Chuckanut Brewery sending its head brewer back to school in Germany

Chuckanut Brewery’s head brewer, Bryan Cardwell, is going back to school. The brewery will host a special Brewers Night and Bon Voyage Party at the Copper Hog in Bellingham on Thursday, December 12. Bryan will travel to Berlin, Germany to attend a six-month intensive course at the VLB (the Versuchs- und Lehranstalt für Brauerei). The VLB has been educating brewers for more than 120 years.

By now, most Washington beer lovers recognize Chuckanut Brewery for its outstanding lagers. The focus on German and continental beer styles sets Chuckanut apart from other breweries in the Northwest, most of which focus on ales and not lagers. The brewery opened in 2009 and immediately began winning medals, including four medals at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. Under the continuing and careful guidance of brewing legend Will Kemper, the list of accolades continues to grow.

chuckanut_bryan — Bryan enjoying a Chuckanut Dunkel.

“Chuckanut is helping to sponsor Bryan’s trip as we believe education is a key part of being a great brewer,” said Mari Kemper, who along with her husband, Will, owns and operates Chuckanut Brewery and Kitchen in Bellingham. “Bryan has a chemistry degree from the University of Colorado, Boulder, the same alma mater as Will (chemical engineering). We are hoping Bryan picks up some new info to bring back and implement at Chuckanut.”

While in Europe, Bryan will also spend some time in Marlborough, England at Rebellion Brewing, which Chuckanut refers to as its “brother brewery.” Also, Chuckanut Brewing will host Rebellion Brewing’s head brewer in Bellingham. It’s sort of like a brewer exchange program.

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