MEET Derek "Doc" Osborne

Hi Derek, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The product must speak for itself. A gimmicky flavor, a catchy name or fancy label might get some sales but is it the right product? Build the product first then put it out to the world, drop your ego and listen to the feedback. If I could give any advice to anyone wanting to create anything, it would be those 4 steps. Fortunately for me, my passion is in making something true to style rather than to my own taste. I would struggle if I only wanted to brew beer that I am passionate about drinking. There are plenty of great brewers that do just this and have a following and are satisfied with what they are doing. I am envious of them in some ways but it’s not big enough for me. With beer there is something for everyone and you can’t just put people in a lane and expect them to drink what’s in their lane. Especially with so many great local breweries popping up all over competing for those people as well. Offering many styles and being fanatical about getting them true to the historic style gives your best chance of building a following and a desire for your brand.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I do believe our business is like a 3 legged table and if one leg is too short it will fall over. The philosophy of brewing beer true to style is the first leg of the table. The second leg is the art that drives the passion behind each brew gives beer its intangible qualities that otherwise would make a beer adequate but not exciting. The Science of brewing is the 3rd leg that give the beer its quality and consistency from batch to batch. These legs are never sturdy and our business that is resting on top of this table would fall off as one leg grows or shrinks with life’s challenges if we didn’t constantly check ourselves and adjust. I do believe that recognizing that the table is always fluid and evolving helps us in our flexibility to pivot when necessary to keep everything afloat and growing in the right areas. This separates us from some of the brands that crush their niche but struggle to gain the respect and profits from the demographic outside of their niche. It doesn’t come easy to make changes and adjustments but keeping the flexibility helps with our evolution in the way we strive to improve the process of making a true to style ale or lager. Strangely this approach towards brewing is something I learned in Chiropractic School many years ago as an approach toward treating patients. Dr. James Parker talked about the Science, Philosophy and Art of being a Chiropractor and it just stuck with me as I moved into a brewing career 25 years ago.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would start with a great dinner and cocktails at the Brickyard in Downtown Chandler followed by a trip up Box Canyon in Florence the next morning at Sunrise. If you have a vehicle equipped to get up that trail, I would highly recommend getting to experience that as the morning shadows kiss the cliffs. On the way back I would stop by the Old Elsworth Brewery for lunch as they do such a great job. I personally love their Chicken Ceasar Salad. They Grill the lettuce along with the chicken and serve it in such a unique way. Of course the afternoon and evening on the patio at Pedal Haus Brewery with great beers, great service and great people from the community would end the day and I would include an Uber ride home. The next day I would get in the jeep and run up through Jerome for a unique experience on the way to Sedona were we would stay there for a few days. There is a great place called the Briar Patch Inn right on Oak Creek that can make time stand still. Daily 4×4 adventures and fishing followed by nightly culinary adventures would help me and hopefully my friend recharge the batteries a bit. Coming back to Phoenix would leave us with great dining options such as Craft 64 or Sacred Pie for great pizza and Little Miss BBQ for some great brisket. If time permits I might pack up again and head down to Southern Arizona for a tour of the Kartchner Caverns and the Town of Tombstone for some history and great beers from the Tombstone Brewery. Im guessing by now we are exhausted, broke or sick of each other so we would say goodbye until the next visit where we would struggle to top that adventure.