Get to know Head Brewer Mikey Agricola of StillWest Brewery & Grill.
Mikey Agricola has a passion for the craft of brewing beer. Fortunately, he’s right at home as the head brewer at StillWest Brewery & Grill. His journey to this role started in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in environmental engineering.
“It started in college with a bunch of fellow engineering nerds trying to make free beer (if you want to even call it beer) in our dorm hall’s kitchen in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It transformed into much more over the years.”
After college, Agricola would head west to Park City, Utah, where he was the beverage manager and sommelier at Canyons Mountain Resort. In 2016, he took a short jaunt north to Jackson Hole: “It wasn’t until I took the wine consultant job at Fine Dining Restaurant Group in early 2016 that my career in professional brewing came into fruition at Roadhouse. I brewed with Roadhouse Brewing Co. until 2021, then became head brewer at StillWest in 2022.”
Agricola’s skills and enthusiasm for craft beer have grown exponentially since those Pennsylvania dorm days, but one thing about his approach remains consistent: his appreciation for an industry that’s equal parts art form and science. Learn more about Agricola, and his approach to his craft, below…
Where did your passion for beer begin?
I think being around throughout the birth and evolution of craft beer has a lot to do with it. I would have to give my uncle Michael a lot of credit for pushing my knowledge and palate towards the craft beer movement. I remember this time in the early 2010’s of him pulling out reserve bottles of Deschutes Brewery’s Dissident and Abyss that were already several years old and being blown away—I had no idea that beer could be aged or soured and enjoyed like you would with wine. That was a real tipping point for me.
Have any particular experiences or mentors influenced your approach to brewing?
Too many for all the pages you would allow me to fill! I believe that’s one of the most beautiful things about the craft beer industry, everyone is so eager to help elevate and share their knowledge because at the end of the day, the more great craft beer that is available benefits everyone. One of my earliest mentors would be Kyle Flemming, the former head brewer of Roadhouse Brewing Co. when I started. He really believed in me and pushed me into the course of craft beer over wine. Another mentor I absolutely have to mention is Max Shafer. He came into Roadhouse having so much experience and formal training when we started the production facility. It was just him and me in the trenches getting that place off the ground and I have the utmost respect for that man and what he has taught me throughout the years.
How would you describe your brewing philosophy?
My philosophy at the end of the day is: It’s just beer, so have fun with it! It’s awesome to push the envelope with new ingredients that are ever-changing in the world of beer. New beer styles are constantly emerging as well as new hops, malt, yeast and pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s a wonderful world we live in and to meld flavors from all kinds of ingredients to create a beer that truly tastes great is a fantastic experience. Trust me, it doesn’t always go that way, but it should never discourage you from trying.
What are the most rewarding aspects of your role?
The ability to use science to create something from such basic ingredients into a beverage that people enjoy drinking. Making beer can be an art form to some, and like any artist, it feels good to make something others can enjoy.
What sets StillWest’s approach to crafting beers apart from others?
I think what we are trying to do here at Stillwest that sets us apart, is just trying to make fun, drinkable beers that aren’t just heavy IPAs. If you look at our beer list right now, we have more lager strain beers than ales. Our lightest beer is our Triple Trouble, a whole leaf rice lager at 4.8%, and our strongest beer is our Cosmic Nebula Hazy IPA at 7.2%, so to have a well-rounded list I believe is key. I think another thing that sets us apart is we don’t package or mass distribute. That keeps most of our beers in-house where I’m consistently keeping track of their quality, and personally, I’m more partial to a beer at the source. I’m working with a ten beer barrel brew system and only ten permanent draft lines. In the future, I hope to keep our followers and local crowd excited to keep returning as I continually try to make our beers better with each and every batch.
How do you approach creating new beers?
Being in the food and beverage industry for most of my life, I draw a lot of inspiration and creativity from that. I’ve worked with a lot of world-class chefs who look at raw ingredients and find a way to put them together to create something truly special. I think I’m very much the same way—I taste individual ingredients and think about how they will play together or dance with your taste buds. Also, where you source your ingredients is huge, just like in food. I work mostly with smaller hop farmers such as Roy Farms and Hollingberry & Son to ensure great quality hops. We use Mountain Malt for our base malt from Idaho Falls. I try and buy local, quality ingredients when we can and that has a huge impact on beer flavors. When I can’t buy local, we import top products from Germany, Belgium, etc.
What’s your favorite StillWest brew?
My personal favorite is May the Pils Be With You, our German-style pilsner. If you ask most brewers what they prefer to drink, I believe most of them would tell you some kind of light lager or pilsner or what we call in the industry “crispy bois.” It uses 100% German malt, hops and yeast in a traditional brewing style. It’s crisp, clean, and has a wonderful earthy and floral profile from the Hallertau Blanc hops that I use. Also, I enjoy beers I can have several of and keep my wits about me.
What upcoming StillWest brews are you particularly excited about?
There will always be exciting beers coming out at StillWest! Trust me, I don’t enjoy doing the same old song and dance. We will be bringing back a few seasonals from last year, like our Coffee Blonde and Honey Basil Kolsch. I’ve been working for a while now on a West Coast IPA that we can offer as a year-round staple. Also, you can look out for some hoppy pilsners and count on our Oktoberfest to come back.
