When we moved to California, we were excited for a new adventure. We hadn’t spent much time in the Golden State, but had visited places like San Diego, Los Angeles, Palm Springs and San Francisco. I’d been to Napa Valley once or twice, too. As a craft beer drinker, wine wasn’t at the top of my list when we descended on Santa Rosa. Places like Russian River Brewing Company and Lagunitas Brewing Company were, though! One day, while in Napa visiting my friend Russell at Freemark Abbey, we looked up local breweries. Not far from us was Mad Fritz. Russell said we’d need an appointment, but we decided to risk it.
We pulled in and were surprised to find a small tasting room. It didn’t look like a brewery, but we went inside and quickly befriended the bartenders. We ordered a flight and were simply blown away by the quality of beers. As we sat there sampling a wide variety of styles, I asked the bartender about the owner. His name is Nile Zacherle and when he isn’t brewing beer, he is making wine. This is Napa Valley, after all! I reached out to Nile and scheduled another visit to learn more about his craft. A few weeks later Sheryl and I were back in Napa sitting in the brewery sharing beers with Nile.
After about 2 hours, we never did the interview… We were too focused on the beers he was pouring and the conversation at hand. A few weeks after that Nile was hosting the Mad Firkin Beer Fest at the historic Bale Grist Mill. We offered to volunteer and Nile was happy to have us. The festival was great and we made some new friends that day. After giving Nile a few weeks to calm down, we finally were able to complete the interview.
If you like craft beer, and find yourself in Napa Valley, I highly recommend stopping by Mad Fritz. The beer is great, and he has a lot of passion for what he does. I really enjoyed meeting and learning more about Nile and sharing some of his beers with him in the brewery. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did. Without further adieu, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Nile Zacherle.
Where did the name Mad Fritz come from?
Mad Fritz is a blend of our two children’s names: Madeleine and Frederick or Fritz as we call him. We didn’t know what we would call our endeavor but when we said it, we knew that it was the right name for what we would create. The use of Aesop’s Fables added another twist that works well with being a parent and raising kids… Read your fables!
You started brewing beer with your dad back in 1990. Tell me more about that. Do you remember the first beer you guys brewed?
We called it Milokai Ale or something like that as we were brewing with extracts in 1990 in Hawaii on the Island of Oahu… Ingredients were far from fresh BUT it was a start and… Well, we liked it!
Your beers are incredible. Tell me more about some of your beers and what you’re trying to create when you release something new. Your styles are unique, I will say that!
After tasting a recent Kölsch we are about to release, unique says it all. Once you put a beer in a barrel, beer has a way of becoming what it wants or perhaps the micro-flora you’ve harnessed in the brewery. The idea is let go and let live… If it’s not good we wouldn’t package it but when it works, most of the time, it’s great and has a lot of personality.
I love the artwork. Who designs all of these labels and what’s the story behind this theme?
We designed the labels, No, there wasn’t a design team or anything… We’ve been making wine for a long time and knew who we are and how we wanted to communicate that. We were, however, lucky to have some amazing friends as well as family there to add input. It’s what you call Organic Design…
Tell me more about the Master Brewers program.
A program established in the mid 80s to use the backdrop of the Institute of Brewing (IoB) and NOW Distilling (IoBD) from London to vet students in the USA as well as elsewhere worldwide. I was one of the last few students enrolled in the UC Davis Fermentation Science Degree to be allowed to take it concurrently while at Davis. There were mostly students that took the program as extension students. Dr. Lewis and his team of teachers worked us through history, theory and engineering of brewing in order to take the associate brewing exam by the end one year. I passed but 3 days of rigorous exam taking without much more than a basic calculator wasn’t easy!
A lot of wineries have a membership program, but Mad Fritz also has one. What does that cost, and what sort of access do members have?
Our membership costs vary depending on your allocation; the more beer you commit to, the lower the cost per bottle and vice versa. Members are the top of the food chain when it comes to what we do. They will only get the best expression of what Origin Beer is from our perspective. We have so many other beers, but we don’t like to push what we do just showcase it. If you don’t get it, well… Someone else will.
What is the Mad Fritz Brewery Experience all about? Sounds like something I would enjoy doing!
We offer tastings at our Tap Room that are pretty non-committal, but when you come to the brewery using ExploreTock.com it allows us to do a deep dive into what Origin Brewing is all about as well as some control of your destiny. It’s open, live and can be communal. Our product isn’t “mainstream”, so you are on a sensory journey.
Tell me more about your Mad Events.
We like to create events that engage folks in things other than beer as well as experiences, so sign up! Books and Beer, Climbers, Steel Bike Rides… Beer dinners (5+ courses)… We like to open it up and push for you to get involved as well as learn.
Your beers are available at some of the best restaurants in California. The French Laundry might be one of the best restaurants in the world. Besides the tasting room, where else can people buy your beers?
Our Tap Room is the best, although the membership may be the most focused way… Sorry, we don’t come to you, you come to us. We are that small and focused.
You are currently bottling your beers. Do you bottle everything you brew? What about canning?
Yes, we pretty much bottle everything, and it’s crazy; as far as canning, that’s not our style as is growlers or crowlers. Sorry, we just don’t make enough to do that.
What is the best beer you’ve ever tried? What beer haven’t you tried that is on your bucket list?
Sorry, this isn’t a question I can answer as like food and beer/wine as a function of so many dimensions.
Have you ever made a mistake while brewing a beer? If so, what mistake and did you just have to dump the entire batch?
All good… Don’t fret it. It’s like getting stuck in the past… Move on, focus on the learning and the best you do.
Where do your hops come from?
Sonoma County, Napa County, Lake County and Yakima Valley.
What are you drinking when you’re not drinking Mad Fritz beers?
Wine or other beers… Occasionally some cocktail but I like to focus on what I create and love.
What’s next for Mad Fritz?
Working with restaurants to push authenticity of origin in their beer programs and pushing consumers to take a leap into a world of intensely unique beers in a wine glass. Let’s up the food/beer game… Please!
Thank you for doing this, Nile. In all of the interviews I do, I always give the artist the last word. Go
Well, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t push that button! Follow your soul, passion and be committed… Don’t forget to dump beer that sucks or just take a break. It’s hard work putting yourself out there and it’s not a race. Hold your values and morals, then find your people that believe in your goals/cause.
Origin Brewing… It’s what’s real!
Connect with Mad Fritz:
Website: http://www.madfritz.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madfritz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/madfritz
Untappd: https://untappd.com/madfritz
