It didn’t take long for Dan Anderson to catch the homebrewing bug after moving to San Diego in 2012. And after landing a server job at Gordon Biersch’s Mission Valley brewpub, it didn’t take him long to work his way into professional brewing. Once brewmaster Doug Hasker took notice of a certain something, Anderson found himself in the brewery and under the tutelage of one of the most respected brewers—and the foremost lager brewer—in San Diego. He went on to split time between Gordon Biersch and its sister brewpub, La Jolla’s Rock Bottom Brewery, before taking over as head brewer at the latter when another of his mentors, Head Brewer Carli Smith, moved on. Now, Anderson is the one moving on. Next month, he and his wife will pull up stakes and depart for Austin, Texas, where Anderson has been hired as Lead Brewer at Zilker Brewing.
“While pub brewing has been a dream come true, I have been looking for an opportunity to grow outside of my current skill set. I had been leaning toward production-style breweries, but small enough operations to allow for some creativity and have a good footing in the community,” says Anderson. “I had been admiring the Austin beer community from afar for some time and Zilker was always on my radar. Aside from producing fantastic beer, the brewery checked most of the boxes I had been looking for.”
Anderson says Zilker is involved in the community, exhibits admirable attention to detail and values creativity. The latter attribute was something he enjoyed during his time heading production at Rock Bottom, where he was free to brew any beer he could dream up with full support from management. Anderson maintained that role from 2017 until CraftWorks Holdings (CWH) shuttered Rock Bottom’s La Jolla location in February, ending its 22-year run. In July 2019, CWH had closed Gordon Biersch’s Mission Valley location, and the property was quickly snatched up by San Diego-based Mexican-food chain Puesto, which hired Hasker on to head brewing. When Rock Bottom closed, Hasker brought Anderson aboard at Puesto Cerveceria to help out while he looked for a new opportunity more in line with his experience.
“Dan showed more interest and a will to learn that made him among the best of my assistants over the years. He turned into someone I trusted whole heartedly to look after the brewery,” says Hasker of his protégé. “I’m excited for Dan’s future. He’s proven he can run a brewery with his time at Rock Bottom, and Zilker seems to be a perfect fit for him, not only with beer styles and freedom, but with leaving California for unknown adventures.”
“After Rock Bottom closed, I had been entertaining the idea of moving to many different locations. It is something that my wife Cait and I have discussed for a few years, and it seemed it was a good time for change,” says Anderson. In selecting Austin, he will not only take on a job he is excited about, but also reunite with a pair of sisters and their families who reside there. Still, he and his wife acknowledge that they are leaving a lot behind. “We love living in San Diego and are going to miss everyone and everything very much. All of the amazing people in this industry, from acquaintances to good friends will be missed the most, although, with the level of connection we now have in the world, they won’t seem too far away.”
Zilker was founded in 2015 in East Austin and distributes all of its beers within the Central Texas market. The company recently expanded its brewing capabilities to allow for increased production of small-batch and seasonal beers.
“Dan has a strong sense of community and a true passion for creating great beer,” says Zilker co-founder Forrest Clark. “With lagers becoming increasingly popular in Texas, his history with lager experts like Gordon Biersch can only help continue to grow our lager offerings. We’re excited to welcome Dan to the team.”
In the lead brewer role, which Anderson will assume in mid-January, he will be in a senior-level brewing position that will call on him to be, as his new title alludes to, a team leader. He will take some of the workload off of the head brewer and be involved in recipe development and some administrative duties.
“The choice to leave is purely based on the desire for adventure and change. The Austin beer community is burgeoning right now, along with food-and-beverage culture as a whole,” says Anderson. “There is some world-class beer coming forth from Austin and I am looking forward to being a part of this generation of craft growth. Come visit. Austin really is as cool as they say.”
Zilker Brewing is located at 1701 East Sixth Street in Austin, Texas