Looking to create a new iconic beer brand with San Francisco roots, Mike Schnebeck joined brothers Justin and Tyler Catalana to found Fort Point Beer Company in 2013 — even though he knew nothing about making the stuff. Now he’s fully up to speed as brewmaster at the Presidio brewery. Its smoked altbier-style beer, Manzanita — brewed with charred manzanita wood — was a 2015 Good Food Awards winner.

How did you get started making beer? I started working in beer when I was 21 in college. I studied history at UC San Diego and worked in a beer bar there. I moved up here just to move and then started at Beerworks because I knew Justin through a friend from San Diego. They hired me to start bartending and do the beer list, and that eventually turned into training me in brewing.

What do you like about brewing? Brewing is a creative outlet for me. I like being able to draw from different flavors, moments or concepts — both tangible and not — to create something that ultimately makes people happy.

Why the Presidio? We were interested in the Presidio for a long time. It’s really picturesque and really beautiful. It sets the framework for high-quality, well-made, thoughtful beers. It’s a thoughtful place. (To track down where to buy and drink the brewery’s beers, check out the map at www.fortpointbeer.com/#maps)

How does San Francisco affect what you do? The city has a great spirit of innovation and progress, and a great food and beverage culture. There’s a high bar to be met if you’re going to be successful here.

What’s next for beer? I think the hop craze is slowly dying down. For a while we saw a lot of big, bitter beers and super-hoppy beers. It’s cool to see some people step back from that and go for malt-focused beer and simpler beers.

— Alissa Merksamer, food@sfchronicle.com