When we opened our second brewery we had hired an ambitious brewer to fill all those shiny new tanks with great beer but we still desperately needed someone to guard the hygiene of that massive new place. While we looked for a perfect candidate, a young Spanish home brewing molecular biologist looked for some money to buy some extra time to finish his PhD dissertation. Julian wrote an application in awful, rudimentary Dutch and was instantly offered a full brewer position.
We never regretted this impulsive signing. Julian is the analytical mastermind controlling every aspect related to the living organisms that could ruin the taste of our beers. He prevents infections, controls CO2 levels, cuddles our yeast, ensures the highest possible level of hygiene and tackles a whole range of other production problems that require a sound, scientist’s mind.
Though he has a great record when it comes to brewing thousands of litres of our beloved beers, he has a soft spot for microscale processes that form part of his job too. The “more crafty” and, as he calls it, “taste driven” aspect of developing new, experimental brews is what he enjoys most. This little passion resulted in our most experimental beer to date, the Himbeer, of which he was one of the architects. Since he gets such a great kick out of the unpredictable process of developing a sour beer like this Berliner Weisse, and does it so well, there will be more such experiments in the future.
In the meantime, Julian is very happy to divide his time between the bustle of the brewery and the seclusion of his lab. Guilty pleasure: buying more fancy equipment for this personal little kingdom.
