Portrait of a Brewer: Cody Gagnon, WestBrew

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…

Cody Gagnon

of WestBrew

What is your current title? 

Head Brewer for WestBrew

Where did you grow up? 

I was born in Oceanside, but I was raised in Murrieta, about 45 mins north of there.

What brought you back to San Diego County? 

I lived in my hometown most of my life and was ready for a change of scenery. I got a job brewing at Mother Earth Brew Co. in Vista, and moved to San Diego County. I’ve been here since and don’t intend on leaving North County any time soon. I love the community here, with many of my closest industry friends a few blocks away.  

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

My first alcoholic beverage was a Guinness. My dad would always have Guinness stocked in our house. That comes from our Irish family roots. I would say my first craft beer was Red Trolley from Karl Strauss.

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

I was 21 years old and working as a barback at a local Irish pub in Temecula called Kilarney’s. They offered a wide variety of local craft beers from all over. From barrel-aged stouts, IPAs, super-exclusive releases and everything else under the sun, it had a great selection. Each shift I would sample a different beer to understand how to describe it to the guests. The more I learned about the styles and what makes them unique, the more I started to really dive into craft beer. After that, I got a job at Karl Strauss and just ran with it. Working for Karl Strauss really opened up a whole other door to the craft-beer scene I had never known. The beer education I received was some of the most valuable experience I’ve gotten. Such great leadership and care for the employees was amazing to see.

What led you to consider a career in brewing? 

I was finishing my degree at CSU San Marcos and really had no idea what I wanted to use my communications degree for. I was working at Karl Strauss, had started homebrewing on the weekends and really started making some decent beer. Then I got a chance to brew my own recipe on the system at Karl Strauss’ Temecula brewpub. To be able to brew my own recipe and see the guests’ reaction to my beer was something I was so proud of. After that I decided to finish my degree, enroll in the UCSD brewing program and focus my career in brewing. I don’t see myself leaving the career field anytime soon either.

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

I was helping at the Karl Strauss pub in Temecula. It had a seven-barrel pub system with one fermenter and two serving tanks. While I was helping there, I got a job at Black Market Brewing in Temecula handling cellar operations where I managed all of the fermentation for the 22 tanks they had at the time.

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

I worked at Karl Strauss, Black Market, Mother Earth, Pizza Port and, now, WestBrew. I’ve done just about everything in my career, including brewing, packaging, filtration, centrifuge, sour-beer production and installation. The best part about this job is there’s always something new to learn. Each practice was made to be better and does something else to make the beer better. That’s why we do this, right?

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

I would say the people who helped me learn the most were Sam Zermeno and Matt Dale. I worked with those guys at Black Market (Sam) and Karl Strauss (Matt). Working hard in the brewing industry isn’t enough to become a  great brewer. You have to know the malts, hops and yeast strains. That comes with making great beer. They helped me early in my career to lay a great foundation for the brewer I am now and we’re still good friends to this day.

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

Get ready to clean. If you’re not a clean person then you need to start being one. Clean beer starts with a clean work environment. Also, understand that you make alcohol. You should always enjoy making the beer more than drinking it. Be sure to always keep a balance of work and play separate from the workplace.

What ultimate career goal would you like to achieve? 

I would like to earn the Master Brewer’s certificate at the Institute of Brewing and Distilling. I love continuing my education and learning more about brewing is the best kind of learning I can do. One thing COVID has brought to our lives is having so much schooling that can take place at home. Everyone learns differently and I’m more of a learn-at-my-own-pace kind of guy. Traditional learning has never been all that great for me.

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

Dang, that’s a tough question. Usually my favorite beer is the newest beer I make, but if I had to pick one beer for the rest of my life, I would pick Liquid Sol, our Mexican lager. We don’t brew that year-round but that’s probably my favorite beer to date.

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

I’ve had some pretty bad homebrews in my day. Infected, couple months old…you name it, I’ve tasted it. Those all can get looped in as my worst, but making mistakes is how you learn. Wouldn’t take it back, that’s for sure.

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

My favorite hop varieties are definitely El Dorado, Simcoe, Mosaic, Motueka and Citra. I could use those five hops for the rest of my life and be perfectly content. I don’t particularly have a least-favorite hop, but I don’t use much of Falconer’s Flight or some of the noble hops. Right now WestBrew’s beers have a touch of that West Coast citrus, so it doesn’t fit the style all the time, but I can appreciate all hops. I just might not throw some in a recipe.

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

Probably doing something in marketing or computer-related. I’ve always been really intrigued with the technology industry.

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? 

1,000% the servers and beertenders. They’re on the front lines and, often times, are overlooked or undervalued. The impression of the brewery is based off the experience that people have with their servers or beertenders. Making sure your team is educated on the beer, can differentiate between styles that people like is crucial. Not everyone likes stouts or hazies, but finding the right beer for each person should always be the goal. Once they find that beer, it will keep the guest happy and keep them talking about what a great time they had at the new brewery they went to.

What is your favorite beer style (you only get to pick one, though if you have to do a two-way tie, we’ll accept it)? 

I would say it’s between dry-hopped lagers and pale ales. I couldn’t pick between them both, but If I only had to brew those two styles I would be a super-happy brewer. And they both go great with sushi!

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

Belgian ales…just not my cup of tea. I appreciate them, but I just don’t find myself drinking them very often.

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

Karl Strauss. The values that Karl Strauss himself stood for have shaped my brewing career. It starts with helping others and just being a good person; having empathy towards people and understanding that everyone has an opinion and it’s okay to be different. Keeping education first and always trying to learn something new is something I still find myself doing every day. It was my time at Karl Strauss that taught me that.

What is your favorite San Diego County brewing company? 

WestBrew, first and foremost.  I’m loyal to the brand we’re building. I love our team also. Outside of that, Karl Strauss and Pizza Port. Those are some of the godfathers of craft beer and I had the privilege to work and brew for both. From the core values to the staples of beer they’ve made, I will always love drinking the beer they make and continue to support the company they’ve built. I guess I had to pick one and gave three. Ha! It’s a three-way tie for first.

What is your favorite brewing company outside of San Diego? 

That’s a tough one. There are so many great breweries outside of California. I would say Great Notion Brewing is one of them. I love the brand and the beers they make are phenomenal. I’m a huge fan of Deschutes. I can usually find Fresh Squeezed IPA on draft at chains, so that’s always a go-to of mine. The Pacific Northwest water profile really makes clean, soft, well-rounded beers. I tend to gravitate towards those types of beers when they’re an option.

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

Well, I would definitely say visiting the Guinness factory in Ireland would be amazing; very much a full-circle moment. Trillium Brewing on the East Coast. I have family in the Boston area, so a visit to them would be amazing. Lastly, Sierra Nevada. The Pale Ale is probably the only beer I buy in bottles anymore and it still tastes amazing.

What are your favorite local beer events? 

Collabapalooza is probably one of my favorites. So many great breweries combining their skills to make a new rad beer makes it one of my favorites.

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

Colorado or Northern California, but my wife wants to stay in North County, so I don’t see us leaving anytime soon. I love the beach area and having it 75 degrees almost every day is hard to beat.

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

Man, I don’t know where to start. I named all of our fermenters after a favorite musician, so music plays a huge influence in my life. Rap, rock, electronic music, reggae…the list goes on and on. Some of the favorites are J-Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Steely Dan, Bob Marley, The Beattles, Rebelution, A Tribe Called Quest, Zeds Dead and Excision. For the sake of keeping this list from getting longer, that’s where I’ll stop, but I will add Surfaces, Ab-soul, Blink-182 and Saosin. I grew up in the ‘90s, but my throwback is pretty ‘90s-heavy.

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

I always ask myself this question: “What does your palate tell you?” I close my eyes and pinpoint a flavor profile and style, then I imagine which flavors I want to shine and start building a recipe that centers around them. I always want the flavors to complement each other, and never take away from one another. I always try to keep everything very simple, two or three hops and usually no more than four malts. Some of our raw materials have so much flavor packed in that when you add too much you don’t know what’s going on. Everything needs to be clean and well-rounded. Giving the appropriate balance to each style is so important.

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

Spending time with family, camping, listening to vinyl and cooking. I’m a wanna-be chef at home, but love exploring the flavors in the kitchen just like I do with brewing beer.

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

Culver Beer Co., Pizza Port Bressi Ranch, Craft Coast and, now, Pure Project Brewing in Vista. I have some close friends that work there, so it’s always good to pop in for a pint and swap beer stories.

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

Liquid Sol Mexican lager and fish tacos, hands down. I’m a sucker for fish tacos and an ice-cold pint.

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 definitely be tacos for dinner with a Mosaic session IPA from Karl Strauss. The people around me would be my wife and family plus the dogs. My family is so important to me and who I am. I would be nothing without them and their support over the years. And if I get to extend the invite to someone else, it would be Bill Murray and Jim Carrey. Now that’s a hell of a dinner party. Alriiiightttyyyy then!!!

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

I would like to think I’m an empathetic, anti-social extrovert to quote K-dot (Kendrick Lamar). I’m a man of God and rely on my faith as my biggest support. In a world where there is so much anger and judgment, being kind and caring about people is more important than ever. I’m reserved in nature but socially outgoing and love talking beer. I always want to be teaching and showing people the way I do things, helping people and just treating people how they want to be treated. We could all use a little more love in our lives. Slow down and just live in the moment. I don’t get caught up in what other people are doing because I want to be true to myself. Being genuine and understanding that I’m not here for a long time, just a good time. I do something I love. That’s why I choose to make beer and make as many friends along the way who share the same ideas as me. Be kind and genuine.