5 Questions with the Brewer: Jason Yester, Trinity Brewing

Friends enjoy the bar at Trinity

I was in Colorado Springs last Friday and had the opportunity to visit Trinity Brewing, a groovy brewpub on Garden of the Gods Rd.  I had a terrific lunch – a salmon salad and sipped on a Flo IPA. After lunch, brewpub owner and head brewer, Jason Yester pulled up a stool for a quick session of 5 Questions with the Brewer.

Now, Jason, like many professional brewers, started home brewing at a relatively young age. He began brewing professionally at age nineteen at Bristol Brewing where he worked part-time while studying microbiology at  at college. His thesis had something to do with unpasteurized beer and microbe growth — or something like that. I got kinda lost at this point. Must be the Passed Stout I’m now sipping. Anyway, he worked his way up to full-time brewer at Bristol, but all along, had and idea for a brewery of his own cooking in the back of his brain.

Trinity owner Jason Yester

He has put his study of microbes to good use. His wood-aged TPS Report Experimental brew won him a 2009 GABF Gold. Jason says he likes the wild direction – and imperials. He’d like to do some short run boutique brews in corked 750ml bottles.

The brewpub business is cranking along and Jason recently bought out his partner. He’s finding that running the business isn’t allowing him as much time to brew as he had before. He’s not worried, though, as he shares brewing duties with Darren Baze. Jason says, in his opinion,  Darren is among the top 10 brewers in the state of Colorado. They work as a team brewing Trinity’s house brews and they collaborate on new things.

On to the questions. And, as usual, there are more than five. Go figure.

USABT: Ale or lager?

JY: Wild!

USABT: What brewer would you be an assistant for?

JY: No more assisting for me. I like doing my own thing, too much. Darren and I assist each other.

USABT: What Colorado brewer doesn’t get the press they deserve?

JY: I’d say Great Divide. Those guys make some great beers and are growing like crazy, but you never here much about them nationally. They get a lot done under the radar. On the other hand, most Colorado breweries get good regional coverage.

USABT: What do you see as the next big “trend” in craft brewing?

JY:  Not sure it’s the next big trend, as it is a popular category right now, but IPAs are hot in Colorado. Five out of six guest taps at the brewpub are IPAs. Also, Saison is up and coming. We did nineteen different Saisons in ’08. It’s my favorite style.

USABT:  Where do you go, in Colorado, for someone else’s beer?

JY:  Whenever I travel, I make sure to hit the local breweries and brewpubs. So, if I’m down in Pagosa Springs I stop in Pagosa Brewing. If I’m in Durango, I’ll swing by Ska. On the Front Range, I’ll visit Great Divide, New Belgium, Odells, Breckenridge and others. It’s good to stop in and see what everyone else is up to, catch up with friends, network with brewers and people on the business side. Colorado brewers are a pretty tight community.

USABT:  Do you have a favorite hop, grain, or yeast?

JY:  I like Maris Otter malt. For yeast, I like 3726 Farmhouse Ale yeast and Fontein Brett Brux.  For hops I like Columbus and Kent Goldings for the dry finish.

As we wrapped up our interview, Jason brought out samples of some of his new beers, including an IPA called Slap Your Mammy that he was releasing later that day. All were excellent. And his sours rocked.

Speaking of sours, Jason introduced me to John Schneider who brews at Bristol, but also brews his own sours under the Black Fox name. More with John and his wife, Nicole, soon.

Brotherly Beer Love

Until then, keep talking about beers! And even better, keep drinking them.

Cheers!

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