Bend, Or. Worthy Brewing announced today it has hired Dustin Kellner as its Head Brewer. Kellner, formerly of Laurelwood, will be re-uniting with his friend and mentor, Chad Kennedy, Worthy's Master Brewer.
"Dustin's an outstanding brewer," said Kennedy, who worked with Kellner from 2007 to 2011. "He's creative, he's seldom satisfied, he loves experimenting with new hops, and he pays attention to details.
Citing Dustin's former life as a carpenter who built yachts, Kennedy continued: "Dustin's not in a hurry. He takes the time to get it right. And he's always on the hunt for well balanced beers that people want to drink. We're going to have a lot of fun tinkering on our pilot brew system."
"I'm pumped up to work with Chad again," said Kellner, whose career in craft started in 2006 at BridgePort brewing. "I'm excited about helping Chad create a completely new beer line up from scratch. I'm a big fan of the 'West Coast' IPA but as a brewer the juice for me is in the seasonals. The opportunities for new and surprising flavors are unlimited."
"Add in Worthy's tight connection with hops, including new hop varieties, and I'm like a kid in a candy store," he said. "I'm looking forward to perfecting 'drinkable' session beers that are lighter on malt but bigger on hop flavor without the harsh bitterness."
Worthy Brewing is on schedule to begin brewing in early December. Their 4 vessel, 30 barrel system is being installed at press time and the 3 barrel pilot brew system is scheduled for start up in early December.
"Chad and Dustin will give Worthy that one-two punch," said Chris Hodge, Worthy's Chief Beertopian. "They make a great team with a proven track record of brewing great beer. And they both look good in rubber boots."
Hodge reports that Worthy will be operational by the end of the year but will officially open it's doors in early February. Worthy is currently putting the finishing touches on its restaurant, hop garden, beer garden and greenhouse.
Worthy Brewing Restaurant and Gardens will be holding a job fair on December 18th and 19th. We will be hiring approximately 35 employees for front and back of the house staff for our restaurant.
