Episode 130: Russ Heissner & Becoming A Craft Beer Pioneer
“There’s going to be an astounding number of setbacks. Your ability to deal with the setbacks and continue to move on is what’s going to separate you from everyone else.”
On this week’s episode of the Eat Green Make Green Podcast I sit down with craft beer pioneer Russ Heissner. Russ is the Founder and Brewer of Barrel House Z, a craft brewery in Weymouth, MA.
We talk about why Russ decided to attend one of the best fermentation science institutions in the world, UC Davis, as a young man, how he was hired by Harpoon Brewery and brewed the first ever Harpoon beer in his apartment in Brighton in the 80’s, how he went on to help build over 50 breweries across the country, how he ended up at energy giant BP creating biofuels, the parallels between beer and alternative fuels, what led him back into the craft beer world, the starting and evolution of Barrel House Z over the past 5 years, what he recommends to entrepreneurs starting a business and raising capital, and how he’s trying to make craft beer more sustainable. Russ is a rare talent, a friend, and an exceptional brewer and artist.
Show Notes