Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Presented x Mondial de la Bière [June 14-18, 2017 – Montréal]
Who are you:
Matt Tweedy
Your current job:
Brewery Director, Co-Owner – Tooth and Nail Brewing Company
In which city are you located?
Ottawa, ON
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Dedicated
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
My palette. I’m a pretty analog guy.
What does your office space look like?
Right now I have a new office as we have updated our lab. I have a small desk, a laptop, a microscope, and a full coffee station. Oh and a painting on the wall from my daughter.
How large is the brewery?
The brewery has a 15bbl brewhouse with 5-15bbl and 2-30bbl fermentation vessels and one 15bbl brite tank. It’s about 2000 square feet.
The reason you started brewing?
I love beer. I needed to make my own.
What was the inspiration behind your brewery?
We really just want to make high-quality, well-structured beers of varying flavors. Trends will come and go, and we may choose to dabble here and there with them, but at the end of the day, we want every beer to be well brewed with a high degree of drinkability and flavor.
What are the biggest challenges for you as a brewer in Ontario?
I think that the biggest challenges are weathering the storm of the massive amount of growth in the province. We have so many excellent beers and breweries to choose from, but due to the growth, there are way too many products out there of substandard quality. In an era where we are still trying to convert many people over from big beer, these products hurt our goal. Just because you make a good batch of beer at home doesn’t mean you should invest a million dollars and open a brewery.
What kind of music do you listen to when you are working?
It’s pretty eclectic. But if I have control of the music it’s often on the heavier side of things.
Do you have a way to organize your days to optimize your work?
I really don’t. After having been open for a year and a half, it’s on my list of things to accomplish one day. At the end of the day, we work for the yeast.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Less tasting.
What is the best advice anyone has given you?
1.Trust your instincts. 2.Don’t partner with anyone who doesn’t love beer as much as you do.3.Walk don’t run.
What is your routine start and end of the day?
Tasting from all tanks.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
My beer glass.
3 Ontario craft beers that we must try?
1.Amsterdam – Howl2.Collective Arts – Stanger than Fiction3.Indie Ale House – Ritual Madness
But this list is silly… LOTS of great beers out there.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a brewery?
Work at three different breweries before going out on your own.
facebook.com/toothandnailbrewingcompany/
instagram.com/toothandnailbeer
