Sign-up to receive our Newsletter! Click Here to view our current Newsletters »		Main :: Our Crew :: Featured Crew :: Tom Our Crew, Our Brew: Tom He's battled sea lions for his salmon, cut a tree down for smoking a beer and persevered to land a job at Alaskan Brewing. Tom, featured crewmember in the glazed salmon recipe card, has been working at the Alaskan Brewing Company since 1987. "I had worked in the industry on the retail and distribution side so it made sense to venture into manufacturing," he says. "I showed up every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for a month until Dayton finally hired me." Tom was also an integral part of the first Smoked Porter brew. "We needed alder chips and I brought in the rounds from a tree that I took down at my house," he recalls. Using olive oil in the chainsaw, he and Dayton chipped the wood onto cardboard and the chips were used across the street at the salmon smokery where they smoked the malt. Tom smokes his own fish and sausage. An avid fisherman, he has hauled in a 48-lb. king salmon and a 6-foot tall, 170 lb. halibut, in the same year. He has been caught between the water and a brown bear on the beach while shore fishing on a log. Last year he lost 3 salmon to a sea lion in the Auke Bay area, cutting his line to save the pole. "I just really enjoy being outdoors and sharing time with friends and family, whether we come home with something or not. Of course, it's always better to come home with something." He's fished the Golden North Salmon Derby since he was 8 and has only missed one year in the last 25. "I figure that I've caught fish during the season that are around the same size as the ones that win, so it's just a matter of luck - being in the right place at the right time. I placed 12th in 1996," he adds. Tom is well known at the brewery not only for his ability to catch fish but also for his interest in cooking. "I learned out of necessity after I graduated and moved out. I continued learning through the years with my wife, Shannon." Experimenting first with Chinese and gradually branching out, Tom excels at the company cookoff every year. His Alaskan Amber Pork Carnitas won first place some years back and appeared in a cooking/recipe calendar about the Inside Passage. His specialty is a crown rack of pork done on a grill. Currently into smoking food, he is toying with a salmon sausage recipe but makes his own andouille for favorite cajun dishes. "I like to mix things up a little.a little sweet and hot together are fun. I like to experiment a lot," He says. And the Brew Crew is glad too, after all isn't part of the fun taste testing? << Back to Featured Crew

ALASKAN AMBER :: ALASKAN PALE :: ALASKAN STOUT :: ALASKAN ESB :: ALASKAN IPA :: SMOKED PORTER :: WINTER ALE:: SUMMER ALE WHAT'S NEW :: RECIPES :: FUN STUFF :: GEAR STORE :: OUR BREW :: OUR CREW :: OUR STORY :: OUR HOME PRESS ROOM :: FAQ :: MAIN
Copyright © 2003 - Present. Alaskan Brewing Company, all rights reserved. Click here to read Disclaimer		Alaskan Brewing Company 5429 Shaune Dr., Juneau, Alaska 99801-9540 p (907) 780.5866 E-Mail info@alaskanbeer.com
Site designed by WebWeavers Technology Group LLC™