I became a member/owner of Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery back in 2011 as member number 12 and, shortly after joining, became a member of the Flying Bike board of directors. Today, I’m no longer a board member but retain my membership and so, it is with a sense of pride and excitement that I’m able to report that well known Seattle brewer, Kevin Forhan, has been announced as Flying Bike’s head brewer.

Kevin has brewed for Pike Brewing Company, Big Time Brewery & Alehouse, Elysian Brewing and, most recently, was with RAM Restaurant And Brewery at their Northgate location. The timing is fortuitous as well, since Flying Bike’s new 7 barrel brewing system just arrived this week.

Seattle, May 5th, 2015– Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery (FBCB) is pleased to announce the hiring of FBCB Employee #1, Head Brewer, Kevin Forhan. After a difficult and humbling vetting process of extremely accomplished and impressive candidates, FBCB chose the brewer who’d most speak to their culture of cooperation, collaboration, and community.

Kevin, most recently, was the Regional Brewer for RAM Restaurant & Brewery chain. If there was a Hall of Fame of Seattle Brewers, Kevin’s unique pint glass would adorn the sidewalk leading up from Pike Brewing where he earned his stripes as one of their first brewers, establishing what is their current brewhaus. He brewed at Big Time for seven years and after a short stay in Spain, returned home to open the Elysian Fields location for Elyisan Brewing. Kevin’s passion for making beer as a reflection of people and purpose is exactly what lead to his decision to join FBCB. In his own words:

“The Flying Bike Cooperative Brewery is clearly something special. Many people have worked long and hard, essentially as volunteers, to make it happen. Brewing is hard work, and there are always challenges, but the very things I’ve found most rewarding—the daily, hands-on craft of it, the collaborative problem-solving, the shared talents, and the direct connection with the consumer, with the neighborhood, with the greater brewing and beer-loving community, and with the larger community beyond that—happen to be very emphatically exactly what the Flying Bike is all about. I’m honored, excited, a little nervous, and very hopeful that the Flying Bike has a future as unique and promising as its beginnings.”

In perfect time as FBCB’s 7 barrel brewing system arrived from Bridgetown Brew Systems on Monday, May 4th, Kevin will join Flying Bike immediately as a consultant for the remainder of the build-out during his transition out of RAM. Although most breweries begin with a head brewer at the helm, FBCB earned theirs through the sheer will and determination to prove brewing beer is a direct reflection of the community it serves. FBCB’s motto of “Member Driven Beer™” will now be carried out in this new stage of Co-op development, with an esteemed Head Brewer confidently at the helm of it’s Brewhouse.