Matt Johnson
South Dakota, United States
¿Cómo entró en la industria cervecera? ¿Por qué le importa la cerveza?
After homebrewing for a few years, I decided to become a professional brewer in 1997. I quit my job and went to brew school. I got a job as a brewer right out of school and never looked back. I was lucky enough to brew through the meteoric rise of craft beer, and I’ve enjoyed it the entire way. I worked my way up from brewing at a few brewpubs to being the brewmaster of brewery operations at a mid-sized brewery in San Diego, producing 85,000 barrels a year at our peak. Along the way, I built eight small breweries and have been a member of the Hop Quality Group, a voting member of the Hop Research Council, a member of the MBAA National Technical Committee, and the BA Brewpub Committee.
This industry is very big yet very small and collaborative, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of it. I will continue to be part of this great group of brewers and collaborators.
¿Por qué participa como juez en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza? ¿Qué significa para usted ser jurado en la Copa Mundial de la Cerveza?
I became a judge for the simple reason that I wanted to learn more about beer styles and what it takes to brew them. Being able to taste and give opinions on beers for the World Beer Cup is a great learning experience. It also helps create friendships within our industry. Judging the WBC, one of the best beer competitions in the world, is an honor and a privilege for anyone. It’s a way to share my industry knowledge with other brewers and judges. I love it because it also allows me to continuously learn more about our industry and the trends happening within it.
