Robin Johnson Oral History Interview

Robin Johnson is the Assistant Brewmaster at the downtown pub at Deschutes Brewery. In his interview, Johnson talked about his early childhood in California, moving to Eugene in middle school, his family memories of the Northwest region, including his father’s work as the director of the Eugene Symphony, and his college experiences at the University of Oregon. Johnson moved to Boston with his girlfriend, now wife, and their return to Portland, where he worked as a Credit Analyst at Volkswagen.

Johnson started at Deschutes Brewery in 2009 and was hired as a lead brewer in 2010 after completing his training at the American Brewers Guild. Johnson became Assistant Brewmaster in 2015 when Veronica Vega was promoted to Research and Development Brewmaster. Johnson discusses his brewing philosophy and the inspiration he takes from food ingredients.