Wait, How Did I Get Here?

A Facebook memory came up from July 2015- it was a quote, from my best friend's mom (who, I should add, had known me since I was 11 years old), and it read:

{Michelle}'s Mom told me that I should do publicity for a brewery because, (and I quote) "You light up and get so excited when you talk about beer"

Well, she's right.

Beer should be offered as a major in college.

I might have actually graduated.....

At the time, I was 27 and living in New Orleans pursuing the elusive career of being a full-time, working actor.

Headshot Circa 2011

However, my day-to-day life was spent managing and bartending at a massive Louisiana-focused craft beer bar in the French Quarter (that was owned by an ex-Saints player), taking improv classes, and laissez les bon temps roulez-ing every chance I got (in hindsight, I had a drinking problem, but more on that another day). Panic attacks and breakdowns were the standard every time I had an audition- especially any self-tape where I would have to watch myself over and over, just waiting for that perfect take- as I was still deep in the throws of a 12-year-running Eating Disorder and no help was in sight.

During one of these self-tape breakdowns, Michelle had looked at me and simply said,

"You don't have to do this"

No one had every told me that, or at least not that I had ever registered. I loved performing, I loved improv and theatre and becoming a character and creative expression. I had rarely ever thought of a different career path- except maybe writing or stand up comedy- careers that were just as tumultuous as being an actor.

WHAT THE FUCK ELSE WOULD/COULD I DO?

As the fates would have it, during this exact time, an assistant brewer at the still-quite-new nano-brewery I lived exactly two blocks from got injured: a tri-clamp came undone during a transfer of hot wort from one vessel to another- and he had VERY BAD burns on the bottom of his feet, making him unable to walk, let alone work for a few months. **SIDE NOTE- never wear tennis shoes while dealing with very hot things.

Now, because I lived so {dangerously} close to this brewery, I was quite good friends with the owner and, because he knew that I managed craft beer bars and I wasn't happy at my current place of employment, he offered me a job- as an assistant brewer/bartender/whatever was needing to be done.

BAM!

PLOT TWIST FOR MY LIFE. That recently emptied space where dreams of being a *star* once lived, became filled with dreams of being a *beer-industry star*- also known as a *brewer* (alright, this was still in the era of Rockstar brewers... give me a break here). Ah, beer industry newbie innocence. I barely knew what being a brewer actually involved but what I did know was that I wanted to become the best at beer that I could be.

In hindsight, this plot twist wasn't completely out of nowhere. Looking back, sign's were there: My high school graduation party was held at my hometown's local brewery- Springfield Brewing Co- although this was really just because I LOVE their spinach+artichoke dip and beer cheese soup. Once I became of legal drinking age, I always enjoyed drinking craft beer. I almost always worked at bars with a large craft beer selection. Boulevard Brewing Co was dominant in my home state (Missouri), and because I loved their Unfiltered Wheat Ale so much, I pretty much trusted anything that they put out- and that was in the early 2000s (LIKE, we're talking, 2008-2009) and at 21-22 years of age, I was happily drinking Whiskey Barrel Aged Imperial Stouts, before I even knew what that even was. If Boulevard made it, I would drink it.

Boulevard

Visiting breweries and going on brewery tours were a norm for me (I mean, I loved drinking) and upon moving to New Orleans and because I didn't know anyone, I started going to little beer things- like a Barleywine and Cheese Pairing (with St.James Cheese Co and NOLA Brewing- who I would end up working for), Beer-Paired Dinners at fancy-schmanzy restaurants, and the first ever Louisiana Craft Beer Festival (I think there were 9 breweries in attendance that year)- and I found that I REALLY LOVED beer events and beer people.

So in November 2015, I dove into the Beer Industry- like, 100% in. I only read beer books. I only drank at craft beer bars. I went to every beer event. I would drive 12 hours to get a limited-release beer, stay one night, and drive 12 hours back-

kind of in.

Little did I know that less than a year later, beer would lead me to New Zealand, onward to Australia and into a more diverse career than I could have even imagined.

My Final American Bottle Share- Oct 2016