Katy Benson & Doug Odell

As a biochemistry undergrad in Fort Collins, Colo., Katy Benson was a regular at the Odell taproom. But she never expected that her career would cross paths with Doug Odell years later—she hadn’t even decided to go into brewing yet. When she graduated, “I met one of Charlie Bamforth’s previous grad students,” Benson says, “and she made me aware that I could still go to grad school, still study science, but focus on beer and brewing.” Now Benson is in her second year of the Food Science Masters Program at UC Davis, where she studies hops and their effect on fermentation.

Doug Odell co-founded the second microbrewery in Colorado, Odell Brewing Co., with his wife and sister in 1989. Known as one of the most affable guys in the industry, Odell has overseen the brewery’s production of top-notch beers ever since. He took time out of a brew day (he was about to mash in a Boysenberry Berliner Weisse) to let Benson pick his brain.

What is the best part about your job? The most difficult?
The best part of my job is seeing what our brewery has become in 24 years. It has gone from a one-person operation to an 85-person brewery where people are actively engaged, want to take responsibility, and want the ability to make decisions that positively affect the brewery and their coworkers. I also like the international beer travel, because beer is indeed an international language. It has been a sometimes-difficult transition going from a situation where I made all the decisions to one where I make very few. The upside is I don’t lose sleep over stuff anymore, and it is great to see people develop their talents. I always say, if you just tell a worker what to do, you are wasting talent.

What does your job look like now? Do you get involved on the floor as often as you’d like?
I now spend my time with strategic planning such as our five-year plan, new product releases, beer recipes and developing an exit strategy. I also act as a face of the brewery outside its walls. We want people to know who we are both in the US and internationally. I travel a lot outside the US to judge in competitions, attend seminars and conferences, attend beer festivals where our beer is served (including the International Berlin Beer Festival this past August) and visit breweries. I get involved on the floor when I want to, but I don’t have to, as we have talented people doing everything. I sometimes take part in problem solving and still brew on our pilot system.

Is the brewery still a family operation, and what does that look like?
Yes, the brewery is a family operation. My wife, Wynne is CEO, and my sister, Corkie is the HR director. Most of her children … have worked at the brewery, although only one does now. Both of our children currently work at the brewery. My son is only part-time while he attends Colorado State University. Wynne, Corkie and I are the board of directors.

What advice do you have for people trying to get into the brewing industry?
There are many avenues to enter the brewing industry. From a production standpoint, brewing education is helpful, although at our brewery, we have only hired a couple of people over the years straight from brewing school. We have almost entirely hired from within on the brewing side. We believe that the right person is eminently trainable. What we look for is passion and the desire to be a part of a teamwork environment. … I believe as long as the craft brewing industry is growing, those people who genuinely want to be a part of it will find a way. When we see a person who, in addition to wanting to work in the brewing industry, specifically wants to work at Odell Brewing, they hold a distinct advantage. ■