Peter Hoey has been brewing beer for more than a third of his life—and he’s only 30. Formerly the brewmaster at the now-defunct Sacramento Brewing Company, he currently co-owns Odonata Beer Company, where he’s making a name for himself on Sacramento’s craft beer scene. Hoey’s first release, Rorie’s Ale, made RateBeer’s 2010 list of top 100 beers of the world. You can find it at Corti Brothers.
A passion for beer making—He grew up in a wine family. “My grandmother was from Healdsburg, and there’d always been really good wines in the house. Making beer wasn’t that much of a departure. I was home-brewing as a hobby, and I got the opportunity to brew in a professional setting. I jumped at the chance.”
His favorite beer—Saison, a Belgian-style, low-alcohol pale ale. “Saison is a rustic farmhouse ale. It’s very light and effervescent while at the same time being very complex. We’re brewing a saison as our flagship beer.”
Pairing advice—Food and beer go together. “Where beer really shines, but wine can falter a little bit, is with spicy food. Anything with a little heat to it works really well with a variety of different beers.”
Buy local—Beer drinkers can be locavores, too. “My big thing is you should buy beer from someone you know. We want to be a leader in local beer and encourage people to buy other locally grown and made items as well.”
On people who say they don’t like beer—“They’ve not tried enough beer. There’s a whole world of beers out there. I guarantee you that I could find you a beer that you would enjoy.”
