Brewing with Jon Lee of Wasatch and Squatters

BC: What’s the worst beer you’ve ever had and why?

Lee: Newcastle's Brown Ale is horrible. Beer in a clear bottle with light-struck skunked flavor and a ridiculous amount of diacetyl is just bad beer. There is just so much wrong with that combination of flavors, it really needs to stop.

BC: What's your beer-drinking philosophy? 

Lee: During the week I try to keep it to one or two a night. If I’m at a party or one is at my house, different story! I do like one while I’m cooking dinner for the family and then usually another after dinner while relaxing before bedtime. As a general rule though, I try not to get drunk during the work week. Another thing that might seem a bit off coming from the craft background is that if I’m drinking a beer from a can, I don’t normally pour it into a glass. I will if I’ve got a bottle but there’s something about a canned beer that I really enjoy drinking straight from the can.

BC: As someone who enjoys beer and is constantly surrounded by it, how do you find a healthy drinking balance?

Lee: For me getting older really reduced my consumption, I didn’t really plan on drinking less, I just got old! Kidding aside, I’ve always been quite active. Biking, skiing, snowboarding, hiking, camping, car racing; you name it, I’ve likely tried it. Because of these activities, my competitive nature and the desire to be as good as I can be, in whatever I do, if I drink too much I’m just not going to be performing my best. That doesn’t mean that I’m not pounding beers at the finish line (because I am). It just means that I might only have one or two. In fact, during some bike races I've ridden in I’ve been handed beers while approaching the finish line, so I’m actually starting to relax while I cross the line (please don’t tell my mom).

"The early slogan for Wasatch Beers was 'We drink our share and sell the rest.' That’s a philosophy that we still live by 30 years later."

(Photo Courtesy Heather Lee)