Brewer: Jonathan Wright
How long have you worked at the brewery? Since founding Redbeard in 2012.
How did you get involved in brewing? It was a combination of factors over the years. I was a bartender in a beer-centric bar, I worked in a beer-centric market, I started home brewing, and then after a couple of self employment stints, I decided it was time to open a brewery.
Tell us something people don’t know about your brewery: That we exist? It still surprises me after seven years how many people don’t realize we’re here. We might need to fire the marketing guy! But he does a lot of other stuff, like brew, so maybe not. Seriously though, something I’d like people to know about is our commitment to our local community in Staunton and Augusta County. We offer up our taproom for cultural events, we provide market space for local vendors, serve as a venue for developing musicians, and we donate 1% of gross sales to local performing arts groups, animal welfare groups, and area schools.
What’s your favorite food and beer combo? I have always felt that the circumstances in which you are pairing your beer and food combo (location, occasion, mood, etc), and personal tastes should impact your selections more than the opinion of someone like myself. I like beer and food across the board generally.
Tell us about your pets: In order of size: One Hamster: Pepper. One Cat: Obe. One Dog: Stargazer. The dog wildly prefers our sofa to brewery visits. The cat and hamster’s opinions are yet TBD.
What is your favorite thing to do in the Shenandoah Valley? When I have the opportunity to truly enjoy the fact that we live here, I’d say I value quiet time in the woods most.
What’s the best way to spend time in the outdoors in the Shenandoah Valley? Walking around Staunton for a few hours prior to a beer at Redbeard.
