I’ve always said that there’s no way I’d want to be a commercial brewer, but maybe I could be persuaded. My good friend and old homebrew buddy, Nate Sampson, has been the brewer at Eugene City Brewery (our Rogue local) for about a year now. He called me the other day to ask what brands of extract I’d recommend. Naturally, I asked him if he was going back to extract brewing! He informed me that he’d just gotten a call from Morimoto (!) who has a licensing deal with Rogue. Turns out Morimoto is opening a brewery in one of his restaurants in CA and can only use extract due to some local law. Nate’s going down there to help set up the brewery and do a few test batches to come up with recipes. THAT’S the kind of thing that makes me think maybe being a commercial brewer wouldn’t be so bad after all!
I guess life really does begin at 60 Denny!!!
Well, maybe if you’re busy doing that, we could catch up to you in post count.
I wonder what the local law is that forbids them doing all grain.
[quote] Turns out Morimoto is opening a brewery in one of his restaurants in CA and can only use extract due to some local law.
[/quote]
Funny, that’s the kind of thing that makes me think professional brewing would be less fun. 
Yeah, if brewing was more of a concern than hanging with Morimoto and getting to develop recipes with him and eat his food!
Sooo, what do you think Denny? Sounds like a heck of a lot of fun to me. What are the CONS? No pun intended!! ;D
Does sound like second fiddle!
The big downside to me is the possibility of turning something you love into something that you have to do. I’ve done that with 2 orevious businesses, so I’m kinda gunshy.
Didn’t you just say a few months ago that you’d never do a commercial version of “Denny’s RyePA”?
I think it’d be Morimoto’s RyePA., so no problem.
Denny you could do some “consulting” and work on a part-time basis.
My thought too.
I’d love to do that, but who’d be crazy enough to hire me? 
You could be Morimotos full time test brewer. Working from home, of course. All equipment and ingredients paid for.
Developing software was a hobby at one time to Bill Gates just like inventing gadgets was to Thomas Edison.
The greatest “job” in the world is doing something you love.
Maybe, but it hasn’t worked that way for me. I’ve killed my love of 2 different hobbies by turning them into jobs.
You already are a consultant Denny. You’re well established in the very upper echelon of the homebrewing cottage industry (think Palmer, JZ, Papazian, etc). It sounds like you just need to find a way to make a few bucks at it without lugging sacks of grain around all day.
That’s very true Denny. Similar experience happened to my brother when he got a job in a brewery. He enjoys his work, but rarely brews anymore, instead vicariously enjoying homebrewing mainly by enjoying the HB’s of his disciples (mainly my father and I). Sometimes when you do something all day, the last thing you want to do at home on your time off is that which you enjoy all day, I am in the same position too.
I’d rather hand with Morimoto, too.
“opening a brewery in one of his restaurants in CA and can only use extract due to some local law.”
Having lived in NorCal for 22 years and owning a beer company, that statement sounds strange to me. I’m speculating that there is probably space logistical issues. If they do a Nano Extract setup with limited fermentation and bright tank storage, they can offer in house brews and lay claim to being a brewery but, also probably have an extensive wine list being it is in the heart of Napa wine country.