We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kyle Harrop . We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kyle below.
Hi Kyle, thanks for joining us today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
I think people will remember me as somebody who really pushed the boundaries of craft beer in San Diego. I made beer styles that were not typical for the area and introduced a business model that had not been seen before. I created a new beer style, CrystAle, and was one of the pioneers of Pastry Stout on the west coast. I will also be remembered for always using exotic andjuncts and high end barrels to age my beers. While everything the past eight plus years has been very small batch, I try to make each beer very different than any other I have brewed in the past. I will be remembered as somebody who did not let cost of ingredients deter them from trying something new. It has been quality over quantity and will remain that way until I hang my boots up for good.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I homebrewed for about a decade and then started Horus while working a full time aerospace career. I did both jobs for five years and have been mostly concentrating on beer since. I have won more Mazer Cup medals than any other brewer, along with medals at FOBAB and the International Craft Beer Awards. I collaborated with more breweries than any other brewer out there I am pretty sure. I also got to work with amazing people outside of the beer industry like Albert Tamm, Neil Kamimura, Run the Jewels, and Thrice. Before Covid, I made Disneyland a proprietary beer called Happy Hawk. I got to make Bottleworks their 25th Anniversary beer. I have donated disc golf baskets to build new courses and add onto existing courses in Southern California. I have been very fortunate to dip my toes in lots of different fun adventures because of beer.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Like many other businesses in 2020, I had to change my business model. I was kegging a lot of beer for the amusement park, festivals, and tap takeovers, but that all ended when things shut down. Then, I began packaging every drop of liquid I made into bottles. As a result, I grew my bottle club from the initial amount of 200 members to 600 and sold through them exclusively for a few years, and have continued with a few small exceptions ever since.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
Leading up to opening, I got the opportunity to collaborate with some great established professional breweries. Then, when I opened the first beers were very well received, especially Proper Dose. People started identifying Horus with high quality and the demand increased substantially. You have to make good beer nowadays because there are too many other good breweries out there in this day and age, so making sure everything I release is the best version of itself has been instrumental in my success.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.horusbeer.com
- Instagram: @horusagedales
- Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xt9qOF16vwM