This is our chance to get to know someone better who is working in the B.C. craft beer industry.
1. Who are you?
I’m Sho (he/him). I come from Osaka, Japan, known for starchy food and noise music. My personal interests are cooking, homebrewing with my partner Novia, and all manner of activities I can do on a couch. I also fill my time researching about issues concerning sexuality, gender and media. Most recently I’m working with Novia on a paper about Asian women and diasporic identity.
2. What do you do?
I’ve worked as a pilot/experimental brewer in the industry for about 6 years, and currently I’m the head brewer at Mountainview Brewing Co. in Hope, which my friends Adam and Danielle opened last November. 3. What is your biggest pet peeve about the industry?
I don’t like the frequent use of the word “community.” I think that the warm, fuzzy sound of the word detracts from the hierarchies within the industry, the exclusions that accompany craft beer culture, and the fact that “taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier.” I think we should critically assess craft beer culture and strive to extend our reach to disparate communities.
4. What do you love most about working in the industry?
I love that there’s always new processes and methods to learn. Once you factor in processes for different styles, numerous methods of producing wort, various yeast/bacteria combinations and fermentation schedules, and the inexhaustible list of methods of evaluation, you can keep learning indefinitely.
5. What is your favourite beer right now?
Dageraad’s Amber. It’s my favourite core beer ever.
6. What local charity should we be paying attention to?
I’ve been looking for a local organization to donate to, and I really like Hope Area Transition Society. They work to provide housing to local people in need and they are proponents of the Housing First approach, which I feel is important.