Hart & Thistle

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Q & A with Atlantic Canada’s Rock Star Brewer Greg Nash

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-02-28
Posted in: Profiles. Tagged: Greg Nash, Hart & Thistle, Nash, RockBottom Brewpub. 3 comments

Photo credit goes to Andrew Murphy

Without a doubt, the most interesting person you’ll come across on the Atlantic Canada beer scene is brewer extraordinaire Greg Nash.  The man simply known as “Nash” has been described as “some sort of demi-god” and as a “hop genius” with “a national reputation for uncompromising, assertive, slap-you-in-the-face hoppy beer — he loves his hops and it shows”.

Nash and I have exchanged emails in order to complete the following Q & A:

Atlantic Canada Beer Blogger (ACBB): Tell me about yourself .

Greg Nash (Nash): I was born and raised outside Amherst NS in a little place called Nappan, we had a cattle farm down the road with a few other critters which were eventually replaced with Christmas trees and blueberries. I worked through a few professions before discovering the passion of great beer and brewing. That led me to working on craft brewery installations in the New England States during the early ’90s. I was really intrigued at this point so I set off to the American Brewer’s Guild for my formal training. After graduation and several years of brewing abroad I moved to Halifax and still call it home.

The American Brewers Guild (now based out of Vermont) was a fabulous experience no matter how you look at it! Sunny California, a ton of hard work and a ton of great beer and fun. The instructors and management were incredible, the President is still my go-to guy whenever I’m stumped with anything beer related.

ACBB: What breweries have you worked at over the years?

Nash:  I apprenticed in three breweries in the Sacramento, Ca area (‘The Rubicon’, ‘Sunrise At The Oasis’ and ‘Sacramento Brewing Co.’) before moving to Green Bay for a couple years to work at a small microbrewery with a pub attached: Egan Brewing Company.  I made it to Lambeau Field a few times. The owner of the brewery held multiple season passes and I was lucky to get the leftovers! The games were amazing as is the city particularly on game day, a city-wide tailgate party ensues.

I also worked at the River City Brewing Company in  Winnipeg Manitoba, before moving to John Shippey’s Brewery in  Halifax, followed by Propeller, Garrison, Pump House, the Hart &  Thistle, Rockbottom Brewpub also did stints at ‘The Queen Molly’ in Yarmouth (now Rudders) as well as a few others as consultant for staff training, brewing technique, recipe formulation etc.

ACBB: You’re a member of what beer related groups / associations?

Nash:  I’m a member of several home-brewing clubs including the local Brewnosers. I’m also a member of the Brewer’s Association and the American Brewer’s Guild.

ACBB: How do you juggle your time as Brewmaster between Hart & Thistle and Rockbottom Brewpub?  Do you know of anyone else who is Brewmaster at two different microbreweries?

Nash: There has to be other brewers out there working for more than one brewery, how they handle is a good question! So far it’s been fairly easy to manage but summer is approaching, I have been training a couple local brewers to step in and help with the workload on the soon-to-be busy waterfront. Working weekends is getting old quick!

ACBB: What are your future plans for your brews / career ?

Nash:  My only plans are to keep on brewing good beer covering all the flaws with hops for as long as I can! 0_o

‘Day of Wreckoning’ is fast approaching which is the release of our Imperial Stout at Rockbottom Brewpub on March 8th at 5:00 PM. I’m sure there will be more fun beers and collaborations at some point in the not-so-distant future.

ACBB:  How do you come up with your ideas for new beers?

Nash:  I draw a ton of inspiration from the home-brewing community, once a homebrewer always a homebrewer! There’s a ton of online resources to peruse as well but when I want to brew something different with herbs, spices, fruits or other odd ingredients I think of how the flavours interact more from a food standpoint. Most people don’t think of Brewers as Chefs but really that’s what we do: we’re liquid Chefs.

ACBB:  Are you planning on being at any beer festivals / conferences this year?

Nash:  I will but I’m still on the fence as to which ones!

ACBB:  How many different brews would you say you’ve brewed professionally and as an amateur?

Nash:  As a homebrewer with a ton of thirsty friends in rural Nova Scotia I logged close to 600 batches before I finally packed up to head to brewing school. Since then I brewed somewhere around 1000 – 1100 batches professionally. As for how many different styles of beer I have made, I’m not sure really. There’s 30 or more style categories, I’m sure I’ve hit most of them and several of their sub-categories over the years.

ACBB: Are there any awards you wanted to mention regarding your brews?

Nash:  Awards can be rewarding and I have won several but at the end of the day the real reward and satisfaction is in watching people enjoy the product, they are effectively voting with their wallet.

ACBB: What do you like to do in your spare time?

Nash:  Currently most of my time is spent working in one way or another but when I have spare time I relax with the culinary arts. I cook, often, usually with beer or hops infused somehow. Charcuterie, coffee roasting, espresso making, BBQ. Mmmmmm. Okay ya got me, I love food. And beer.

Interview with Greg Nash – Hart & Thistle – Halifax, NS (TCB)

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-01-25
Posted in: Profiles. Tagged: Canada Brewery Tour, Greg Nash, Halifax Beer, Hart & Thistle, Nova Scotia Beer, True Canadian Beers. Leave a Comment

Check out this entertaining video interview with Greg Nash from Hart & Thistle (when he’s not working at Rockbottom Brewpub) from the True Canadian Beers website to find out:

  • How under-aged Nash was when he started brewing.
  • What a “real” brewery is.
  • Where he had his first job out of brewing school (the city has celebrated more NFL championships that any other team).
  • How likely he is to move back to Western Canada.
  • How the major breweries are helping the microbreweries.
  • How the demographics of microbrewery drinkers is changing.

Looking for Great Beer Tasting Notes? Check out the PEI Beer Guy

Posted by AtlCan BeerBlog on 2012-01-20
Posted in: Profiles. Tagged: BarNone Brewing, Gahan House (Charlottetown), Garrison Brewing, Hart & Thistle, PEI Beer Guy, PEI Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Pump House Brewery, Sea Level Brewing. 2 comments

One of the first beer related sites I discovered while doing some research for this blog was the PEI Beer Guy blog.  In it, the PEI Beer Guy writes a variety of beer reviews and provides updates on news related to the PEI beer scene.  His reviews are  concise, very well written and cover off a great variety of beers.  He has quite a collection of beers in his cellar, and it is constantly growing.

Not surprisingly, I’d like to highlight his Atlantic Canadian reviews.  Here they are:

Gahan 1772 IPA, Gahan Iron Horse Brown Ale, Pump House Scotch Ale, Gahan Pumpkin Beer, Barnone (PEI’s in development new brewery) sampled beers, Propeller IPA, Sea Level Planters Pale Ale, Hart & Thistle’s Hop Mess Monster 2.0, Garrison Pils, Garrison Raspberry Wheat Ale, Sea Level High Street Wee Heavy Scotch Ale, Pump House Brewery,  Sea Level Rojo Mojo Red Ale, Propeller Revolution Rusian Imperial Stout, Garrison Spruce Beer, Hart & Thistle, Garrison Black IPA, Pump House Cadian Cream Ale, Garrison Oktoberfest Brau, Garrison 3 Fields Harvest Ale, Garrison Harvey’s Bitter and Garrison Blackberry Wheat.

Another link from the site that I think most readers of this blog would enjoy is the “I am a Craft Beer Drinker” video.

I’ve traded emails with the PEI Beer Guy in order to complete the following Q & A.  Here’s the interview:

Atlantic Canada Beer Blogger (ACBB): Tell me about your blog.

PEI Beer Guy (PEI): Almost two years ago, I started wondering why I was only submitting beer reviews and other content to BeerAdvocate. I wanted to own my content rather than just putting everything into someone else’s hands. I thought I could also use this information (and how I kept / presented it) as a way to popularize better brews in my own province. Things have gotten a bit better since I started the blog, but, compared to other places, beer selection (and overall culture) is way behind on PEI. I wanted people to see what variety was out there – what flavours could be had… that beer wasn’t just something you pounded back to get a buzz. My hope was that, in even a tiny way, I could help spread the good-beer word here. 

ACBB: How did you develop your interest and knowledge of beer?
PEI:  Practice, practice, practice! Once I found and started to sample some different, off-Island brews, I was hooked. Anything different I could get my hands on was (and still is, good or bad) a good experience. Sites like BeerAdvocate or RateBeer helped to pinpoint new flavours and learn about the roles things like different hops, malts, and yeasts played. I also visited the odd blog. Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher was a favourite read and reference source. Also, meeting other beer fans (some who home-brewed) helped to expand whatever knowledge I had / have. My knowledge base is always growing. 
ACBB: How does an Islander, cut off from good selection, get access to such a wide variety of beer?
PEI: In a few cases, since I started the site, I have been given samples (which I always love). In a couple of cases, some good beer Samaritans have brought me things (in a trade or just things they picked up for me) when coming to the Island. For the most part, though, what beers I have found I have found in stores on the mainland. Halifax, in particular, has a few specialty stores I go to when I’m there.
ACBB: What are some of your all time favourite beers?
PEI: That’s a tough question, given all the different styles. One of my first favourites was Innis & Gunn’s Original oak-aged beer. Lagunitas’ Hop Stoopid gave me my hop epiphany. Some of my other sentimental favourites include the Red Racer IPA, Rochefort 10, and Houblon Chouffe. There is also a special place in my liver for Greg Nash’s Hop Mess Monster 2.0.
ACBB: What is the best time to sample a new beer?  Do you have any particular habits during your tastings?
PEI: I don’t find I have any one time – any free window of time that I can sit and enjoy something for 30 – 60 minutes is great (usually later in the evening). I do enjoy sharing a brew with fellow beer enthusiasts (at a pub or a tasting event), though. For my own blog-bound tastings at home, I generally pick a beer from my collection, get a camera, get a glass, pour, take a few pics, take some notes, and enjoy it – preferably by the fireplace in the basement… preferably with a hockey game on. 
ACBB: Do you have any interesting or unusual experiences related to your blog or beer tastings?
PEI: I haven’t had anything really unusual happen yet. I’m always interested in seeing who follows my site (and what brings them there), the comments that get left, things like that. I like the interactions and the kind things some folks say. I’ve had a few brewers (and I mean few) contact me and send me some brews to review (I review and post anything I receive). That’s always a bit of a buzz, no matter who it is. 
ACBB:  How would you like to see the Atlantic Canada Beer scene improve?
PEI: I wish rules made it easier to make and get good brews. For example, PEI has a law that limits brewers to only brewing beers up to 6.5%. I also wish shipping across borders was easier and cheaper.  I’d like to see more Atlantic brews available in all provinces (Propeller, Yellowbelly, etc. on PEI), but it often makes no sense – Garrison, for example, makes less money on every beer they sell in PEI – it’s why Picaroon’s won’t come here.
ACBB: What are your beer related plans for 2012?
PEI: I don’t have a set amount of things to do this year, but a few that are within reach over the next couple of years are:
  • Go to an off-island beer festival like the Seaport Beer Fest in Halifax
  • Go to New England to do the Maine Beer Trail or just do my own brewery visits in a few states
  • Make my own partial or all-grain brew
  • Make more contacts with breweries & other beer fans
  • Finally try some Westvleteren (should be soon, thanks to a helpful Belgian)
  • Continue to popularize and help develop the local beer scene in any way I can, however small

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I’ve added a RSS feed at the bottom right hand corner of my blog to highlight the PEI Beer Guy’s recent entries on an ongoing basis.  RSS feeds have also recently been added for the Great Canadian Beer Blog and Canadian Beer News as well.