Hoptopia. ‘Nuff said.

This is the first in what hopefully will a series of features on others passionate about craft beer. Those who learn as much as they can about that which they put in their glass and strive to educate others that their is more to beer than the mass produced, fizzy yellow stuff we see on T.V.

Lee Norman Williams (He may hurt me for using the middle name) hails all the way from Bristol, England. These days he hangs his hat in Brooklyn, New York. Lee is the mastermind behind ‘Hoptopia’, one of the best beer review sites out there.

Mr. Hoptopia himself

Lee is everywhere. Twitter. Facebook. The internet. The iPhone. Android. Yes, he even has apps for the iPhone and Android. The man seems insistant on taking over the craft beer reviewing world.

I had a chance to talk with Lee a little about himself, craft beer and Hoptopia.

O.k. Lee, a few questions for you. Here goes:

Classic question, how’d you get into beer, and more importantly when did you get into craft beer?
I really got into beer when I was living in Philadelphia, about 7 or 8 year ago. I mostly have to thank the arcane law in Pennsylvania that makes the sale of 6 packs illegal There is a great beer store in downtown Philly called The Foodery that wasn’t too far from where I used to work. I would stop into The Foodery after work and pick up a random assortment of 12oz singles. I had no clue what any of them were at the time really. The fact I did not have to commit dollars to buying a six pack of something I might not like, definitely helped expand my beer horizons beyond the Newcastle, Blue Moon, Bud, Boddingtons and Guinness I would normally drink.

In Europe, women have been very involved in beer and brewing. Why is the culture in the U.S. so different?
Honestly, judging by the number of female homebrewers and pro brewers in the U.S. these days, I think the U.S, actually has the upper hand when it comes to women involved in craft beer and the beer industry at large. My girlfriend Stevie Caldarola, recently started a group called Ladies of Craft Beer that has been growing at a break neck pace. It’s another example of just how many women are interested in good beer.

What are your favorite watering holes?
Rattle N Hum Bar, Blind Tiger, Beer Table, The Gate and Mission Dolores – all in NYC

Your website, Hoptopia, is quite impressive. How did you get it started? You also have an iPhone app for it, how did that come about?
Thanks. From the beginning I wanted to keep Hoptopia simple. I wanted the focus of the site to be just my opinion and my enthusiasm. Honestly, I think Hoptopia’s success can be mostly attributed to my wanting to meet and talk to as many people about beer as possible.

The iPhone app – and now Android app – was something I wanted to do from outset. I have a weird ability to pick up on trends before most people do and I could see that consuming information was going more and more in the direction of simple and intuitive apps. Apps are a vital tool in getting my reviews in the hands of more people.

What are your goals with regards to craft beer?
My goal initially was to get more people interested in craft beer. Since then I’ve become more and more acutely aware of just how detrimental macro breweries and factory produced food and beverage has been to our society and the World at large. I sincerely think it’s had a negative effect on how we live and interact on a daily basis with each other, let alone the devastating environmental impact. As you can tell, this subject gets me pretty fired up. I now feel that teaching and exciting people about craft beer has almost become something of political cause for me.

How do feel this perception toward women in craft beer is changing?
I think the perception of women involved with anything once considered the domain of men, is and has been changing for the better for a while now – though not as fast as I’d like.

What’s your favorite beer and/or style? Why?
American IPA. Not entirely sure why, but the leafy greenness and bite really appeals to my palate.

Thanks to Lee Williams or taking time to answer a few questions. I look forward to having a brew with you at The Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado later this month!