Portrait of a Brewer: Kris Ketcham, Stone Brewing

There are hundreds of hard-working brewing professionals giving their all to help maintain the storied reputation San Diego’s brewing scene has earned over the past several decades. Some have risen to great fame among industry pros and craft-beer enthusiasts. Some ply their trade in obscurity (and are more than happy to do so). Some are Instagram famous, trendsetters with cult followings that would rival social-media influencers. And while they share plenty of similarities, each is their own unique person with their own likes, dislikes, methods, techniques, inspirations, interests and philosophies. The goal of San Diego Beer News‘ Portrait of a Brewer series is to not only introduce you to local brewers, but to have some fun delving into the aforementioned areas so you can get to know them a little better and appreciate them and their contributions to the county’s standout brewing culture. All that plus stellar portraits from brewery lifestyle photographer extraordinaire Matt Furman.

Today’s featured brewer is…

Kris Ketcham

of Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station

What is your current title?

Senior Manager Brewing & Innovation – Liberty Station

Where did you grow up?

Tri-City…a little mix of O’side, Cbad and Vista. I’ve been in North County San Diego pretty much my whole life, then moved down to San Diego proper when I got the job to be the Brewing Manager at Stone in Liberty Station.

What was the first beer and/or alcoholic beverage you ever had?

My first alcoholic beverage that I can remember was either peppermint Schnapps or a wine cooler. Something my grandparents would give us a taste of from time to time.

What was your a-ha moment that turned you on to craft beer?

Arrogant Bastard. I remember trying to be a “cool kid” by drinking the shit beer that was available but could never acquire the taste for it. At a random party, one of my friends brought some Arrogant Bastard and thought it would be funny to see my reaction after trying it. To everyone’s shock and surprise I fucking loved it and ended up inheriting two bombers because no one else at the party could handle it. Def’ did not need to drink both of them that night…my tolerance is way higher these days.

What led you to consider a career in brewing?

I was between jobs and heard Stone Brewing was hiring. Being a fan of Arrogant Bastard and learning that free beer was a perk, I excitedly applied. The coolest Christmas gift ever was getting called on the 24th to start work on the 27th.

What was your first brewery position?

Working on the bottling line at Stone. Then I went to distribution to be a delivery driver. I eventually came back to the production side to become the packaging supervisor, which eventually led me to be the cellar supervisor, which led me to the role I am in now. 

Who have been the individuals that have helped you the most to learn and advance in your career, and how?

So many…I’ll try to keep it short:

Mark Purciel of Oceanside Ale Works gave me my first unofficial opportunity in a brewery. I never had an interest in brewing until I ran into Mark at our ninth-anniversary party and he invited me over to visit his brewery. (Mark was my high school math teacher.) I would spend almost every night and weekend (while working at Stone) hanging out at OAW, learning and helping Mark around the brewery. That on-hands brewing experience proved priceless. 

Mitch Steele was very impactful as I got to share an office with him when I was the packaging supervisor. Being a fly on the wall at times with someone as experienced as Mitch was pretty awesome (and interesting at times…if you know you know 😊). Mitch was also the one who encouraged me to take on the cellar supervisor role, and the one who eventually hired me for the role I am in today. Once I got the job at Liberty Station I learned a whole different side of Mitch and got to share in his passion. Not too many people can say that they got to experience what I did from one of the most influential craft brewers. 

John Egan for hiring me on the bottling line and teaching me all about process-flow, quality and cleanliness. John also pushed for me to be the packaging supervisor years back.

Bill Sherwood for teaching me how to break things down and think outside the box instead of just spending money to fix everything.

Steve Gonzalez for his technical advice and understanding.

Jeremy Moynier for keeping me in line and just being fucking awesome.

Joel Grosser for his mentorship and personability.

And of course, Steve Wagner and Greg Koch for handing me the keys and allowing me to continue with this amazing opportunity.

What singular piece of advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a professional brewer?

Give more than you take

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?

Either open my own spot someday or retire early and travel the world with my wife. Eventually, I’d like to find a quiet place to stay forever and enjoy the peace of mind.

What is your favorite beer you’ve ever brewed, be it on a professional or amateur level?

Witty Moron for sure. It’s an amazing black witbier that is perfect for any time of day or year.

What is your least-favorite beer you’ve ever brewed on any level?

This one is tricky. I’ve brewed plenty of beers that I haven’t particularly loved. I’d say the one we got the most complaints on was a single-hop IPA we did with Polaris hops called Bear Tales From Polaria. At the time, Polaris was being hyped as the next amazing high-alpha IPA hop, but it was just pure garlic when we brewed with it. It was around the time we had Stochasticity Project Grapefruit Slam and our staff jokingly called it “Garlic Slam IPA”.

What are your favorite and least-favorite hop varietals at present?

Ever since our single-hop IPA called The Lost City of Liquid Gold, I’ve been the biggest El Dorado fan. That hop alone helped create Stone Delicious IPA. My least favorite hop would be anything that’s over-hyped that does not consistently live up to its name. I’m not going to call them out, but there is nothing worse than using a big-name hop and having it not be the same quality that you used to know.  

If you weren’t a brewer, what do you think you would do for a living?

Pokémon master

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?

100% delivery driver. Having done that job myself, I know exactly how much work goes into it. There’s so much responsibility from operating a company-marked vehicle and being the representative for every account you drop beer off at, not to mention the physical and mental demands needed to properly route yourself in a safe, timely manner. And let’s not forget the most unoriginal “my car’s over here” joke, which you hear over and over and over and…

What is your favorite beer style?

Brown ale. I know they can be boring to some, but for me they are my Lifeblood.

If you could wipe one style of beer off the face of the Earth, what would it be?

Root beer. Think about it. You grow up drinking this amazing sugary concoction with the word “beer” in it, but it’s just the root of all lies when you finally taste what beer really is. Soooo good though.

What single brewing company’s beers and/or ethos/style has been most influential on your style?

Seeing as I’ve been at Stone for 17 years and still enjoy the “Kool-aid” I’d have to say they are the most influential. It hasn’t been easy by any means, but everything they’ve done over the years has helped shape the state of the craft-beer industry. I personally would not be a beer fan if it wasn’t for Stone and wouldn’t be the brewer I am today without their influence.

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?

This one is really tough seeing as how we are in, hands down, the best city for craft beer, but if I can only pick one, then I will pick the many and go with Pizza Port. Every location has talented brewers making amazing beers.

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?

There are a lot, but nothing will ever beat the hospitality that the folks from Midnight Sun Brewing offered us way back in the day.

What three breweries that you haven’t yet visited—local or elsewhere—are on your current must-see bucket list?

Garage Project in New Zealand, Alaskan Brewing, and all the breweries that have been started up by Stone Alumni. They know who they are.  

If you were to leave San Diego, where would be the next-best place you’d want to brew?

Not that I am, but I’d probably consider opening my own spot. I have family out in Wyoming and I spent plenty of my childhood out there, so that would be ideal for me.

Which musical genre or artists are on your brew-day soundtrack/playlist?

Depends on the mood, but two of my all-time favorites are Psychostick and Wintersleep. However, my playlists can get weird at times.

What motto rules the way you brew and approach brewing in a professional brewhouse?

There are 27 hours in a day, figure it out and get it done. 😊

When you’re not at work, what do you like to do for fun?

Spending time with my wife trying out new spots and relaxing. I’m a big gamer, so when I get the time it’s the perfect break from everything going on in the outside world.

Where do you like to drink off-the-clock?

Bay Hill Tavern, Fast Times or Dan Diego’s

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

I’ve been to so many great beer-and-food pairings that it’s hard to remember all of them. One of my recent memories is from the International Women’s Day Beer Dinner Stone held last year. We paired our Dark Oats oatmeal schwarzbier with marinated portobello, goat cheese, chives, NY medallion, bleu cheese, bourbon-schwartz glaze and tobacco onions. We also had a bourbon version of the beer called the Supreme Dark Oats that was offered with that dish.

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?

Many, many years ago when Brewdog was much, much smaller, James Watt and I shared a bottle of our collaboration called Bashah, but this one was aged in barrels with tayberries. This is the only beer I’ve had that was so fucking good and unique that I teared up a little. As far as food, I would feast upon carne asada nachos. I can never get enough of them and when I do, I feel like I’m gonna die anyway from eating too much. Might have to sneak in some Buenaveza Salt & Lime Lagers since that beer pairs amazingly and I don’t want to waste the Bashah with this. As far as invitees, I would invite all my friends and family like it’s the last supper. Especially Brandon Hernández because he is just an awesome dude and I would feel terrible if he was left out.

Who do you think you are (a purposely broad question)?

I’m an Enigma. If you know me, you know me. Also, just a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude.

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].