“Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.” writes award winning author Chuck Palahniuk in his novel ‘Invisible Monsters’. A slight overstatement perhaps, but well said nonetheless. Much of who we are is a compilation of all those who influence us. The same can be said for many successful companies in today’s world, and there is no better example of this than with today’s craft breweries.
The image of most American craft breweries is often perceived to be that of laid back, long-haired brewers with beards who are not afraid to brew what they want, styles be damned. While that image is not far off the mark in many cases, each brewery has its own unique personality that reflects all the individual personalies that make up the brewery. I had the opportunity to listen to several great representatives of the craft brewing community on this subject last month at the Craft Brewers Conference in San Diego, Ca.
