Meet Jason Porter! Jason is the new Head Brewer here at Ignite. After graduating from The Ohio State University with a BS in Chemical Engineering, he discovered his passion for craft beer by starting to homebrew with his dad and some of his close friends. He enjoyed it so much that he decided to go back to school for a MS in Food Science at UC Davis. While there, he studied under the “Pope of Foam” Charlie Bamforth and his Brewing Lab, which he thought would be an awesome specialization. He loved it so much that he’s been in the industry ever since.
After graduating with his Masters, Jason moved to Virginia to be the Quality Manager at a local brewery where he spent over 5 years learning and owning the craft. Last year, Jason decided to return back to Ohio to be closer to his family and friends, which led him to Ignite.
In his free time, Jason enjoys hiking and hanging out with his girlfriend and 3-year-old Golden Retriever named Peach. Outside of brewing, Jason is a big fan of music. He even played the flugelhorn for The Ohio State Marching Band and got to be a participant in the Rose Bowl Parade and the introduction to SportsCenter after the Sugar Bowl. That’s pretty awesome!
As far as craft beer goes, Jason says, “I tend to go through phases of IPAs for a month, then sours for 2 weeks, then pilsners for a couple weeks, etc. As long as I am with friends, I don’t care what is in my hand if it is good.” When he’s exploring beers at other breweries, he always tries a pilsner or something light because nuanced beers like that really prove their brewing capabilities.
Jason enjoys brewing all styles of beer that people love and enjoy. He once made a stout made with Cookie Crisp and a Frosted Flakes cream ale… YUM! He also was the guy behind our most recent pineapple tangerine gose, Staycation Sunset, and has quite a few fun things planned for fall…so stay tuned!
When asked about what he likes most about the Ignite team, Jason mentioned that he loves that it is a family-oriented environment and how driven the owners are to both make a better beer and a better community. Jason is most looking forward to “helping the Ignite crew take their amazing start as a small brewery and elevate it.” We are too, Jason! And we cannot wait to try all the delicious brews he has in store for Ignite!