So Much Amazing Beer

Tyson Hunt is the Captain at Logboat Brewing Company in Columbia, Missouri. He's currently serving as the vice president of the board of directors.

Meet Tyson Hunt, Captain of Logboat Brewing Company in Columbia, Missouri. Tyson is serving as the vice president of the Guild's board of directors and has been in the craft beer business for five years. 

How did you get started in the craft beer industry?
I was in a band with my business partners and we were making music and making beer in my garage. The beer was turning out better than the music and we saw an opportunity to bring something fun and exciting to Columbia, MO.

What's your "why?" or what gets you out of bed each day?
Producing something creatively that has never existed before while working alongside the most amazing people I have ever known. 
 
What was your first-ever craft beer?
Probably a Boulevard Wheat and/or a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. New Belgium Fat Tire was also an early craft beer for me, as was Sam Adams Boston Lager. The classics.

What does your job entail at the brewery?
I spend a lot of time analyzing spreadsheets, financial statements, and making sure we can pay our bills and make payroll while meeting our sales and production goals. I also work on a lot of legal issues associated with producing an alcoholic beverage, and spend a good deal of time developing our business through various local organizations and networking opportunities.

What do you do with your free time?
I head to the Lake of the Ozarks as often as possible to spend time with my family at our lake cabin. Boating, fishing, and relaxing on my dock with a cold beer in hand is my happy place. I also love to play golf, travel, camp, and explore our beautiful rivers, woods, and adventurous places. Oh, and I still love to play music with my partners in our band from time-to-time.

If you could work on a collaboration beer with any other craft brewery, who would it be?
Oh dang, that's a really tough one. Besides our numerous friends in the state of MO craft beer scene whom we have yet to brew with, I'd pick Garage Project in Wellington, New Zealand for a couple of reasons. One, I've always wanted to visit New Zealand, and two, they are making some interesting beers at several locations in New Zealand. They have a dedicated "experimental" brewery where they are working on spontaneous, mixed culture and wild ferments, and have even started dabbling in wild wine fermentation. That would be an amazing trip to take with the Logboat crew.

What is your favorite thing about the craft beer industry?
The beer. So much amazing beer. I love beer.

What's the best beer you've ever had?
I got to pull a nail on a barrel in Cascade Barrel House's cellar (Portland, OR) for a beer that never made it to the public because they drank it all. It was called White Christmas, and it changed my life.

What's one fun fact about you?
I was a semi-professional wakeboarder when I was 19 years old and competed nationally in a U.S.-based amateur wakeboarding circuit.

Why did you join the Missouri Craft Brewers Guild?
The Guild provides us all in the craft beer industry in MO to have a collective voice in order to advocate for our needs, protect our industry, and have a blast with like-minded people!

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