: Of your own beers, what are your favorites?
GG: I'm usually drinking what's new, or our Berlinerweisse or BPA (Bill Payer Ale). When I got here, Curt [Decker, co-owner of Nodding Head] said they were hoping to save the Berlinerweisse style. This year at the Great American Beer Fest (GABF), there were a lot of people doing Berliner. So, success.
MT: What are your favorite beers that you don't make?
GG: I've been drinking Sly Fox Pikeland Pils all summer for the ballgames, so it just tastes like baseball to me. Russian River Blind Pig IPA is great. A lot of the local guys are doing great stuff. It's no accident that I knew a lot of the guys walking across the stage in Denver [at the GABF]. Iron Hill, Troegs � the beers that Troegs doesn't get as much attention for, like Rugged Trail Brown Ale, are rock solid and very tasty.
MT: What was it like to win a sliver medal for your saison at GABF?
GG: Well, it's cool, but you don't do it for medals. Of course the first thing I thought was, who beat me!? It was Chris LaPierre [from Iron Hill West Chester]. At least it was one of my friends.
MT: What advice do you have to someone who is considering brewing as a career?
GG: Find someone who needs free help to see if you like it. You're not going to get rich brewing.
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