Jonathan Moxey

5.12.17

How many years have you been professionally brewing?

I’ve been brewing for four years.

Did you brew anywhere else, and if so, where and when?

I started off with a monthlong internship with the Schlafly Taproom before I came to Perennial.

How did you get your start in the beer industry?

I started homebrewing when my wife and I were living in NYC. I realized early on that this was it for me and started doing everything I could to create a résumé out of whole cloth. I met Dan Kopman and Tom Schlafly at a Schlafly event in New Jersey and talked their ears off. Dan later offered me an internship at Schlafly when I moved back to Missouri. I’d also met Phil in New York and started a more long-term connection.

What is your favorite part of the brewing process?

I love the development process. Taking an idea, putting it on paper, then working to create it.

What’s the best beer festival you’ve ever attended and what made it so awesome?

My favorite festival to attend and participate in is Brewery Ommegang’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. They hold it every August on the old hop fields surrounding the brewery in upstate New York. It’s gorgeous, there’s a ton of great beer, live music, bonfires, fireworks, outdoor movies, and whatever else they’ve come up with to fit that year’s pop culture theme. And the best part is, you camp right there, and the really party starts after the festival ends.

What does your significant other/family think of your career choice?

They’re incredibly supportive. I couldn’t have made the transition without them, especially my wife, Lauren. They love to see me doing what makes me happy.

What does your day-to-day look like? What are you doing and overseeing?

No two days are alike. Outside of production, I’m in charge of quality at the brewery, so I’m working with Johanna, who heads our QC lab, to make sure we’re putting out the best beer possible. I’m also doing recipe development, and I do a fair amount of writing for labels, newsletters, etc. When I’m not at the brewery, I’m repping Perennial at events and dinners, which is great work if you can get it.

Did you or do you have a mentor in the industry that you learned a lot from and respect?

I learned a ton at Perennial under Phil and Cory, even now as Cory is over at Side Project. I’ve also been very fortunate to pick up a lot from other brewers along the way through travels and collaborations.

Do you have a favorite beer style?

I’m fascinated by Belgian saisons and some of the American interpretations.

What have been some of your favorite styles to brew? Anything you created that you are especially proud of?

Saisons and beers with mixed fermentations. My favorite beer that I’ve created so far is Anniversaria, which is a 100% Brettanomyces-fermented Belgian-style pale ale done in our solera system. We release it every year for our anniversary. I’m also excited about Working Title, which is a dry-hopped, Brettanomyces-conditioned ale that will be coming out later this spring.

What’s the strangest ingredient you’ve ever brewed with?

Probably combinations of herbs and fruits for some of our cocktail-inspired beers. That might not be incredibly exciting, but I’m big on beer tasting like beer.

Do you have a favorite memory or story from your brewing career?

We bottled my first production batch a year to the day after I left my desk job. One of the best feelings.

What trends/innovations are you seeing in the industry that have you excited? Anything you are just over?

I’m always excited to see people making well-balanced, flavorful, lower alcohol beers, and there seems to be more of that happening now. Less extreme things. I’m over dodgy beers that never should have been released in the first place. There are more breweries than ever, which makes it a really exciting time to be a brewer and beer drinker. But there are too many new and long-established breweries putting out flawed and subpar beer, and that’s not doing any of us any favors. You have to be your own harshest critic and willing to dump beer that doesn’t measure up.

What do you love the most about what you do?

I love creating things. And it’s even better creating things that make people happy.

When you aren’t drinking beer…what are you drinking?

Wine, whiskey, or water. And coffee.