Chef-turned-brewer Bryan Keilty took a round-about route to his chosen profession—he graduated of the The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. He spent several years cooking at various restaurants throughout the country. It was while cooking in San Diego that he developed a series of successful wine and beer dinners and began home brewing. He caught the beer bug. After deciding he wanted to start brewing professionally, he moved to Portland, a city he calls “the Mecca of beer.” His first brewing job was at hotel-beer giant McMennamins but he eventually moved on to Lompoc Brewing Co in Portland, OR.  This is where he currently the Production Manager and Brewer, and it’s also where he initiated the barrel-aging program that he’s known for. He ages the Lompoc beers in Bourbon and wine barrels, creating inventive and complex beers and opening up a whole new slew of possible flavor profiles.