There’s no doubt that head brewer Matt Wiley is the backbone of BHZ’s brewing team. He’s always thinking about new ingredients, flavors, and techniques—and has helped create and brew some of our most memorable styles.
Keep reading 5 Minutes with… Matt Wiley to learn more.
What’s your role at BHZ? Head brewer … been here about four or five months.
Where are you from originally? Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
What makes BHZ a great place to work? For me it’s the everyday environment and feeling of being a part of a team. No stress and there aren’t people you don’t want to work with. Work environment can be toxic at a some places in the brewing industry, but Barrel House Z is not like that.
Why should beer enthusiasts visit BHZ? Unlike a lot of breweries, we try to produce as many styles as possible. If you’re interested in something more than just an IPA, you can come to Barrel House Z and get something really great. And we have great IPAs too!
Favorite thing about working in the craft beer industry? The influx of people who want to come in and learn about something they know nothing about. There’s always people who are interested in getting into craft beer. They can apply their particular background and become a really successful member of the team. An engineer, chemist, they can all come in and be successful if they put in the time and effort.
Favorite BHZ beer? One we just released called Red, White, & Brew. It’s a cream ale. Super easy-drinking and really clean. I found myself continuously drinking it. When it kicked, we were all really upset.
Favorite non-BHZ beer? I don’t know if I have one particular favorite, but there are breweries that I seek out. Those are Allagash, up in Maine, and Firestone Walker in California. If I had to choose one desert-island beer, it would be Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale.
Favorite place to enjoy a beer? Anywhere I’m around friends and with my dog. ( Shout out to Meatloaf!)
What do you do in your free time? When the weather is nice, I play a lot of ultimate frisbee. I’m in three leagues right now and I wish I was in more. I hang out with my team outside of work and spend a lot of time chasing my dog around. I like to play Dungeons & Dragons. I’m an avid runner. I try to escape the city whenever I can, traveling whenever I have the opportunity.
If you could meet with one fictional character in real life, who would it be? There’s a new Dune movie coming out, so I would say Leto Atreides.
Interviewed by Catherine Rice