Visit dry dock brewing co.
The brewery was Aurora, Colorado’s first when owners Kevin DeLange and Michelle Reding opened with a 7 BBL brewhouse in a 900-square-foot space in 2005.
Mark Hurley
- How long have you worked at The Brew Hut? I started working at The Brew Hut in 2011. So a little over 11 years.
- How did you first get into home brewing? My wife suggested that since I love beer so much, I should go check out this cool store on Hampden and learn to make it myself. She may now have some regrets.
- What kind of fermented beverages do you make? I have made Beer, Wine, Mead, Cider, Kombucha, and Sake
- What are your favorite styles to make? Over the years, my favorite styles have changed many times. I would say my favorite styles right now are German Lagers.
- Are you a member of any brew clubs or organizations? I am one of the founding members of the Aurora City Brew Club (ACBC). Nowadays I am not really involved in club activities. But I will always feel like a part of that group and try to support them in any way I can.
- What do you enjoy most about working at The Brew Hut? Between the staff and all of the customers that I have gotten to know over the years. The Brew Hut is like going to work every day with all of your friends. It is just a really fun place to work.
- What did you do before working at The Brew Hut? I was a Sales Director for a wireless company. It was a very stressful job and I would homebrew on weekends to help relieve stress. After my former company was sold, I started working at The Brew Hut. My plan was to work for 6-months and then go back to working in wireless. But it is so enjoyable, I just didn’t want to leave.
- Describe your brewing system or equipment (Provide a picture if possible): I pretty much do all of my brewing in the classroom at this point. Although I do still have a 3-vessel all-grain system in my garage that is gathering dust. In the classroom, we have both a Ruby Street Fusion 15 as well as a Grainfather G40. Lately, I have been using the G40 as it is our newest toy and I’m trying to really dial in the system. I also like that it’s easy to control and clean. We also have a Grainfather Glycol system and conical which makes temp-controlled fermentation really easy.
- What piece of equipment or brewing process has made the most difference in your beer and/or wine? First, I would have to say that learning to pitch the right amount of yeast is imperative to making good beer. As far as equipment goes, having temp-controlled fermentation makes a really big difference, especially since I am such a fan of lagers.
- List of any other hobbies or interests. I play really bad guitar and love going to see live music. I also enjoy cooking with my family.
- Is there anything else that you would like to share about yourself? I’ve been a certified BJCP judge since 2013. Although I don’t judge as many competitions as I should. I love trying to help people make better beer.