EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- “Nobody wants to drink crappy beer.”
Jonathan McPherson, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron F-35 crew chief, turned his love of craft beer into a passion of creating it.
“A couple of guys here at the squadron were homebrewers. I overheard them talking about it and went with them to go check it out. After seeing them brew one time, that was enough for me.”
“I was intrigued by the process, what goes into making beer, the variations in styles and the science behind it. The willingness and attitudes of other craft brewers drew me in. They don’t want you to make crappy beer so they are always willing to give you input or bounce new ideas off of you. It’s a real welcoming environment. “
Mac-P, as he is often referred to by friends, doesn’t share all of his secrets but enjoys sharing with and learning from friends.
“I always hand out my beer, whether it’s other people in the squadron or our pilots, I want honest opinions. If it sucks, let me know it sucks, but tell me why so I can improve upon it or look to what I can change.”
He says the impacts of learning the science and procedure flow further than just suds.
“You’ll discover a lot of things about yourself especially your level of patience working through the process. You learn a lot about problem solving. Some of the most “McGuiveresk” things I have ever done were as a brewer, whether it was piecing things together or improving a process.”
If nothing more, it makes him and others around him happy.
“It’s allowed me to share a passion with other people in a way I didn’t think I would be able to do. And… it helps to raise moral. Everyone loves one-go Fridays and having a little beer at the end of the day.”
It had never even crossed my mind before that.
Within three batches I had transitioned from extract brewing to all-grain brewing.
I enjoy having people try my beer because I want to know if they enjoy it and I want to expose them to craft beer.
I would like to have my own Nano brewery with a tasting room after I retire. I’m setting myself up by competing locally and getting out to talk with other local brewers.
You’re driven because you want to put out a good beer but you want everyone else to do well, because you’re going to be drinking their beer. We obviously don’t want to give away our secrets but the main recipe for beer is generally the same.
I always hand out my beer, whether it’s other people in the squadron or our pilots, I want honest opinions. If it sucks, let me know it sucks but tell me why so I can improve upon it or look to what I can change.
It’s fun. You’ll discover a lot of things about yourself especially your level of patience working through the process.
You also learn a lot about problem solving. Some of the most McGuiveresk things I have ever done were as a brewer whether it was piecing things together or improving a process.
There is more than one way to solve a problem. If you have a well thought out process and empirical data, stick to it. Just like working on the F-35. Whether it’s finding better ways to approach a task for encountering something for the first time, brewing has helped me become more temperate and approach situations with a level head.
Its allowed me to share a passion with other people in a way I didn’t think I would be able to do. It helps to raise moral. Everyone loves one-go Fridays and having a little beer at the end of the day.
“Nobody wants to drink crappy beer.”
Jonathan McPherson, 58th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron F-35 crew chief, turned his love of craft beer into a passion of creating it.
“A couple of guys here at the squadron were homebrewers. I overheard them talking about it and went with them to go check it out. After seeing them brew one time, that was enough for me.”
“I was intrigued by the process, what goes into making beer, the variations in styles and the science behind it. The willingness and attitudes of other craft brewers drew me in. They don’t want you to make crappy beer so they are always willing to give you input or bounce new ideas off of you. It’s a real welcoming environment. “
Mac-P, as he is often referred to by friends, doesn’t share all of his secrets but enjoys sharing with and learning from friends.
“I always hand out my beer, whether it’s other people in the squadron or our pilots, I want honest opinions. If it sucks, let me know it sucks, but tell me why so I can improve upon it or look to what I can change.”
He says the impacts of learning the science and procedure flow further than just suds.
“You’ll discover a lot of things about yourself especially your level of patience working through the process. You learn a lot about problem solving. Some of the most “McGuiveresk” things I have ever done were as a brewer, whether it was piecing things together or improving a process.”
If nothing more, it makes him and others around him happy.
“It’s allowed me to share a passion with other people in a way I didn’t think I would be able to do. And… it helps to raise moral. Everyone loves one-go Fridays and having a little beer at the end of the day."