Portrait of a Brewer: Bill Sobieski, Wild Barrel 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…

Bill Sobieski

of Wild Barrel Brewing

What is your current title?

Director of Brewery Operations 

Where did you grow up?

San Diego and Phoenix…Tempe and Scottsdale to be more specific

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

My dad let me taste his homebrew when I was about 10 years old.

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

Imported German beer and Irish stout

What led you to consider a career in brewing?

Seeing what Stone Brewing was doing for craft beer.

Where did you first apply for a brewing job and where did you get your first brewing/brewery position?

Stone Brewing

What breweries have you worked for over your career and in what roles?

Stone Brewing, Bartender/Web Programmer; Hoparazzi Brewing, Co-founder/Brewer; Fall Brewing, Cellarworker; Stumblefoot Brewing, Brewer; Wild Barrel Brewing. co-founder/Brewer/Director of Brewery Operations

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

Ray Astamendi, the co-founder of Fall Brewin. Ray helped train me from being a homebrewer to a pro brewer.

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

Get some good formal training or become an advanced homebrewer for several years first.

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve?

Making customers happy after enjoying our beer.

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

Probably my Mission Impechable sour ale fermented with peaches and nectarines. Many people, including myself, really love that beer.

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

I would have to say anything with coconut. I love coconut, but it’s a real pain to work with. Especially when you use the real thing.

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

Favorite: Citra, Least Favorite: Chinook (it’s a little too earthy for me)

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

Computer programmer

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?

Quality beer starts with keeping things clean throughout the process. If the cellar workers and assistant brewers washing kegs, and CIPing tanks and other equipment don’t do a good job of cleaning, the beer will never taste good.

What is your favorite beer style?

Pilsner 

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

Australasian, Latin American or Tropical-style light lager

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

Russian River Brewing

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company?

AleSmith

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego?

New Belgium

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

Sierra Nevada, J.Wakefield, Dogfish Head

What are your favorite local beer events?

The GuildFest downtown, the Untappd Festival, and the Torrey Pines event that closes out San Diego Beer Week

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

South America, they need some better beer down there and the people are ready for it.

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

LOL! Deep progressive electronic house/trance

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

Of course sanitation and hitting your numbers are important, but for the crew, we all have to work together as a team to make good beer.

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

Studying/creating music

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

I rarely drink off-the-clock. I might have one at our brewery after work. Occasionally, I will visit other breweries or bars of friends of mine and try their beers.

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

Aged Stone Double Bastard Ale paired with chocolate cake.

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?

The food would be traditional German sauerbraten, the beer a variety of lambics, the attendees would be friends, family and anyone in the vicinity that’s hungry.

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

A person who’s doing the best I can with what I have to work with.

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].