25 min
15 - Neil Herbst The Explore84 Podcast
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- Self-Improvement
Neil Herbst, co-owner of Edmonton original Alley Kat Brewing is our guest this week. Neil discusses the history of Alley Kat, one of Alberta’s oldest breweries operating today, as well as his life growing up in rural Alberta, his time working with the provincial government, and the unique advantages of having a spouse as a business partner.
Growing up on a farm just outside of Warner, Alberta gives Neil an edge, he’s able to fix stuff and problem solve, and he’s got an intimate familiarity with the ingredients right from the ground up. Neil and his original co-founders were inspired to found Alley Kat by the craft beer renaissance going on in the US at the time. As an avid home brewer, and looking to leave his job with the provincial government for something more hands-on, Alley Kat was one of the first dozen breweries in the province, compared to over 150 today.
We don’t like to shy away from mistakes on this podcast, and Neil shares his favourite: re-tooling Full Moon Pale into an IPA, a move which culminated bringing back the original recipe and a #BlameNeil party!This episode we also hear about Mark’s theory about the three types of breweries, sales-first, science-first, and marketing-first. Breweries need to be doing all three, but Mark frequently finds that one in particular stands out as a focus for most. As Neil points out, there’s a fourth option missing from the spectrum… beer-drinking first!
letsmeetforabeer.com
albertabeerfestivals.com
Alley Kat Brewing
Neil Herbst, co-owner of Edmonton original Alley Kat Brewing is our guest this week. Neil discusses the history of Alley Kat, one of Alberta’s oldest breweries operating today, as well as his life growing up in rural Alberta, his time working with the provincial government, and the unique advantages of having a spouse as a business partner.
Growing up on a farm just outside of Warner, Alberta gives Neil an edge, he’s able to fix stuff and problem solve, and he’s got an intimate familiarity with the ingredients right from the ground up. Neil and his original co-founders were inspired to found Alley Kat by the craft beer renaissance going on in the US at the time. As an avid home brewer, and looking to leave his job with the provincial government for something more hands-on, Alley Kat was one of the first dozen breweries in the province, compared to over 150 today.
We don’t like to shy away from mistakes on this podcast, and Neil shares his favourite: re-tooling Full Moon Pale into an IPA, a move which culminated bringing back the original recipe and a #BlameNeil party!This episode we also hear about Mark’s theory about the three types of breweries, sales-first, science-first, and marketing-first. Breweries need to be doing all three, but Mark frequently finds that one in particular stands out as a focus for most. As Neil points out, there’s a fourth option missing from the spectrum… beer-drinking first!
letsmeetforabeer.com
albertabeerfestivals.com
Alley Kat Brewing
25 min