Uncap: Ken Wilson

Ken Brewing and Tasting NC

I present to you, “Uncap”. An interview series dedicated to uncapping some of my favorite people and breweries. Today, I interview Ken Wilson, an IG-er from North Carolina who shares in my distaste of Shiner Beer, but we just haven’t found the right one yet. Anyway, he’s serious about craft, so much so that he just finished his Associates Degree in Brewing, Distillation and Fermentation. What an accomplishment!

So let’s get to it.
First, I gotta know, what’s been the go to beers for you right now?

I was drinking a bunch of imperial stouts and such through the Christmas holidays, but I got tired of them a little and I’ve been drinking a bunch of IPAs recently.

Ok, now, for those that aren’t following you already, what is @brewing_tasting_nc all about? What’s your passion? What drives you?

@brewing_and_tasting_nc is all about beer…the entire process from beginning to end. From raw ingredients to converting them into beer to finally tasting. Although, it tends to be more about tasting. 🙂 I haven’t had time to brew in the last few months. My passion is beer! I love to brew and taste beer. My drive is to share with others what beer I’m tasting. I like sharing that through pictures and trying to be creative with them. I log beers into Untappd when I think about it. But, Untappd doesn’t focus on the picture as much as I like, so I’m go more towards Instagam, Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter.

What were you doing when you had your very first beer?

I was way too young to talk about when I had my very first beer. I will only tell you it was Coors Light. 🙂 But, I’d love to tell you about my “craft beer” epiphany. BTW, I don’t like using the term “craft beer”, I only use it when someone needs distinction.

What do you mean by that? 

Beer is beer…it’s all initially crafted. It just gets produced in different size batches. What most people refer to as “craft beer” I call “small batch” beer. There have been many beers that were great when they were brewed in a small batch, but they got popular and start being produced in larger quantities and I think some of the flavor is lost. Anyway…off my soap box and back to the question. Up until a few years ago, I would only drink Coors Light. My Brother-in-law was always drinking Sam Adams. He was from Boston, so I would tell him, “You’re just drinking that cause you’re from there and trying to be cool down here.” Well, one night I was in Chapel Hill at Top of The Hill Restaurant and Brewery for dinner. I thought I’d try out one of their “in-house” beers. All of them were named with some sort of UNC Tarheel reference. Being an NC State Wolfpack guy, I refused to say any of the names. I told the server to surprise me. He said, “How about the IPA?” I had no idea what he was talking about, but said, “Sure…” When I had the first sip…at that moment…it was the best tasting beer I’d ever had!! Then I was hooked.

That’s a pretty cool story!! What is your most sought after beer and why? Are there any you think is overrated?

I really don’t have a sought after beer. I like to taste all the beers. Once I’ve had one, I usually move on to something different. Even my top favorite beers, I don’t drink over and over. I pride myself that I never drink the same beer consistently or consecutively. I have some go to’s, but it depends on where I am and my mood. I don’t get much into rating beers. I’ve stopped rating beers on Untappd and just write what I get out of it. I just think about what flavors I’m getting and if it works for me. Everybody is different and has a different palate. I’m not going to tell others they’re wrong by saying a beer is overrated. Kinda like politics… 😉

So, How did you get such a spot on impression of the #brewsteel by @babels_cameron. Did you ask her first? Did you go into D9 Brewing thinking, I’m going to re do her or did it just happen?

I don’t know, man…I just did it. I guess I’ve  seen her do it in her pictures so much. It’s a distinct look and she uses it often. She’s very good at branding! No, I didn’t ask her. I knew she had been to D9 because a friend of mine was the head brewer there at the time she was there. I commented on her picture about it. So, when I visited and saw the map of Lake Norman, I recognized it. Then I just did it on a whim and being silly. That’s why I initially posted it on My Story…so it would go away eventually. I honestly didn’t even think she’d ever see it. It was the first time I used text in a story picture and I didn’t know I was tagging her. Next thing I know, it said a DM had been sent. I was like uh oh. But, she apparently loved it. She’s pretty cool!

From L-R. Ken & Babels, but I’m sure you could tell.

Last question, if it was your last hour on earth, what brew will you uncap? 

WOW!! That’s tough! In all honesty though…it really depends on what mood I’m in at that moment. I can say for sure that it would be an IPA or an Imperial Stout!

Ken, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer these questions and being the first Uncapper on Uncap! Followers follow Ken on his social media places. I’ll link them below!!
INSTAGRAM

FACEBOOK

TWITTER