In 1995, when Ken and Joanne Goronson gave their 29-year-old son Jim a "Mr. Beer" homebrewing kit, little did they know it would lead over 18 years later to... Parched Eagle Brewpub!
Jim's love of craft beer (called "microbrew" back then) was already well established. Because of the likes of such imports as Young's Old Nick Barleywine and Spaten Optimator and early U.S. craft beer favorites Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale and Goose Island Honker's Ale, Jim was hooked. Brewing his own was the next logical step in enhancing his knowledge and love for the world's third most popular beverage (after water and tea). Plus, brewing a five-gallon batch of one's own was more cost-effective than buying beer at microbrew/import prices: the equivalent of 2 ½ cases for $20 to $40!
Flash forward to 2008. After Jim's 13 years of slacker brewing at an intermediate level, his friend Page Buchanan, master brewer/owner of House of Brews, prodded him to move up to the advanced all-grain level of homebrewing. Jim's enthusiasm for brewing grew exponentially, leading to his realization in the fall of 2009 that his life's calling is to own and run a brewpub.
Jim is a 2012 graduate of the World Brewing Academy (Siebel Institute) Concise Course in Brewing Technology. Jim has also learned professional craft brewing at House of Brews under the tutelage of Page. He has been a beer judge for homebrew contests, having been certified by the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) since 2009.
