We’ve got BIG brew news to share with you! There has been some buzz on Twitter and the rumors are true: we have a new and fresh brewing team that we want to introduce you to…
Eric Mitchell
Eric, our new head brewer came to us from Alabama this past summer. He shared in owner Kurt Hogan’s interest to switch up our brewing style and schedule; together they decided to brew weekly small batch releases. This concept quickly became our “Not So Small Batch” weekly release, which you can find on our calendar every Monday afternoon at 4 pm. The goal for the NSSB releases is to spice up our beer selection while also creating a weekly event in honor of Charlotte craft beer.
Eric has brewed about 20 beers on the Bluto 555 (a BCS controlled brew system which consists of 5 55 gallon Blichmann kettles), including the DZL/Double IPA (in honor of 106.5 The End’s radio DJ DZL), the Cascadian Dark Ale, the Dark English Mild, a Saison and a Belgian Ale to name a few; all of which have been extremely successful and popular on the HB taps.
I recently sat down with Eric to get an idea of his experience and inspiration. He let me pick his brain and we had a great conversation about beer, the pilot system and his future as a professional brewer. Eric has been brewing for about 4 years. He began to homebrew under the mentorship and supervision of a fairly decorated home brewer, Attorney John Little, a hardcore purist. Eric has been brewing the NSSB’s on the Bluto 555, a system his mentor actually built.
Here are some tidbits from our interview:
Me: “What’s the hardest part about brewing?”
Eric: “Cleaning. Brewing is 90% cleaning.”
Me: “What’s the easiest part?”
Eric: “That doesn’t exist. Next question. Just playing, but obviously the recipe formulation stage is the part I enjoy the most, followed by the actual process of brewing”
Me: “What’s your favorite brewery…other than Heist of course?”
Eric: “That’s tough but I would say my top 5 are Westbrook, Oskar Blues, Evil Twin, The Bruery, and Brooklyn Brewery.”
Me: “Why?”
Eric: “’Garrett Oliver’ (Head Brewer for Brooklyn Brewery) has been in the business for so long and his books have been instrumental to my growth as a brewer.”
Me: “What other resources have you tapped into to continue learning?”
Eric: “I read a lot of books.”
Me: “What are your ‘Go-To’ books on brewing?”
Eric: “Brewing Classic Styles by Jamil Zainasheff and John Palmer, How to Brew by John Palmer, and Brew Like a Monk by Stan Hieronymus
Me: “What’s your favorite style of beer?”
Eric: “That’s like asking a parent which child is his favorite (haha). I am fascinated by Trappist Monks; but in general anything Belgian. It’s funny how your palette changes though, beers that used to turn me off are now of the biggest interest.”
Me: “Tell me about your brewing goals…”
Eric: “I would love to win a gold GABF (Great American Brew Fest) award in a traditional category.”
When asked what one thing does he want our guests to know about his beers, he says, “Those Germans forgot one ingredient when establishing the Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) and that is Love, the fifth ingredient.” Even in writing this I realize it may sound trite BUT… it’s true. He truly enjoys the whole brewing process and says the best part is having someone drink his beer.
Josh Johnson
The newest addition to our brewing team is Josh Johnson! We recently acquired Josh from Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta, Georgia. Josh comes to us with 4 year of brewing experience; ready to take on the Not So Small Batch Monday releases in addition to assisting Eric in the main brewhaus.
When asked how he got into brewing beer, Josh says he stumbled upon a home brewing kit in his dad’s basement; since he has always taken interest in culinary creations, he thought to try it out. While he’s always been an aficionado of craft beer, his interest grew while brewing, learning from other brewers and reading blogs like “Homebrew Talk.”
His main goal at Heist is to brew a plethora of different styles of beer. He really wants to try new types, like pepper beers and smash beers (single malt/single hop). His interest in craft beer lies with the most unique brews; his favorite beers made by Cigar City and Odell’s. His goal is to make beers, or “savory cold snacks,” as he refers to them that are distinctive. His goal is to think outside the box with our Not So Small Batch releases and bring new flavors our guests have never tasted.
(I didn’t press Josh for too long of an interview, since he just arrived to Charlotte and has a lot of hard work ahead of him… but there’s more to come!)
It goes without saying how elated we are to have these two fine brewers on the Heist team. The brewing changes at Heist are a representation of who we are and who we want to be. We want to change, we want to grow and we want to be different; we want to challenge ourselves as well as others in the Charlotte craft beer industry. Overall, we want to brew great beer. So come and see us… and let us pour you a pint.
Heist Brewery 