Portrait of a Brewer: Chris Sartori, Coronado Brewing

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…

Chris Sartori
of Coronado Brewing

What is your current title?
Head Brewer

Where did you grow up?
Petaluma, California

What brought you to San Diego?
I wanted to leave my small town, and some friends were moving to San Diego, which looked fun. Additionally, my buddy helped me get a job on the pack line at Stone Brewing.

What was the first beer and/or alcoholic beverage you ever had?
My first beer was Coors Light, but my first craft beer was Mount Tam Pale Ale from Marin Brewing.

What was your a-ha moment that turned you on to craft beer?
My a-ha moment was when I worked as a beer delivery driver for a distributor in Northern California. I had my first craft beer and thought, “Holy shit, this is amazing!” I was hooked after that.

What led you to consider a career in brewing?
Once I got more involved in the packaging line at Sone, I realized I had found something I really enjoyed doing and wanted to keep moving up. The beer benefits were pretty good, too.

What breweries have you worked for over your career and in what roles?
I began my career at Stone, starting on the bottling line and then moving to the cellar. Shortly after that, I was promoted to brewer and eventually became the brewhouse manager. After 11 years at Stone, I took on the role of Head Brewer and Brewery Manager at 21st Amendment Brewery. I briefly served as Director of Operations at a cidery before returning to San Diego to become the Head Brewer at Coronado Brewing.

Who have been the individuals that have helped you the most to learn and advance in your career, and how?
There have been many people who have helped me in my career. To begin with, my current boss, John Egan. He first hired me at Stone and was instrumental in promoting me to Brewer, along with Mitch Steele and Jeremy Moynier. John then brought me into my current role at Coronado Brewing. I would also say the team at 21st Amendment for hiring me for my first head brewer position.

What singular piece of advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional brewer?
Be prepared to clean and always double or triple-check your setup before opening any valves.

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?
I’m happy where I am right now.

What is your favorite beer you’ve ever brewed, be it on a professional or amateur level?
I have a couple of favorite beers. The first is a lavender IPA that I brewed for my wedding. It turned out well and holds special meaning for me. The second is a recent triple IPA we created at Coronado. It’s called Rewind and reminds me of the early 2000s. It’s a classic triple made with crystal malt and C hops.

What is your least-favorite beer you’ve ever brewed on any level?
I would have to say Stone w00tstout. It took forever to brew.

What are your favorite and least-favorite hop varietals at present?
My favorite hop is Simcoe. It always has been. I really don’t have a least favorite, but if I had to choose, it would be Sorachi Ace.

What are some of your favorite brewing ingredients that aren’t hops?
The one ingredient I wish I could use more is rye malt. I really enjoy the complexity and unique spice it brings to beer.

If you weren’t a brewer, what do you think you would do for a living?
I went to school to become a firefighter, so I mostly would have pursued that path.

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?
I have two. First, the packaging team has a challenging and often labor-intensive job, which not many people enjoy because it lacks the glory associated with other roles. Second, there’s the production planner. They have to manage many moving parts, including supply-chain issues, sales, maintenance and ensuring that the right products are being made at the right time. It’s a very stressful job.

What is your favorite beer style?
West Coast IPA

If you could wipe one style of beer off the face of the earth, what would it be?
Non-alcoholic beer

What single brewing company’s beers and/or ethos/style has been most influential on your style?
Stone taught me to brew clean, quality beer. Additionally, I credit Russian River Brewing with bringing West Coast IPA to its current prominence.

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?
Outside of Coronado, I would say Societe Brewing.

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?
Russian River. Blind Pig is fantastic!

What three breweries that you haven’t yet visited—local or elsewhere—are on your current must-see bucket list?
I believe the only brewery I have left is Sierra Nevada Brewing.

What are your favorite local beer events?
I don’t really have time. Most evenings and weekends, I’m spending time with my family.

If you were to leave San Diego, where would be the next-best place you’d want to brew?
I want to return to the Bay Area, but I dream of moving to Italy and brewing beer there.

Which musical genre or artists are on your brew-day soundtrack/playlist?
I’m all over the place. I would say I enjoy a little classic rock, Jimmy Buffett, folk, ‘90s rock, ‘90s hip-hop and some Taylor Swift.

What motto rules the way you brew and approach brewing in a professional brewhouse?
Be confident, write everything down, follow your pathways and, overall, just make sure you are watching and listening to everything happening around you.

What do you consider your greatest professional accomplishments?
I would say that my journey of working my way up the ladder to where I am now has been rewarding. I entered the industry with no experience aside from enjoying drinking beer, however, I soon realized that I loved making it. I dedicated myself to working hard, reading books and putting in the effort. It all paid off. I’ve been in the industry for 19 years and I still love what I do.

When you’re not at work, what do you like to do for fun?
I enjoy spending time with my family and working out…and I plan to try golf this year.

Where do you like to drink off-the-clock?
I do most of my drinking at home, but we enjoy going to the Crack Shack and Hamburger Hut in Encinitas.

What is your favorite beer-and-food pairing of all time?
Pizza and IPA

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?
It would be with my friends and family, along with lots of cheese boards, homemade Italian food, wine and beer.

Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question)?
I would like to say I’m a fun guy to be around who enjoys making people laugh. Also, I feel that I’m a great friend who’s there to help anyone.

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 [email protected].