"MUSIC PRODUCES A KIND OF PLEASURE WHICH HUMAN NATURE CANNOT DO WITHOUT." - Confucius
Replace 'music' with 'beer' and most would also agree. It's no surprise then that the two are forever paired in matrimony. At Mother Earth, music has always been part of our identity. It hasn't been part of our brand, necessarily, because we never set out to associate one with the other intentionally, but anyone who knows us or was there in the beginning could take one look around our tasting rooms at the floor-to-ceiling collection of concert posters, flags, and mounted vinyl and see that we are big on music. In fact music was as much a part of our obsession with craft beer and brewing during the early stages of our inception as anything.
Human beings typically like to surround themselves with like-minded individuals; maybe that's why a lot of our employees turn out to be total audiophiles. Anyhow, we spent some time getting to know the audio flavors of our brewers and the soundtracks that provide inspiration on the brew stand. With such a wide array of stylistic preferences, it was impossible to compile them into a comprehensive list, so we split them up by brewer. Want to know what our Director of Brewing Ops, Chris Baker is vibing to? Check out his list here. It's wildly different from what’s 's featured here. The list below probably isn't anything you'll find on a google search for "best workout music", but it'll sure keep you workin'. Now crack a beer and let's count down Bret's top jams on the brew stand.
#5. THE BAND - THE LAST WALTZ
"I like to go to this album when things are getting a little crazy. This is a huge collaboration album and just like working in a brewery it takes a team effort to make everything work."
#4. THE TALKING HEADS - STOP MAKING SENSE
"The Brewer who gave me my first chance on the brew deck would play this album all the time. It's just a fun quirky album that makes the long days a little easier."
#3. GRATEFUL DEAD - EUROPE '72
"I'm a huge Dead Head and this album captures everything I like in The Dead. It just brings a great vibe and flow to the brewery for me. I always believed that breweries have a flow to them and that happy yeast makes awesome beer."
#2. GUNS & ROSES - APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION
"Welcome to the Jungle was the song that my High school basketball team used when we came out during home games. It still gets me charged up and ready for a day in the brewery!"
#1. GRATEFUL DEAD - WORKINGMAN'S DEAD
"Its in the title of the album. For me this album captures the feeling of a long hard day in the brewery. Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead always bring the appropriate tunes to make a happy brewery for me."
Bret Stitzman is Mother Earth's Head Brewer in Vista, CA and an avid Dead Head. His experience includes Head Brewer at Garage Brewing in Temecula, CA and is a United States Veteran.
Check out Bret's favorite brewing albums on your streaming service of choice or support the artists by purchasing their music on Bandcamp.
Wanna know more about this man of mystery? Check out his Q&A session here.