EP-090 Drew Larson of Leaders Beverage

Drew Larson — he’s one of this people that’s everyone’s favorite person. He’s funny, smart, affable, and other than brewers themselves, I don’t think there’s a guy in Chicago that works harder behind the scenes to bring you a great beer. Drew has an interesting road to beer — he was in the military, went to culinary school, became a sommelier, then a cicerone, then studied draft technology while he was working at the Hopleaf managing the beverage program. He’s also an incredible hobbyist. We’ll get in to that right at the start here. And eventually, all that obsession and curiosity lead him to start a company called Leaders Beverage. He now handles the design, installation, and maintenance of draft systems in a growing number of bars, breweries and restaurants in Chicago. And he does it all with a singular approach to quality and businesses sense that you won’t find in most people who just want to clean your lines. This guy cares about the health of the industry overall, and his clients’ businesses specifically. In fact, his company maintains the six lines we have here at GBH studio. He’s the reason I’m confident having six stainless steel flow control taps pouring some of the best beer in the city on any given day. I know it’s going to taste right. So let’s get into it with Drew and learn a lot more about draft maintenance, how it affects the beer you drink and the business that’s selling it. And of course, all the other fun stuff he does.