Andrew McGregor: Brewer

Andrew has had a passion for beer making ever since he was in College, he pursued the art of learning how to make microbrews. 

This all started for him in Long Beach where he studied at CSULB, living with all guys and one girl, that girl being me. He bought a giant pot that was made for producing beer, boiling the hops, transferring everything over, and making sure to add in the yeast at just the right time to letting it sit. 

It was a process; I remember the house always smelled of boiling Hops.

After graduating college Andrew wanted to immerse himself in the beer making culture, he quickly got a job at Ballast Point Brewery in Miramar where he started as a bartender. He quickly showed his interest and moved his way up into becoming a brewer. Andrew never looked back, he put all his efforts into learning how to brew beer and working for one of the largest well-known brewery companies in the nation. He quickly got promoted and moved his career back up to Long Beach, launching a brand-new beer tasting room right on the water in Naples, which is a beautiful location and a great way to socialize with friends as you're sipping on your beer. 6 years went by, Andrew felt as though his time with Ballast Point was coming to an end, he was interested in microbrews but wanted a change of pace.

He was eager to adventure out and start at a different company, and that company happened to be The Bruery Tasting Room located in Placentia, California. 

When I sat down with Andrew he had only been there for a solid week, so everything was still new to him, but that didn't stop him from talking about his passion for learning a whole new brew system. I asked him "Do you want to start your own brewery?" He quickly replied with "No," and explaining that he doesn't want to put in the work but loves working for beer companies that provide good tasting quality beer. I also asked "Do you see yourself staying in California?" and his response was "No, I want to move to Oregon, its more of my scene there and they are more adapted to microbrews."

I learned a lot from this interview, even though he was a friend of mine, he is someone that I haven't seen in years, it was a pleasant time getting to know his story and where it all started for him. The brewery world is lucky to have him!

By Sarah Miller