Wife, Husband Owners Thrive on Work-Work Balance<\/strong><\/h2>\nThis is not a history lesson in the dynamics of spontaneous fermentation. Nor does the plot hinge on the delicate vulnerability of relying on a koelschip. This is a story about a pair of fun, charming protagonists who fell in love during a \u201crocky\u201d start and now operate the country\u2019s only brewery focused solely on the \u201cstyle\u201d designation coined in 2017, M\u00e9thode Traditionnelle<\/a>. Being at the mercy of such a method requires throwing a reasonable volume of caution to the literal wind. Juxtaposed against this allowance for leniency is that they do so with every bit of premeditation to balance its sometimes unpredictable, yet always wild, yield.\u00a0<\/p>\nAnd, at first\u2014it wasn\u2019t even their day jobs.<\/p>\n
Lisa and Brandon Boldt met in 2010 at Northern Arizona University, the weekend before starting their geoscience masters programs. Lisa, who Brandon admires as a keen pupil, arrived a week before orientation. Brandon, a self-described \u201cadrift vagabond,\u201d skipped it altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because they both had already gravitated toward alcohol, it makes sense that their chance encounter would happen at a popular, now-defunct Flagstaff drinking spot during the semester\u2019s welcome week mixer.<\/p>\n
Brandon began homebrewing in high school, and Lisa was known for taking frat guys to task while attending undergrad\u2014educating them on beer styles beyond American light lagers. Once an item, the Boldts began homebrewing together. Tapping their best friend for feedback on a pilot batch, he admitted that what they brewed was, \u201cthe worst thing I\u2019ve ever put in my mouth.\u201d If they would\u2019ve thrown in the towel then, they were bound for New Zealand to pursue their doctorates. Laughing now at the thought, Lisa would have been wearing pantsuits as an environmental consultant, and Brandon tweed blazers\u2014not without suede elbow patches\u2014professing his love for paleoclimatology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After getting engaged in the spring of 2013, they closed a career door on a closet full of stuffy clothes and traded their passion for earth sciences for a more casual, organic lifestyle in brewhouses. And so they relocated to Colorado\u2014an expansive region with an established, respected reputation for what they sought. Exploring the beer landscape of their new home, during what probably would\u2019ve been one of their last known weekends of downtime, led them to Odd13 Brewing<\/a>, which had just recently opened.<\/p>\n![\"Primitive](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer4.jpg\")
Photo by Matt Peck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nA positive first impression between Brandon and Kristin Scott, co-owner of Odd13 brewing, earned Brandon a part-time gig as a beer-tender and an overseer of their cellar. He became head brewer within a few months. After Lisa and Brandon exchanged their vows in June 2014, Lisa joined her husband at Odd13 and was soon promoted to taproom manager. Lisa\u2019s voluntary bid to work alongside Brandon when there certainly was no shortage of alternative options, and his presumptive agreeance, should\u2019ve been enough foreshadowing for what they both would confidently be signing up for next.<\/p>\n
Less than a year later, Lisa proposed the ultimate stress test for any couple\u2014open a business together. Her ambition and admirable trust in their young marriage evolved into their passion project, Primitive Beer<\/a>. While Primitive was \u201ca nebulous concept for many months following conception,\u201d says Brandon, they knew three things: \u201cThis project was going to be specified, centered around oak and traditional Belgian processes. That if we were going to take the time and effort to open up yet another brewery in Colorado, it would have to, at worst, offer something unique to our market and, at best, progress our understanding of beer science. And, despite all the blood, sweat, and tears that would go into this endeavor, it had to also bring us sincere joy and fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"primitive](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer3.jpg\")
Photo by Stacey McMahan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nConsidering the strict standards<\/a> required to use the M\u00e9thode Traditionnelle certification mark, timing was\u2014and still is\u2014everything. In 2016, the Boldts had to juggle the logistics of breaking ground on their taproom and cellar while concurrently ensuring they didn\u2019t miss the seasonal brewing window for their koelschip\u2019s inaugural fill. They nailed both and opened on April 14, 2018 with a variety of year-old still (non-carbonated) beers, inspired by \u201cflat\u201d Lambic, showcasing different blends and refermentations on 2017 harvest Colorado fruits. Brandon says that a visit to their taproom is special, as \u201cthese beers are served \u2018by box\u2019 and from firkins through refurbished English beer engines. \u2018Bag-in-Box,\u2019 while not our invention, was certainly an early distinguishing characteristic of Primitive Beer, in addition to the M\u00e9thode Traditionnelle specificity.\u201d<\/p>\nImmediately following Primitive\u2019s one-year anniversary, they started bottling\u2014layering blends of their more mature two-year-old stock, complemented with local, Colorado wildflower\/alfalfa honey. In a \u201cWhat in the hell do we have to lose?\u201d moment, they submitted one of those first Gueuze-inspired blends, SchibbleSchabble, to 2019\u2019s Great American Beer Festival. They won Silver\u2014for good reason, I can attest. By weird circumstance, your author just happened to visit Primitive the day after GABF and was treated to an off-the-books pour before it was available to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"primitive](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer7.jpg\")
Photo by Matt Peck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAs with any brewery exposing itself to the natural elements via koelschip\u2014a large, shallow fermenter that\u2019s open to the air, where wild yeast and bacteria are invited to inoculate fresh wort\u2014one should expect to experience some essence of the local terroir. So, how does a brewery describe their flagship offerings, which are mirrored after a historical beer style so ingrained and associated with all-elements Belgium, when they\u2019re located in a \u201cnew urbanist\u201d community, Prospect New Town, in Longmont, Colorado? To this Brandon says, \u201cWe believe our beers have as much variability in house character as compared to our Belgian favorites, as there is variability in terroir between various Lambic producers within Belgium alone. With so few local spontaneous-centric breweries, it\u2019s really hard for us to say if our terroir is Colorado or Longmont-specific, and what component is specifically tied to our local microbes versus the selective pressures we apply through process and blending.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s tough to tell the Boldts\u2019 story without having to pause to acknowledge a parallel timeline. While all of this at Primitive was happening, Lisa and Brandon were working full-time gigs. Prior to press time, Lisa had been promoted to Market Developing Manager at Odd13, but subsequently had to leave (on good terms) to devote her attention to Primitive as it became increasingly demanding (read: popular). However, Brandon left Odd13 in late 2018\u2014to do what else, but help develop a wild barrel program, Wild Provisions Beer Project<\/a>, which opened May 2020 as a side project of 4 Noses Brewing Company<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"primitive](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer2.jpg\")
Photo by Stacey McMahan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe reality of working two jobs to sustain ourselves isn\u2019t uncommon these days. To pull off balancing the two, they were intentional about picking work outside of Primitive that was equally fulfilling. Lisa is genuine in her appreciation of the support they got from their respective employers\u2019 \u201ccollaborative spirit and overall flexibility.\u201d That grace they were afforded subsidized a subtlety that the Boldts used to crack the code on being in two places at once: choice.<\/p>\n
Brandon recognizes its special value, and is eloquent in addressing it. \u201cChoosing to run Primitive despite not relying on it to survive perhaps subconsciously frames our passion project as an artistic endeavor rather than a job,\u201d says Brandon. Let\u2019s keep in mind that although the Boldts are able to keep the lights on at Primitive, they\u2019re not dipping the fixtures in gold. Asked what they might risk if they left their day jobs prematurely, Primitive would be vulnerable to becoming stripped of its appeal, withered down to an obligation. Brandon forecasts that scenario: \u201cWe\u2019d likely be forced to make decisions based on economics and efficiency rather than passion and vision. Our business model knowingly trades time for the flexibility to be creative and put out a product that excites us.\u201d He concludes in a way that makes it tough for anyone to argue: \u201cWe believe this model is the most sustainable with our current lifestyle and values.\u201d<\/p>\n
And, at first\u2014it wasn\u2019t even their day jobs.<\/p>\n
Lisa and Brandon Boldt met in 2010 at Northern Arizona University, the weekend before starting their geoscience masters programs. Lisa, who Brandon admires as a keen pupil, arrived a week before orientation. Brandon, a self-described \u201cadrift vagabond,\u201d skipped it altogether.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Because they both had already gravitated toward alcohol, it makes sense that their chance encounter would happen at a popular, now-defunct Flagstaff drinking spot during the semester\u2019s welcome week mixer.<\/p>\n
Brandon began homebrewing in high school, and Lisa was known for taking frat guys to task while attending undergrad\u2014educating them on beer styles beyond American light lagers. Once an item, the Boldts began homebrewing together. Tapping their best friend for feedback on a pilot batch, he admitted that what they brewed was, \u201cthe worst thing I\u2019ve ever put in my mouth.\u201d If they would\u2019ve thrown in the towel then, they were bound for New Zealand to pursue their doctorates. Laughing now at the thought, Lisa would have been wearing pantsuits as an environmental consultant, and Brandon tweed blazers\u2014not without suede elbow patches\u2014professing his love for paleoclimatology.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After getting engaged in the spring of 2013, they closed a career door on a closet full of stuffy clothes and traded their passion for earth sciences for a more casual, organic lifestyle in brewhouses. And so they relocated to Colorado\u2014an expansive region with an established, respected reputation for what they sought. Exploring the beer landscape of their new home, during what probably would\u2019ve been one of their last known weekends of downtime, led them to Odd13 Brewing<\/a>, which had just recently opened.<\/p>\n A positive first impression between Brandon and Kristin Scott, co-owner of Odd13 brewing, earned Brandon a part-time gig as a beer-tender and an overseer of their cellar. He became head brewer within a few months. After Lisa and Brandon exchanged their vows in June 2014, Lisa joined her husband at Odd13 and was soon promoted to taproom manager. Lisa\u2019s voluntary bid to work alongside Brandon when there certainly was no shortage of alternative options, and his presumptive agreeance, should\u2019ve been enough foreshadowing for what they both would confidently be signing up for next.<\/p>\n Less than a year later, Lisa proposed the ultimate stress test for any couple\u2014open a business together. Her ambition and admirable trust in their young marriage evolved into their passion project, Primitive Beer<\/a>. While Primitive was \u201ca nebulous concept for many months following conception,\u201d says Brandon, they knew three things: \u201cThis project was going to be specified, centered around oak and traditional Belgian processes. That if we were going to take the time and effort to open up yet another brewery in Colorado, it would have to, at worst, offer something unique to our market and, at best, progress our understanding of beer science. And, despite all the blood, sweat, and tears that would go into this endeavor, it had to also bring us sincere joy and fulfillment.\u201d<\/p>\n Considering the strict standards<\/a> required to use the M\u00e9thode Traditionnelle certification mark, timing was\u2014and still is\u2014everything. In 2016, the Boldts had to juggle the logistics of breaking ground on their taproom and cellar while concurrently ensuring they didn\u2019t miss the seasonal brewing window for their koelschip\u2019s inaugural fill. They nailed both and opened on April 14, 2018 with a variety of year-old still (non-carbonated) beers, inspired by \u201cflat\u201d Lambic, showcasing different blends and refermentations on 2017 harvest Colorado fruits. Brandon says that a visit to their taproom is special, as \u201cthese beers are served \u2018by box\u2019 and from firkins through refurbished English beer engines. \u2018Bag-in-Box,\u2019 while not our invention, was certainly an early distinguishing characteristic of Primitive Beer, in addition to the M\u00e9thode Traditionnelle specificity.\u201d<\/p>\n Immediately following Primitive\u2019s one-year anniversary, they started bottling\u2014layering blends of their more mature two-year-old stock, complemented with local, Colorado wildflower\/alfalfa honey. In a \u201cWhat in the hell do we have to lose?\u201d moment, they submitted one of those first Gueuze-inspired blends, SchibbleSchabble, to 2019\u2019s Great American Beer Festival. They won Silver\u2014for good reason, I can attest. By weird circumstance, your author just happened to visit Primitive the day after GABF and was treated to an off-the-books pour before it was available to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n As with any brewery exposing itself to the natural elements via koelschip\u2014a large, shallow fermenter that\u2019s open to the air, where wild yeast and bacteria are invited to inoculate fresh wort\u2014one should expect to experience some essence of the local terroir. So, how does a brewery describe their flagship offerings, which are mirrored after a historical beer style so ingrained and associated with all-elements Belgium, when they\u2019re located in a \u201cnew urbanist\u201d community, Prospect New Town, in Longmont, Colorado? To this Brandon says, \u201cWe believe our beers have as much variability in house character as compared to our Belgian favorites, as there is variability in terroir between various Lambic producers within Belgium alone. With so few local spontaneous-centric breweries, it\u2019s really hard for us to say if our terroir is Colorado or Longmont-specific, and what component is specifically tied to our local microbes versus the selective pressures we apply through process and blending.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s tough to tell the Boldts\u2019 story without having to pause to acknowledge a parallel timeline. While all of this at Primitive was happening, Lisa and Brandon were working full-time gigs. Prior to press time, Lisa had been promoted to Market Developing Manager at Odd13, but subsequently had to leave (on good terms) to devote her attention to Primitive as it became increasingly demanding (read: popular). However, Brandon left Odd13 in late 2018\u2014to do what else, but help develop a wild barrel program, Wild Provisions Beer Project<\/a>, which opened May 2020 as a side project of 4 Noses Brewing Company<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reality of working two jobs to sustain ourselves isn\u2019t uncommon these days. To pull off balancing the two, they were intentional about picking work outside of Primitive that was equally fulfilling. Lisa is genuine in her appreciation of the support they got from their respective employers\u2019 \u201ccollaborative spirit and overall flexibility.\u201d That grace they were afforded subsidized a subtlety that the Boldts used to crack the code on being in two places at once: choice.<\/p>\n Brandon recognizes its special value, and is eloquent in addressing it. \u201cChoosing to run Primitive despite not relying on it to survive perhaps subconsciously frames our passion project as an artistic endeavor rather than a job,\u201d says Brandon. Let\u2019s keep in mind that although the Boldts are able to keep the lights on at Primitive, they\u2019re not dipping the fixtures in gold. Asked what they might risk if they left their day jobs prematurely, Primitive would be vulnerable to becoming stripped of its appeal, withered down to an obligation. Brandon forecasts that scenario: \u201cWe\u2019d likely be forced to make decisions based on economics and efficiency rather than passion and vision. Our business model knowingly trades time for the flexibility to be creative and put out a product that excites us.\u201d He concludes in a way that makes it tough for anyone to argue: \u201cWe believe this model is the most sustainable with our current lifestyle and values.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"primitive](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer1.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.drinkible.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/PrimitiveBeer6.jpg\")