Colin's Bio

Hi guys,

  I am Colin and this is my Bio… sounds a bit weird but I’m going to take a shot here. 

A little about me, I’m one of the nomads in the group. I was born outside Ottawa Ontario in Canada and I am a Canadian Citizen. I moved to the States when I was about 8. I lived in the south for a majority of my time there (Texas, Louisiana) for a 15 years. So I have a funny accent that is Canadian rounded off with a little Texas drawl. 

But let’s talk about my life in relation to beer.

I remember growing up and stealing my dad’s beer all the time as a child. My favorite joke was “Why did the Chicken Cross the Road?   ...to get to the beer store.”  It really made no sense to me but all the grown ups laughed. I remember trying beer again at the age of 11-12, and I hated it will a passion.  I didn’t drink again until I was 18, and off at University. Texas Christian University to be exact. I slowly got into import beers when I had the chance and I remember sneaking into the Flying Saucer in Ft. Worth with a couple of friends and having my breath taken. I think it was 66 Taps on the wall! All of beers I knew nothing about. As a group we slowly kept going back and back, it was an addiction, but in a good way we just wanted to explore all different styles and beers we could.

 Then came the summer of ‘07 when I need a job.  I applied at the local brewery to help with their website, and somehow got the job. I learned quickly small breweries are fun but are also a lot of work. You handle every and any job that comes your way. I was filling kegs, helping with the bottling line, doing sales run, events, you name it I had a hand in it. This is where I had a turning point in life…

At this time I was on my 6^th Different major at TCU and still had no idea what I was doing with my life.  I was doing a beer tasting at an upscale grocery store. When I lady come up to me and asked, “what are you serving?” I replied “Beer,” she said “I don’t like beer and only drink wine.”  I persuaded her to have a sip, it was free after all and a hot Friday afternoon in Texas. I watched her take a drink and all I saw was a huge smile.  She walked out with a case of beer that day. I made me realize that I could make other people happy while doing something that I was passionate about.

I then moved on to Portland Oregon, a mecca of craft beer in America.  I started home brewing in Portland when I wasn’t working as a Marketing Manager. I traveled to festivals, became a Certified Beer Judge, and tried anything I could get my hands on. My parents were there too and they were very supportive of my new found Love, Thanks Mum and Pops. Then I got the mixed blessing of being laid off and was out of work for about 9 months. I figured I would take a shot and I applied to come to Heriot-Watt for my MSc in Brewing and Distilling and by some twist of fate I got in and flew over here.

And here we are today! I hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor!

Cheers!

Colin Lymer

Brand Development and Design