2008, that’s at least how long I’ve known Brian and Nicole Cendrowski. Nicole was the lead gnome at PR firm Big Gnome (RIP) and Brian was beer blogging at Untamed Beer (RIP-ish?).
I’m not 100% sure starting a brewery was their goal back then. It wasn’t as obvious a path as it is now. But their passion was beer and bringing friends together. We were invited to countless brew days at their house. They were home brewing. We were BBQing or just sampling past home brews.
Over the years, they kept hammering on their passion while finding ways to make money. Brian cleaned kegs at Thomas Creek for a while. They both learned to sell the Sandler way. Something worth trying, but only if it makes sense for you.
Over the July 4th week, I spent real-time at Fireforge Crafted Beer. The physical result of over a decade of passion shared with the world. The beer is untamed. The experience is big gnomed. The hospitality is Brian and Nicole.
I love to see passion pursued. Congrats guys!