I feel the need to clear up a couple of points about Bruce, me, this blog, and it’s relationship to the Rohrbach Brewing Company.

I do not work for Rohrbach, nor have I ever. Bruce, one of their two brewers, and I have been good friends for a long time. In fact, he’s the one who got me curious about craft beer back in his homebrewing days. When we began the Freetime Magazine print column, and subsequently the modern form of beercraft, Bruce was not employed by a brewery.

Last year, when he signed on with Rohrbach, I kept his name on the byline because he provides accuracy, insight, and credibility to the work we put out. I generally come up with the topics and do all the writing. Bruce is my ‘go-to’ guy for any technical brewing knowledge or industry info.

I do volunteer as a pourer for Rohrbach booths at beer festivals. It’s fun, Bruce and I get to do little road trips, and I like talking about Rohrbach’s beer because I truly believe it’s great. But I am not, nor have I ever been on their payroll.

This blog is not an extension of Rohrbach, nor is it affiliated in any way. I love their beer and the guys who keep it flowing, but I’d call them out just like any other brewery if justified in doing so.  The opinions on this blog are my own, albeit frequently arrived at through discussion with a number of fellow beer lovers.

The blog is getting pretty popular, and like anyone who writes something in the public domain that people read, I’m not going to please everyone all the time. I learned how that goes back when I worked in the advertising department of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Every time a food critic wrote a less than perfect review, the owner of the restaurant would be on the horn threatening to pull their ads. I know people are sometimes going to get pissed off at what they read here. I do not want the repercussions of that falling back on Rohrbach Brewing. Separate blog. Separate guy. Blame me.

-Mark