We recently connected with Joseph Flores and have shared our conversation below.

Joseph, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Learning the Craft of brewing beer is without a doubt a quest of passion and determination. I remember starting in this industry over 10 years ago and finding work wasn’t that hard if you were willing to start at the bottom and learn and even easier if you were willing to work for free. As someone who knew this is what I wanted to do with my life working for free was a no brainer if it meant I would learn all the things needed to be a successful and reputable brewer. I will say in the beginning I wish I had jumped around to more breweries learning multiple skill sets ( which I did do after about 3 years of brewing professionally). The more you can learn from others the better you yourself can be at whatever it is you’re determined to learn. Never be afraid to ask for help it’s the best way to learn and grow as a professional and a person in general. I know for me I wouldn’t be half the craftsman I am today without the generous help of more experienced brewers. Having brewed professionally for over a decade now I can say learning is a never ending pursuit and is one of the best parts of my job!

Joseph, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

The year was 2011 and I broke my ankle skateboarding while working 2 dead end jobs. I realized during this period of not being mobile that I did not want to spend the rest of my working life doing dead end jobs for big corporations. My heart was always in making things with my hands and creating a community hub for the town I’ve lived in my entire life. Luckily at the time a friend of mine had started to homebrew, at the age of 19 not being able to buy good beer myself this excited and intrigued me like nothing ever had. After some years of homebrewing when I broke my ankle I realized that this could be the career I’ve been looking for and the idea of doing something I loved made me excited to work for the first time in my life! After volunteering at my local homebrew shop a few times and getting hired in said store a local small brewery offered me a part time job helping the owner brew and clean. This would be my first professional brewing job which lead to many other opportunities in my career including my first awards as a professional brewer. It helped me to network and develop lasting friendships and relationships that have helped me to this day in my pursuit to be a part of an amazing community of people who support and care for each other!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me being able to create liquids that bring people together and brings smiles to faces has been one of the most rewarding parts of brewing beer in my community. Having an idea that may seem a bit off the wall and may turn out bad but some how executing that idea perfectly and making an amazing product is always a rush.

One example that comes to mind is a collaboration I did the local Pudding shop (Pudn) using their pudding and nilla wafers we brewed a porter that was aged in rum barrels and infused with banana and vanilla. I was very nervous about this beer but very excited with the final product. Very rewarding indeed and the beer is still talked about among regulars of the 2 businesses.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The life lesson I would say this career has taught me to unlearn ( at least in a professional setting) is that loyalty is rewarded. After spending 3 years at my first brewery I had hoped for a raise and more trust in the brewery for recipe development. However after a small confrontation with the owners son over beer sales I was let go. I was almost immediately offered a job at another local brewery for more pay and much more responsibility which grew my confidence as a creative and brewer and eventually my bank account as I learned my own value as a creative yet reputable beer maker. Each new job over the years brought me more money and opportunities to grow in the industry I love so much! I would say be loyal to yourself not the companies you work for because usually and unfortunately you are replaceable to them.

Contact Info:

• Website: Oscarsbrewingcompany.com
• Instagram: Oscarsbrewingcompany
• Facebook: Oscar’s Brewing Company
• Yelp: Oscar’s Brewing Company
• Other: Personal Instagram @inoroshijoe

Image Credits
4thosewhocreate