By now, I imagine most beer nerds have seen Brew Dogs on television’s Esquire network. The first episode of season two airs on Wednesday, June 25. Brew Dogs chronicles the adventures of James Watt and Martin Dickie, two Scottish brewers running wild across America. Recently, I enjoyed the opportunity to ask James Watt a few questions. As anyone who has seen the show might expect, his answers were a bit irreverent.
The founders of BrewDogs brewery know a thing or two about making off-kilter beers and the television show shares the adventures of these two quirky characters traveling around the United States making interesting beers with some of the country’s best breweries. For instance, last year James and Martin teamed up with Seattle’s Elysian Brewing to create a chocolate espresso stout, dubbed “the world’s most-caffeinated beer,” which they brewed on a moving ferryboat.
What I learned, James likes squirrels and tater tots, and he is hot for Susan Boyle. Also, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale changed his life.
Here’s what else.
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WBB: Recollect, if you can. What was the first beer you ever drank that impressed you with character and flavor, and not just inebriate impact? How does it stack up against, or compare to, the beers you make now?
James Watt: “The beer that changed my life was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I had never been that into beer before. The first sip I had of Sierra was in 2002. The first sip confused me. By the 3rd sip I knew nothing was ever going to be the same ever again. When I started home-brewing my first brew was a Sierra clone. Without that beer there would be no BrewDogs.”
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WBB: If you developed an allergy to beer, what would you drink?
JW: “Bourbon old-fashioneds. I love them. Although I think I might be allergic to anything that is not a squirrel. It is an unusual condition. I carry a squirrel with me at all times.”
WBB: You’ve used some funky ingredients in your beers. Is there one that you would definitely never use again?
JW: “Using the world’s hottest chili [pepper] was crazy. I thought I would have to go to the hospital after I tasted it. Putting 300 million copies of the declaration of independence encoded onto DNA into a beer was pretty insane too.”
WBB: You’re stuck alone on a desert island. You get to have an endless supply of just one beer. Of all the beers you’ve brewed, which beer would it be? Why?
JW: “If I was stuck on a desert island I would want to be stuck there with Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point, or if it was a BrewDog beer, Jack Hammer. I would also want to be stuck there with Jessica Ennis. She is a fine athlete and is good with a Javelin so she could hunt for our food and chase down snacks whilst I chill out on the beach with a beer.”
WBB: Is there something that you think American breweries do better than breweries on the other side of the Atlantic? Vice versa?
JW: “America does not have the same beer tradition we have in Europe. And I think this has helped the US beer scene develop as it has. Not being constrained by tradition has allowed US brewers to follow their muse and riff on classic beer styles and come up with some phenomenal beers over the last decade. The beer scene in America is leading the way in terms of craft beers globally.”
WBB: The trailers for the new season refer to you guys as rock stars. Obviously, you’re not. But if you were, what rock star would you want to be and why?
JW: “I don’t want to be a rock star. All I want to do is brew beer and try to make other people as passionate about great beer as I am. But if I had to be a rock star, then I would like to be Susan Boyle. She is from Scotland and a hot MILF.”
WBB: If you could be a professional athlete in any sport, which sport would it be?
“I am very good at eating tater tots. Does that count as athletics? That failing. Football. Or what you guys call soccer. I would like to play in a team that contained 4 wolves, an armadillo and a centipede (many legs equals many feet equals many touchdowns)”
WBB: If you could brew beer with any historic figure (Napoleon, Jesus, Confucius, anyone) who would it be?
JW: “I would love to brew beer with Ninkasi. The Sumerian Goddess of beer. She is a hardcore brewing kick ass princess.”
