Beer for Pete's Sake:
The wicked adventures of a brewing maverickby Pete Slosberg
Pete reflects on his life with beer, and shares everything he knows
about beer and brewing. Written for the average person who doesn't know
everything about beer, but would love to ask.
Pete Slosberg charts his life in terms of beer--before and after he
learned to like it. From his first beer at sixteen (he hated it), his
dislike for the taste stayed with him. Then serendipity stepped in. In
1979 he tried making wine. Unwilling to wait five years for it to
mature, he decided to make beer instead because it took only six weeks.
The result was a revelation--he loved it. He was twenty-nine and his
life was forever changed. During the next seven years he became an
avid homebrewer, and word of his excellent ale spread. In 1986, in
partnership with a colleague from ROLM/IBM, he incorporated Pete's
Brewing Company. Their mission was to make a world-class beer and have
fun doing it. They would take the business seriously but not
themselves. It worked.
Pete's is now the second-largest specialty
craftbrewer in the country. The company's success is a reflection of
Pete himself, and his willingness to embrace a slightly wacky,
outrageous approach to the business of beer. He is the most recognized
face behind one of the most recognized craft beers in America.
He
has been called a brewing maverick, a brilliant entrepreneur, an
iconoclast, and a marketing icon. But who is Pete Slosberg really,
this man with the beard and Wicked smile? What happened on the way
from his first homebrew to the Inc. 500 company he founded?
Pete
reflects on his life with beer, his unabashed passion for its place in
history and civilization, and the path that led him from a corporate
career to doing what he loves. This is Pete at his best.
