Name: Chad Freitag
Hometown: Corning, CA
Website: http://humblebrewing.com/
First Beer Consumed: I seem to remember it being a sip of my dad’s Löwenbräu.
Favorite Style of Beer: For the typical ‘go to’ beers, I enjoy a nice cloudy IPA or Saison. Otherwise, it largely depends on the season.
Preferred Watering Hole: Amnesia Brewing is a favorite of mine.
Best Place for Pizza: Atomic Pizza on Killingsworth.
Name: Scott Davis
Hometown: Portland, OR
Website: http://humblebrewing.com/
First Beer Consumed: Don’t ask! I’m guessing it was probably Keystone Light.
Favorite Style of Beer: It varies by season, but my year-round choice is IPA.
Preferred Watering Hole: Amnesia Brewing on a sunny afternoon.
Best Place for Pizza: Double Mountain Brewery in Hood River.
I met Chad Freitag at the 1st Annual Winter Beer Festival at Plew’s Brews in December, 2011. Chad told me that Humble Brewing was at the event having their coming out party. Humble debuted a CDA (Cascadian Dark Ale) that evening. It turned out to be one of the most favored beers at the festival. As a matter of fact, the (2) kegs that they brought ended up empty on the second day. Below, Chad and Scott, Humble Brewing’s founders kindly volunteered their time to answer a few questions.
How did you guys meet?
We live on the same block, and beer brings neighbors together.
When did you begin Humble Brewing?
The planning and “research” began in 2010, but we weren’t legal until late 2011.
What was the first style of beer you brewed as Humble?
The first licensed/legal batch we brewed was the CDA, but our first batch together was an IPA.
How much beer are you brewing now and what style of beer(s) are you putting out?
Well, we’re enjoying having a little fun with being “Portland’s smallest brewery.” We’re brewing on a weekly basis and are in the middle of finishing out our 1.5BBL system. That, of course, means our beers are not easy to find but that’s kind of fun. When we do have something on at a place like Concordia Ale House or Bridgetown Beerhouse, we’re able to make it somewhat of a special occasion. Once the 1.5BBL is complete, we’ll be a little easier to find (but not much).
Stylistically, we have a mantra of ‘keep it humble, keep it simple.’ Neither of us is really interested in competing in the ‘arms race’ of crazy ingredients. We love that those beers are available, they just don’t need to come from us. So, from us you should expect to see very drinkable beers that surprise you with their simplicity. We love the challenge of brewing beers that don’t give us anywhere to hide. We’ve recently brewed the CDA, an IPA, a single hop pale ale and a stout. We also have something a little fancier aging for our first anniversary.
What part do you enjoy most about brewing beer?
Scott: For me, it is the ‘hands on’ creation of brewing. I love being involved in making something that other people enjoy. And drinking it.
Chad: The most rewarding part is getting to see folks gathering together and having a good time with one of our beers in hand. Even more rewarding is to see them go back for a second.
What’s your least favorite part of the brewing process?
Scott: The delayed gratification of fermentation can be excruciating…as can the freezing cold winter brew nights spent in the garage.
Chad: If I say cleaning, then I’m in the wrong business!
What has been the most challenging aspect of running a brewery?
Paperwork, without a doubt.
Where can someone try one of your beers?
We’ll be on at Concordia Ale House, Nepo42 and Bridgetown Beerhouse in the next few weeks, and hope to throw a few release parties throughout N/NE Portland this Spring. For updates, we encourage people to check facebook (facebook.com/humblebrewing) or twitter (@humblebrewing).
Do you anticipate expanding down the road?
There’s nowhere to go but up, so the short answer is definitely! We expect to release our first bottle this summer, and have grand visions of a Humble taproom at some point
Duuuude
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