Jared Williamson, brewmaster for New Albanian Brewing Co., in New Albany, Ind., is headed to Schlafly. Williamson announced his plans this morning via Twitter: “@JaredBrewsBass It’s official: I’m moving to St Louis and brewing @Schlafly, cheers my friends!”
James “Otto” Ottolini, head of brewing operations for The Saint Louis Brewery and brewmaster at the brewhouse in Maplewood, told The Scoop that Williamson has been hired as a production brewer at The Bottleworks. Williamson has been brewing for New Albanian for the last few years. He left this post on New Albanian’s blog discussing his move.
Williamson is already on familiar terms with the Schlafly brew crew, as his girlfriend tends bar at The Bottleworks. As Williamson’s letter states, his girlfriend was a big part of his decision to move to St. Louis. In fact, the couple met when Schlafly hosted Indiana breweries at its annual Repeal of Prohibition Beer Festival back in 2008.
“We had a position open. We had to solve the problem of not enough Schlafly beer for the world. Adding another person to the staff in the brewhouse made a lot of sense. [Williamson] seemed like a natural fit because of the long-standing familiarity,” summed Ottolini. Williamson will assume his new position on July 1.
UPDATE: In a conversation with Williamson this afternoon, The Scoop learned that the newest production brewer of Schlafly beer got his start at New Albanian Brewing Co., in 2002. He has been a part of the brewery’s expansion over the past few years as well. Williamson said he’s excited about joining the Schlafly team, citing that – apart from knowing much of the staff because his girlfriend, Kelsey Donovan, tends bar at The Bottleworks – he has also worked with some of the Schalfly team when they collaborated with New Albania and O’Fallon Brewery to craft three experimental beers. “The idea was to have fun and brew on each other’s systems,” said Williamson, adding that he looks forward to similar creative opportunities that may arise in his new position. He admits, however, that his favorite aspect of brewing is a bit more precise: “[I like] properly producing quality work on the brew day. I am a craftsman. I love doing things right.”
This article appears in June 2011.