Jimmy Seifrit Oral History Interview, September 12, 2018

Partial Transcript: All right. We're rolling.

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit introduces himself and talks about his family background and early life. He was born and raised in West Philadelphia but notes that he has family throughout the East Coast. He talks about his grandparents’ professions and his relationship with his extended family, before describing his relationship with his mother and father.

Partial Transcript: What were, what were some like food and drink memories that you have from that time?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit discusses his childhood experiences with food and drink. He explains that food was very important to his family growing up, and that his mother and grandmothers loved cooking. Seifrit notes that although he is of Irish and German descent, many of his early food memories involve Italian cuisine because of the Italian influence in Philadelphia. He also discusses his first memories of drinking beer, and describes what the drinking culture was like in Philadelphia.

Partial Transcript: How, like, how did you get into a Quaker school and what does that mean?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit reminisces about his memories of school. He attended a private Quaker school, and states that it was calmer and more peaceful than the nearby public schools. He talks about his favorite subjects in school, and goes over his early career aspirations, noting that he was undecided about what he wanted to do and considered many options.

Partial Transcript: What do you remember, food and drink-wise...What were you drinking? What do you remember?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit explains how he became interested in beer. He notes that he began drinking in high school, but only became interested in brewing as a craft when he was older. He states that he and his friends often drank Coors Light and Budweiser, but that he eventually became interested in smaller breweries as well, which led him to homebrewing.

Partial Transcript: So how did you make the leap then? So how did you start as a Deschutes employee?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit talks about making the transition from homebrewing to brewing as a profession. He describes the first brewery he worked at, Deschutes Brewery, and noted that he loved the atmosphere and work culture. Seifrit states that at Deschutes Brewery he felt as though he and all the other workers were passionate about the project, which contributed to the creation of a good product.

Partial Transcript: What were some some pivot points that you remember back as well...What were points of change?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit recalls some of the most important and influential moments of his career. He specifically discusses many memories with the mentor figures he learned from in the brewing community. He talks about how important it is to pass on knowledge to new generations of brewers and to create mentor-mentee relationships.

Partial Transcript: So what was your first day at work like with 10 Barrel?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit talks about joining 10 Barrel Brewing Company in 2011. He goes over how he ultimately made the decision, to become a brewer and manager at a new brewery, the challenges that accompanied that, the process of hiring new employees, the process of creating new beers, and the process of building a new factory. He reflects on the experience positively, although he notes that it was highly involved and often stressful.

Partial Transcript: What was it like being at 10 Barrel for those first few years and having that kind of different experience? Certainly that level of growth, right?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit continues to discuss the process of being hired as a brewer and manager at a new brewery, focusing on how he and the other managers of 10 Barrel Brewing Co. went about establishing a reputation for the new brewery and developing market connections. He notes that the growth was rapid making it difficult to keep up with, but that he was very proud of what he and the other members of 10 Barrel Brewing were able to accomplish.

Partial Transcript: Yeah. Yeah. So then, so then the, the ownership change...What was that like?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit talks about the change in ownership at 10 Barrel Brewing Co. He discusses his relationship with the previous owners of 10 Barrel Brewing Co., and goes over their thought process when it came to selling the company. He explains that he had conflicted feelings at the time, noting that the process of transferring ownership was long and unusually drawn out, leading to new tensions between the ownership and management. Reflecting on that period though, he's ultimately happy with the outcome, and glad that he was able to stay with the company.

Partial Transcript: Yeah. Well I, I mean to say the obvious, I mean that's why it's important to have oral history interviews with people.

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit and the interviewer briefly discuss how oral history and the process of recording these interviews can help to preserve the different perspectives on a multifaceted event such as the sale of 10 Barrel Brewing Co. Seifrit expounds upon that idea and talks about the value of history to the brewing industry.

Partial Transcript: So what, what is your what's your favorite beer memory?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit reminisces about many of his favorite beer memories over the years. He provides a few anecdotes about finding the perfect ingredient, or creating a new beer he’s proud of, and he also discusses memories of drinking beer with friends and colleagues from the industry. He states that one of his favorite aspects of beer and brewing is how it contributes to social occasions and brings people together.

Partial Transcript: What is still exciting to you? What is exciting about the future?

Segment Synopsis: Seifrit discusses what he expects from the future of brewing and what aspects of brewing continue to excite him. He states that brewing is an endlessly creative industry and that while he can elaborate on current trends about the popularity of hoppy IPAs, he’s sure he’ll be surprised by the future of beer. He notes that he's looking forward to seeing new developments in non-alcoholic beers and the usage of new, more environmentally friendly, hop crops.