Zak Siddle, Packaging Coordinator
Starting with Zak – our ginger-bearded packaging guru – we’re going to be sitting down with each member of our brew team over the next few weeks so you can get to know the cast of characters that produce & package all that beer you know and love a little bit better. Zak oversees the transfer of barrel after barrel of beer into cans, kegs and bottles, operates the canning line and navigates the controlled chaos that comes with it, and assembles and loads beer orders onto trucks for distribution throughout the state. We don’t know what we’d do without him, and neither does he.
Q: What sparked your interest in craft beer (any brew in particular that started it all)
A: I started enjoying craft beer a few years before I started working here, but I never dreamed I would help make great beer for a living. A few of my early favorites were Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and New Belgium Fat Tire.
Q: What did you do prior to getting involved in the brewing industry, and how has that experience or skillset helped you in your current role in the brewery?
A: I studied film production in college and worked in that industry as a lighting technician for a number of years. Working on film sets was a lot of fun, and it taught me a lot of skills I still use today. I have also worked as a skateboarding instructor at a large summer skate-camp multiple times…being paid to skate was very exciting!
Q: What’s one food you can’t live without? Actually, scratch that; we already know the answer…it’s tacos. Zak suggests tacos for lunch so often you’d think he was getting financial kickbacks from El Primo Taqueria. Zak doesn’t breathe oxygen like the rest of us; he thrives on massive quantities of tacos al pastor. So…second favorite?
A: Second? Tacos de Juan for the win.
Q: When you’re not filling kegs, slinging pallets around on the forklift, eating tacos or considering going “Office Space” on the canning line, what do you do in your down time?
A: Skateboarding is by far my favorite hobby, but I also enjoy hiking and kayaking in spots like Weedon Island Preserve in St. Pete. Plus, I recently began gardening on my own; I’ve got some jalapeños, some serrano peppers, and a green pepper that I’m pretty sure has a colony of ants living inside, so I’m not sure how that one’s going to work out…
Q: It’s whispered in forgotten streets and quiet hillsides that your nickname is “The Raptor.” Can you reveal how that (in)famous, Cretaceous tattoo of yours came to be?
A: I cannot divulge that information.
Q: Last but no least, what styles of beer do you typically enjoy? Go-to Motorworks brew?
A: My favorite Motorworks brew is definitely Enduro: our seasonal, hop-forward Pale Ale. I also really enjoy the Datil Pepper Imperial Porter; I love anything spicy!
