Behind the Brew with Mandy

Introduce yourself. What’s your name? Where do you live? Day job? Hobbies?

Hi! I’m Mandy, I ‘gram (and sometimes blog) under @beerswithmandy. I’m a writer living in NYC. My hobbies are eating and drinking, wait is that just living? My hobbies are cooking, homebrewing, and restaurant hopping!

What’s your relationship to craft beer? Do you work in the industry? Homebrewer? Beer tourist? Beer trader? Other?

Ah, me and the craft beer, our relationship is a close and loving one. I’ve been homebrewing for several years and in 2016 was thrilled to win a gold medal at the National Homebrew Competition. I’ve had to take a little time off of competing because of scheduling but I’ll be back at NHC in 2019. Can’t wait to meet more homebrewers. I’m also a Certified Cicerone, I loved studying for the taste and taking my love of and curiosity about beer in a more structured format.

Tell us about your instagram/blog/website/etc.

I love telling stories of the breweries I’ve visited, the beer dinners I’ve eaten, and fun facts about beer. My friends encouraged me to write it all down (writing is what I do, after all) so I started beerswithmandy. I’ve only had the Instagram for about a month now, and I’m loving it! I want my Instagram to be more than cool beer snapshots, hopefully it teaches people something or gives them a fun fact for their next dinner party. My big goal for the next couple months is to do more long format pieces on the blog.

Favorite Beer style?

Saison! I won my NHC medal for a french saison and it is by far my favorite style. Drinking Saison Dupont Bio on a sunny day in Belgium is one memory I really treasure. My favorite saisons are Tank 7, Saison Dupont, and Seizon Bretta.

What is your favorite beer and food pairing?

Duvel and sushi! There is a BYOB Omakase spot in NYC that serves playful nigiri made with fresh ingredients (some flown in from Japan). My favorite Friday night is hitting it up for the last seating with two bombers of Duvel.

Have you met any craft beer celebrities?

A few years ago, I saw Garrett Oliver across the room at Brooklyn Brewery. Before I could work up the nerve to say hi (I needed at least two more beers!) he was gone. I’m a huge fan girl for Garrett, he’s been an absolute innovator in beer and speaks about brewing and tasting eloquently. I’d like to think if I saw him today I’d go tell him that. Every brewer I’ve met has been kind, interesting, and generous with their time. I spent a long time chatting with David Walker once, he’s a celebrity to me!

What’s your favorite brewery to visit?

Jester King outside of Austin, Texas. It’s in the Texas hill country so you can’t beat the scenery of rolling green hills, wild flowers, and low trees. The vibe of the staff very relaxed and welcoming both at the brewery and at Stanley’s Farmhouse Pizza which is on the brewery grounds. Jester King also serves beer from other breweries which I really like, I want to taste a bit of everything while I’m out. It’s a bit of a pricey Uber ride back to the city, but well worth it for a day of drinking and eating pizza under the Texas sun.