Meet The Brewer: Simon Siemsgluess (Zerodegrees)

What is your brewery capacity?
15 hl brewhouse from BTB, Germany

What is different about your brewery?
Matching 15hl brewhouse with 10 and 20 hl fermenters, oh, and a whirlpool manhole that is facing a wall, with about a foot of space in between. Not sure if anyone ever went in there, certainly not me.

How long have you been brewing for?
5 Years

How did you get into brewing?

Simon and the brewhouse

Basically a very egoistic reason. I had too much exposure to global brands and missed my favorite German beers while studying in Canada.
I wondered how I could best change that and ultimately decided to start brewing on my own.

What beers do you brew regularly?
Pilsner, Pale Ale, Black Lager, Wheat beer

What special/seasonal beers do you brew?
Everything that I come across in the world or in my imagination. Currently a lot of traditional German special beers such as Dark Wheat Ale,
Maibock, Kölsch, as well as a variety of fruit beers. I’m very interested in international specialties that reflect local resources and traditions

Where do you think the future of brewing lies?
Brewing will not be reinvented anytime soon. The trend will continue towards micro brewing though, bringing back traditional beers as well as introducing innovative and/or international beers on a local or regional level. It remains to be seen though if a well thought out marketing concept can substitute for quality or if the customer will go for the real thing, a fresh, nutritious and high quality brew.

What is you proudest moment in brewing?
Proud is not quite the word but i am happy to have a job I love. Seems to bea rarity these days judging by what I hear from other people.

Do you have any brewing regrets?
None what so ever.

What was last beer you drank?
The last one worth mentioning was an excellent Pale Ale from the Kernel Brewery, situated near London Bridge Station.

What is your brewing ambition?
Making consistently great beer and opening up my own brewery in my hometown (Hamburg, Germany) one day.

Do you have a Brewing hero/inspiration?
Meeting other brewers is generally inspiring, exchanging experiences, learning from them. Not really a profession that brings out an aweful lot of heros, but I do wish to have been there when the first human being accidentily got drunk on indulging a stale slimy puddle of water and crushed grains. And if this very human being is the same that actually figured out a way of achieving the drunken sensation again by systemising the whole process, then that may well be my hero.

Favourite hobby outside of brewing?
Playing drums, all kinds of outdoor activities, snowboarding, surfing.

If you had one superhero superpower what would it be?
The physical ability to ferment

Anything else you want to tell us?
Good luck with the website and keep it going, I like it.