You could say that Brewer Dave McClure is part of the old guard in Atlanta craft brewing, even though he’s not that old. But in a town not known (until recently) for its beer, McClure—who has been at Red Brick for 13 of the brewery’s 18 years—is more veteran than nearly anyone else in town. McClure, who was the only employee at Red Brick when he first started, is the first to say that he’s gained most of his experience the hard way. “I’m happy here, I have a lot of freedom,” he says. “I’ve kind of gained my experience through here and trial and error.”

At Red Brick, Atlanta’s oldest craft brewery—which changed its name from Atlanta Brewing Company in 2010, though its beers have always been known as Red Brick—McClure creates both easy drinking session beers and rich, barrel-aged seasonals. He’s in charge of bottling 2,500 cases a week, and has helped bring in numerous awards for their core Brown and Porter brews.