Lee Chase
Master Brewer
Lee Chase became interested in brewing in 1990, not because of his love of beer (it was pretty
bland back then), but because of his desire to challenge himself to make something different and delicious, while providing
an alternative to "the big three" beers that saturated the market. "The selection was pretty slim--'bud-miller-coors'
was about it-- and when your 17, and looking for flavorful beer...well, you'll just have to make it yourself."
So
Chase started homebrewing with a couple of friends. They were inspired by a 'punk rock ethics and vegetarian cookbook'
called Soy, not OI, and in particular, a recipe which espoused "screw the man, make your own beer!" And
so they did...
After a few years of discovering the vast array of flavors to be had in homebrews, and being enthralled
with the science behind the process, Chase realized his calling and attended UCDavis to study Malting and Brewing Science.
Over the next nine months, his studies helped him pass the prestigious Institute of Brewing's Associate Membership Examination, a 2-day, 9-hour long essay exam covering all facets of the malting and brewing process. With less that a
30% pass-rate world-wide, those that successfully complete the test are recognized as Brewmasters.
Of course,
years of experience are also needed to truly be considered a Brewmaster. So after his studies (and passing the Brewmasters
exam), Chase worked with 3 breweries and a yeast laboratory before committing all of his focus on Stone Brewing Company, a
start-up operation in North County San Diego. Chase had met the owners of Stone Brewing and shared their desire to brew flavorful,
bold, high-quality beers. "It seemed like a good fit: I wanted to make a lot of great beer consistently, and
apply the science that I'd learned in school: not the kind of thing you need to apply to your everyday brew-pub. Our beers
had to go out of the brewery to a store's shelf...for who-knows-how-long! That can be pretty scary!"
A
good fit indeed. Over the 9+ years that Chase was with Stone, the brewery grew from a small time brewery to an Internationally-recognized
icon of craft brewing, culminating in the construction of a $13M brewing facility, and being distributed across 19 states
nationwide. Stone was recognized for it's bold beers, bold attitude, high-quality, and tremendous growth.
In
March 2006, after 4 months of working on Stone Brewing's new brewhouse and training the brewery's staff, Chase decided
to leave the brewery, turning the Head Brewer responsibilities over to an icon of the brewing world, Mitch Steele.
Chase
is currently dividing his time between consulting to help other craft-brewers reach their goals, traveling with his wife,
Jen, and learning more about the world as it relates to beer. He can be reached at mr.lee.chase@gmail.com or you can text
or call 619-200-7522.
