Welcome to our conversation series where we speak with different individuals involved in the Pennsylvania craft beer industry. For suggestions on who should be featured, email us at [email protected].

Brandalynn Armstrong is very experienced in the craft beer/alcohol industry. From co-owning a brewery in Harrisburg, teaching students in brewing science and working as a freelance consultant, to joining the Haymaker Meadery team and launching her new blog “Drinks With Brandalynn“, she keeps herself very busy. Read on to see how Brandalynn started working in the beer industry, her favorite beers to drink right now, and more!

Describe your role in the PA craft beer industry.

Wow, how to answer this one. I feel like I have a finger on the pulse of a couple different projects! Currently, I work as a freelance craft beverage consultant. I also teach as part of Harrisburg Area Community College’s Brewing Sciences certificate program.

I am working on launching my blog Drinks With Brandalynn which will highlight my experiences with beverages from all backgrounds such as NA options, couture cocoas, seltzers, sodas and of course anything of the alcoholic variety. BUT MOST EXCITINGLY, I am the Business Development Manager for Haymaker Meadery – which is launching a taproom in 2020!

Up until recently I was an owner of a small brewery, and an active member of the Brewers of PA Guild. I maintained a seat on the Board of Directors for the last two years.

How did you get involved in craft beer?

Drinking it! I started my journey into craft beer as a consumer in the early 2000’s. My love of craft beer, and my significant other’s passion for making it, all aligned at the time and we decided to open our own brewery. We started on the project in late 2011, and finally opened the doors in 2015. After a really great ride with that project, it was my time to move on, and I am more than excited to expand my knowledge of the industry by branching into the mead space.

How did your passion for craft beer come about?

Again, drinking it! I really fell in love with discovering new flavors. My first craft beer besides a traditional “Lager” was Troegenator, a glorious doppelbock by Troegs. This beer was the first real product that opened my eyes to the fact that not all beer tasted like that yellow, fizzy liquid we choked down during the college age. I always loved baking and playing around with different ingredients/flavors (my first business was actually a cupcakery that specialized in events) so when the guy I was seeing at the time decided to start homebrewing, a lot of my attention turned to this new hobby, BEER! I really enjoyed envisioning how non-traditional ingredients could be used in homebrewing.

I would say my passion developed due to my desire to learn as much as I could to be a better business owner, and to help with the success of our brand pointed me in the direction of the Brewers of Pennsylvania Guild. Up until joining the guild I had no idea how political the beer industry really was, and I became very passionate about not only protecting my small slice, but helping protect and serve the rest of the craft brewing community in PA. I started as a “brewery in planning” member, and over a five year period matriculated into a leadership role and served on the Board of Directors until this past December.

How do you think PA is a unique craft beer state versus other states?

Well, PA produces the most barrelage in the US, which I think is pretty cool. We have some of the largest breweries, as well as an amazing amount of small-medium sized producers. Due to the eclectic mix of breweries, Pennsylvania offers something for everyone which makes it a perfect destination for beer tourism and travel. Because PA does have such a rich landscape of producers, a strong guild, and a large economic impact, it keeps the legislative side of the industry favorable for breweries.

There is always more work to do, but I think PA is an amazing state for enthusiasts, and owner/operators alike. The proof is watching very large and successful out of state breweries starting to open up satellite locations within the state, which in my opinion, helps the entire industry in PA thrive.

When is the last time you went to a brewery outside of PA? What stood out to you about that experience?

I have been very privileged to be able to visit breweries all over PA, the US, and internationally. That being said, it’s really hard to pick just one so I will pick my favorite out of state brewery that I have visited, and some standouts from a recent trip abroad. The out-of-state brewery that has given me ALL THE FEELS over the last few years has got to be Yazoo Brewing in Nashville, TN. The quality, caliber, and diversity of their offerings is fantastic. I LOVE LOVE LOVE saison/sour/spontaneous projects that Brandon Jones oversees. Their ” Embrace The Funk” Fest brings producers of the aforementioned styles from all over the country (and some international surprises that Brandon usually pours himself) every spring. I’m counting down the days until May 2nd! I will also get to see their new facility.

I was pretty lucky to attend Carnival Brettanomyces in Amsterdam this past summer with Free Will Brewing. There is just something different and special about the craft beer scene in the Netherlands, and Belgium. I finally got to visit Cantillon, which is the Mecca for a fan girl like myself, however the standout from this trip is a tie between L’Ermitage, a little brewery around the corner from Cantillon in Brussels, and a trip to the Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal farm brewery in Tildonk (near Leuven, home of Stella Artois).

• L’Ermitage reminded me of the cute, on trend breweries of the Northeast US. Mural art, mismatched furnishings and very beautiful, hop forward but balanced ales and lagers. They were actually closed when we showed up, but they provided us beers and some much needed house cured sausages (thank the stars, because I was hangry….and that is not a good look on me.) Lanterne, a 5.5% pale ale was my standout. Soft, pillowy, and popping with hop aroma and balanced bitterness.

• Brouwerij Hof Ten Dormaal is a family project. The Janssens use hops and barley that they grow themselves, and the byproduct goes right back into their farming operations. The tasting room is located on the family’s farm and their lineup boasts a wide range of extremely well-executed styles from juicy IPAs, a gentle wit, to barrel-aged saisons and fruited sours. Funny enough, I received one of their beers (a madeira barrel-aged blond) back in 2014 that BLEW MY MIND – so finally getting to visit where it was made was extremely special. I might add that I also got to float on a magical unicorn raft in the family’s personal “natural pool” which is probably not the experience most will have, but damn was it magical.

The common theme for all of the breweries i’ve mentioned is liquid quality, service, ambience, and authenticity. If a brewery can hit on those factors, it’s a standout for me. It’s not as easy as it looks.

Do you have a favorite beer or beers to drink right now?

I might be super biased, but the Vergnügen pale lager from Free Will brewing is really giving me that loving feeling. Admittedly, I have been on a mead kick. Since taking the role of business development manager for Haymaker, I have been tasting my way around the map. I have tried twenty different varietals of honey in the last few weeks, and it is amazing how similar the process of selecting the honey varietals is to malt selection for recipes. The biggest eye opener for me was the fact that I had unfairly judged “mead” as all sweet, and syrupy. I am having A LOT of fun correcting my misconception. Standout mead for me has been Haymaker’s Blood Moon, an almost smoothie beer-like mead made with wildflower honey, guava and hibiscus. I had a gorgeous polish mead recently that was aged in a cave for six years before being released – I feel like it’s my craft beer journey all over again!

Where do you see the beer industry heading with content/social media/events?

I think that we will see a lot of collaboration between different types of producers. With different producers working together, paired with their ability to sell each others products, we will see more unique events, promotions and social media opportunities that bring all kinds of drinkers into the fold. I am very excited to work with my fellow producers of craft libations, and although I am no longer a “brewery owner”, I still fully support the craft beer industry. I hope that moving forward all the small producers from the brewery, winery, distillery, cidery, and meadery sects can work together to elevate craft producers in general. Our industries are complementary, and us craft producers need to stick together!

Tell us why you do what you do? What inspires you to keep going?

Because I love it. I am always eager to learn and I am never content to stay stagnant. Craft beer helped me discover myself, and it was the first thing that really helped me build confidence. The community has always been supportive and without them, my previous project, and everything that has come since, I would not have been successful. I try to always remember to give back what has been given to me, and to pay as much forward as possible.

I am also a member of the Pink Boots Society – Philadelphia chapter, and I hope that I can continue to talk about the positives of being a woman in the craft industry, while shining a light on the very real negatives of the same. I want to continue the representation conversation regarding women, and all marginalized groups in the industry. I think helping break down those stigmas and ceilings, and making the craft brewing landscape more accessible to all enthusiasts, has always, and will continue to be, a driving force in craft brewing’s success. I am hoping to get more involved with the American Mead Makers Association, and I am attending Mead Con in March, so that is pretty inspirational as well.

Who are your biggest influences that keep you producing content?

Wow – there are so many, but I would have to say my family. John and the boys have been such a blessing and inspiration in my life. They challenge me to keep growing, learning, and going. My good friend Sara Bozich is a machine that inspires me every day, and watching Hannah Ison grow and develop professionally makes me want to learn more about the production side of the business. The network of people that I have in my life is a true blessing and without them I wouldn’t be making anything. They know who they are. and lastly, but definitely not least is my Haymaker team. I have found such an amazing group of people to work with and challenge me professionally. I cannot wait to kick some ass with them in 2020!

Give us your top 3 social media pages that you turn to regularly for inspiration?

Worst Beer Blog / Don’t Drink Beers – they teach me through everyone else’s mistakes. HA! My amazing friend Tanya aka @BabelsCameron – because she always has her finger on the pulse of what’s hot, fun, exciting etc. (we’re actually working on a Free Will x Haymaker x Drink All The Things collab – an Oenobeer to be produced in April/May when we can get our hands on some fun grapes. And the social media of my friends from around the world. It really all inspires and teaches me.

Thanks to Brandalynn Armstrong for talking with us! You can find her on her new blog, and also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.