As for a college student about to graduate with a history degree who was not relishing the thought of graduate school, becoming a professional brewer sounded pretty good. I began to hustle for a job in the craft brewing industry. There was an offer from a brewery in Idaho to come be an assistant brewer that I couldn’t take advantage of. There was an actual ‘interview’ for a job that didn’t exist at a (now huge) San Francisco area brewery. Awkward! When I moved to Durango, CO, after college, there was almost another assistant brewer job in Ouray, but I am a Southern boy from Alabama. That means I was terrified of the thought of driving one of the most avalanche-prone stretches of highway in the US twice a day in the winter. Not a commute I was ok with.

Then, a lot of life happened. I was married. Kids came. I was a single dad, responsible for the raising of three kids. I was married again and now raising four kids. I fell into working in Information Technology. That career field has been good to me and my family, and has allowed me to get to a position in life from which I can take a chance on an old dream. Through it all, I brewed beer. And I dreamed. While I am very good at what I do for a living, I’ve never really fit into the corporate environments in which I’ve worked. It always felt like I should be doing something else.

So, the dream of Half Batch Brewing has once again risen from the ashes, like some kind of beer phoenix. I’m opening Half Batch Brewing to share with people the thing that I love. I was never talented in any way that people consider artistic, but I think of brewing beer as my way of artistic expression. My goal is to brew the best beer I can possibly brew. Every time. Hence the motto “Half Batch Brewing – Never Half Ass”. I hope all of you enjoy my creations.

Nathan S. Newton
Founder, Half Batch Brewing