Everyone knows about Fiddlehead Brewing Company at this point, right? The Vermont mainstays have been brewing up their classic IPA for ski lodges since 2011, and have since branched out to multi-state distribution. It’s not a far stretch to say they can be considered a big part of the new wave of New England style hops that have taken the beer world by storm.

So you can imagine our surprise when we messaged them on their Instagram account @fiddleheadusa requesting a sit-down interview, only to find out that they don’t know shit about brewing or even beer at all! How could such an established, accomplished team be this inept when it comes to the basics of their field? In fact, we are convinced that Fiddlehead’s head brewer, Patrick Flynn, doesn’t drink any beer whatsoever.

Anyway, read our interview below with Mr. Flynn, who kept referring to himself as “frontman” instead of “brewer.” We will get better at these things at some point. 

Drain Pour: Welcome! It’s so great to meet you. So let’s just jump right into it… tell us about starting out in the early 2010s in the New England area. 

Pat Flynn, head brewer, Fiddlehead: Yeah, you know how it is. We all had our previous gigs before joining Fiddlehead around 2014-ish, and it was just kind of an organic thing that happened. We all worked well together, and I think the product speaks for itself.

DP: And now you guys have sort of grown into a household name, at least for those familiar with the underground aspects of the scene on the east coast. Can you speak about that growth, and how you took your juice to the next level?

PF: Luckily, the public and our fans have been really receptive to what we’ve released so far. It gets kind of vulnerable putting something creative out into the world, and the fact that we kind of do it on the side of our full-time jobs; we’re just fortunate to be able to do this thing at our own pace.

DP: You have another job besides Fiddlehead? We had no idea. When do you have time to sleep, or write recipes?

PF: By recipes, do you mean lyrics? And yes… I’m a history teacher during the school year. Have you not noticed Fiddlehead is only active on weekends, and during summer and winter breaks?

DP: I mean, I can go to the store and get cans whenever I want, and I live in New Jersey. Just figured that’d be more of a full time commitment.

PF: I’m sorry… but who do you think I am exactly? And while I’m on the subject, who are you anyway? Are you some DIY punk zine or something? Another culture blog?

DP: We are actually a very serious publication that interviewed Sam Calagione. Moving on… tell us about your upcoming release that’s set to come out soon “Landscape with Haystacks,” a brett-fermented saison aged in a charred oak foeder.

PF: I literally have zero idea what any of those words mean. Like seriously, that could have been Swahili for all I know. But yes, we are releasing Death is Nothing To Us in a couple weeks. We’re super excited, and it’s the only reason I even agreed to do this interview.

DP: That’s actually a badass name. What is it, a barleywine? Cause barleywine is life, so death is nothing to us, right?

PF: It’s like you’re purposely trying to piss me off.

DP: Are you at least going to donate a portion of your profits to the GoFundMe for DontDrinkBeers? 

PF: Is that like a straight edge group or something? I might be interested in that, yeah. I’ll look into it.