Portrait of a Brewer: Doug Hasker, Puesto Cervecería

There are hundreds of talented brewing professionals giving their all to help maintain the San Diego beer industry’s storied reputation. While these industrious practitioners share numerous similarities, each is their own unique person with individual likes, dislikes, methodologies, techniques, inspirations, interests and philosophies. The goal of San Diego Beer News’ Portrait of a Brewer series is to not only introduce readers to local brewers, but dig in to help them gain a deeper appreciation for the people making their beer and how they have contributed to the county’s standout craft-brewing culture.

Today’s featured brewer is…

Doug Hasker
of Puesto Cervecería

What is your current title?
Director of Brewing Operations

Where did you grow up?
I was born in Santa Monica, and grew up in Sunnyvale in the Bay Area.

What brought you to San Diego?
I built the Gordon Biersch brewery in Mission Valley and decided to stay. I’ve lived in San Diego since 1998.

What was the first beer and/or alcoholic beverage you ever had?
Probably an Olympia or a Hamm’s beer I stole from my parents.

What was your a-ha moment that turned you on to craft beer?
I had tried a few microbrewed beers, but the a-ha came when I tried Dan Gordon’s Märzen in Palo Alto in 1998. I thought: ”So this is how beer is supposed to be!”

What led you to consider a career in brewing?
I was a self-employed graphic artist. All my friends worked at Gordon Biersch, so I started bartending until I couldn’t handle the drunks. It was a natural slide into the brewery at that point, and I let the graphics side go.

What was your first brewing/brewery position?  
I was the night brewer at Gordon Biersch in San Jose on a little 7-barrel system that we brewed 10 brews on per week.

What breweries have you worked for over your career and in what roles?
I’ve only worked with Gordon Biersch and now Puesto, but I’ve done countless collaborations at other breweries.

Who have been the individuals that have helped you the most to learn and advance in your career, and how?
I’d have to start with Dan Gordon of Gordon Biersch for taking a chance on me. Later in my career, I’ve learned something from every brewer I’ve ever met, including – and not in any particular order – Colby Candler, Yiga Miyashiro, Tom Nickel, Tomme Arthur, Paul Segura, Pat Mcilhenney, Dean Rouleau, Lee Chase, Chuck Silva, Shawn Mcilhenney, George Thornton, Derek Lindwood, Marty Mendiola, Jacob Bauch, Dan Anderson…you all know who you are.

What singular piece of advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional brewer?  
Get into it because of your passion for beer, not for the money. (Most brewers would tell you this.)

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?
Ha…retirement!

What is your favorite beer you’ve ever brewed, be it on a professional or amateur level?  
There have been many, a Mexican Pilsner collab with 3 Punk Ales, an IPA with Derek Linwood at Poor House Brewing. These two come to mind, but there really have been many.

What is your least-favorite beer you’ve ever brewed on any level?  
I can’t think of a beer I regretted brewing. Some were better than others, but I only remember the good ones. I’m sure someone will point one out for me.

What are your favorite and least-favorite hop varietals at present?  
As a lager brewer, I pretty much like everything Noble, but on the IPA side, I’m a Citra-and-Simcoe guy, and Mosaic if done properly, like Karl Strauss Brewing does.

What are some of your favorite brewing ingredients that aren’t hops?   
Ha…water, malt and yeast. I was raised on the Reinheistgebot. When done right, there’s no need for anything else.

If you weren’t a brewer, what do you think you would do for a living?  
I’d either be a graphic artist or a movie director.

In your opinion, what non-brewing position is of great importance at a craft-beer company but often gets overlooked or less credit than those making the beer?  
There are so many other jobs in a brewery besides brewer. When I get to just brew, it’s like a holiday. Cellaring, packaging and sales are all less glamorous jobs that are needed for the big picture.

What is your favorite beer style?  
Probably Pilsner, or a good helles beer.

If you could wipe one style of beer off the face of the earth, what would it be?  
Ha…hazy IPA and pastry anything.

What single brewing company’s beers and/or ethos has been most influential on your style?  
Well, certainly Gordon Biersch molded my brewing style, but I let most of the bad things go as they grew into obscurity. They tried on the ethos side but it waned in the later years as they were bought by bigger and bigger companies that were only concerned with the bottom line. Today, I look at the smaller companies where the employees genuinely love being there. Puesto does a great job as well as their transitioning with slow growth. Being family-owned, Puesto reminds me of a young Gordon Biersch, a truly remarkable company.

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?  
There are many who are doing great work, and it shifts constantly. I’m a big fan of any Pizza Port as wll as East Village Brewing, Seek Beer Co. and Burning Beard Brewing, among many others.

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?  
Again, there are many go-to beers outside the area: Beerstadt Lagerhaus, Sierra Nevada Brewing, Firestone Walker Brewing…

What three breweries that you haven’t yet visited—local or elsewhere—are on your current must-see bucket list?  
I’ve seen most of the breweries I’ve wanted. Been to a few in Munich, Anheuser-Busch in St. Louis, Coors in Golden, Heineken in Amsterdam, even Sierra Nevada, New Belgium Brewing, Russian River Brewing…many, many. I have not been to Ireland yet. So, Dublin it is!

What are your favorite local beer events?  
I will miss the Low and Slow festival at Bagby Beer Co. Jeff and Dande Bagby did it right.

If you were to leave San Diego, where would be the next-best place you’d want to brew?  
Probably rural Arizona, like Travis Smith did. Or Maui.

Which musical genre or artists are on your brew-day soundtrack/playlist?  
I listen to a little bit of everything, but my newest hubbly-bubbly is The Warning. Three sisters out of Monterrey, Mexico, all in their early 20s. It gives me hope that rock will live just a little longer. They’re good. Give them a listen. 

What motto rules the way you brew and approach brewing in a professional brewhouse?  
You can learn something new from everyone you meet.

What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments?  
As I get nearer to retirement age, the more I believe that just getting through life is the greatest accomplishment. I think I’ve had a good and respectable career.

What are you proud of having achieved in your personal life?  
Making music with my friends

When you’re not at work, what do you like to do for fun?  
I’ve been spending a lot of time on Maui the last few years, walking on the beach and drinking good beer.

Where do you like to drink off-the-clock?  
Fortunately for me, the Igniter breweries in North Park are directly on my way home every day. Damn.

What is your favorite beer-and-food pairing of all time?  
Lasagna and Chianti. I pretend the wine is beer. Seriously, though, tacos and some sort of clara beer.

If you could somehow plan your last beer dinner before dying, what would you drink and eat, and who would you invite to join you?    
Trying to think of a last meal (hopefully not out of a tube in my old age). I would want it all. There’s a restaurant in the Bay Area called Harry’s Hofbrau. It has the smorgasbord of any and all options for all my family and friends. And Keith Richards. His records taught me how to play guitar.

Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question)?  
I’m just an old guy who has tried to be good, to leave a decent legacy so that some might smile when remembering me.

If you’re a brewer at a San Diego brewing company and would like to be featured in our Portrait of a Brewer series, drop us a line at info@sandiegobeer.news.