Nick’s craft beer journey began when he was 10 years old. Listening to a late-night radio show called the Mischke Broadcast, he’d lay in bed and listen to the host, Tommy Mischke, do commercials for Summit Brewing. He knew then and there that a Summit beer was the first beer he wanted to have when he was a grown-up. Nick’s first craft beer was a Summit Pilsener. 

One rainy day, Nick and his best friend Mike got a wild idea. “Let’s make our own beer!” “Sure!” He said. “It can’t be that hard.” That same day they bought the necessary equipment and brewed their first extract batch, an IPA. After his mom and dad bought him an all-grain system for Christmas, Nick’s future was pretty much sealed. 

Over the next few years, he did a lot of home brewing with Mike, and eventually with his cousins Zac and Jake. One day, Nick’s dad told him to “make your own opportunity.” Nick took it to heart and knew he wanted to be a pro brewer someday. In the Spring of 2013, he got word of a brewery opening in Victoria, MN, called Enki Brewing. He contacted the owner and a few months later became employed, selling beers to thirsty patrons and doing some packaging and keg deliveries. But he knew this was not the road leading him to his goal. 

In early 2015, Nick learned that another brewery nearby was looking for an Assistant Brewer. Always looking for the next opportunity and knowing that he was at a fork in the road of life, he went for it. He got the job. Over the next 2+ years at Waconia Brewing, he learned the ropes of professional brewing under the outstanding tutelage of Tom Schufman, Head Brewer at Waconia Brewing. Tom is truly a great mentor. Nick left Waconia Brewing in June 2017 and started working at LynLake Brewery in Uptown Minneapolis, returning to his roots in the area where he grew up. Nick honed his recipe development skills at LLB for a year before getting his first Head Brewer job at Pantown Brewing in St. Cloud, MN.

At Pantown he further developed his recipe-development skills using specialized and experimental ingredients. It was there he earned his various accolades, including a Gold Medal in the 2022 World Beer Cup, a Silver at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival, along with many other Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards from the U.S. Open Beer Championship, Best of Craft Beer Awards, and the Minnesota Brewers Cup.

Nick currently lives in St. Cloud with his wife Jessi, and cat Juniper. He loves to travel, play poker, disc golf, stargaze, and observe the weather. He’s a huge music fan, with his favorites being classic rock (especially The Rolling Stones) and classic country music. If you see him, say “Hi!” He loves talking about science, music, movies, sports (Go Pack Go), and of course, BEER! Cheers!