Alex Ganum is the owner and brewer at Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon. In his interview, Ganum talks about growing up in Detroit, Michigan; trips to visit his family in Argentina, and how his upbringing influenced his interest in food and cooking. He also talks about moving to Portland to attend culinary school, home brewing, working at Belmont Station, his internship at Brewery Ommegang in upstate New York, and his work as a brewer at BJ’s Restaurant and Brewery in Portland. Ganum opened Upright Brewing in 2009, and he talks about his vision for the business, the space he chose to operate in (the Leftbank Building), the logistics of open top fermenters, the importance of using local ingredients, experimentation and creativity, and his interest in farmhouse style influenced the brewery he created. He also talks about marketing, consumer tastes, and creativity shape the work he does now. The interview concludes with how food influenced his process, his thoughts on growth, and his co-ownership experiences with the Grain & Gristle restaurant and the Old Salt Marketplace.
The interview was conducted by Tiah Edmunson-Morton on July 2, 2018 at Upright Brewing in Portland, Oregon. It is a component of the Oregon Hops and Brewing Archives Oral History Collection (OH 35), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.
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