Starting out by brewing beers for personal consumption as well as for friends, Rob struck a deal early on to have the General Lafayette Inn & Brewery produce some of his beer to gauge market interest. A short time later, Rob opened up his own brewery in North Wales, PA, where he strives to create an eclectic mix of beers that will please everyone from the craft beer junkie to the casual hop sipper.
We recently caught up with DeMaria, where we chatted about his desire to help grow the craft beer industry, future expansion plans and Prism’s newest brew, the Insana chocolate bacon stout.
Downingtown Dish: You once brewed for your own enjoyment before partnering with the General Lafayette and then opening up your own brewery. What did you learn along the way that will help to set Prism beers apart from the rest of the craft beer scene?
Rob DeMaria: I’ve learned that people want something different, but not too different. That’s why we try and strike a balance between the classic style of our base beer and the adjuncts we put into it. Some say, compared to the mega-breweries, we are like the Lady Gaga of beer because she’s different and so are our beers. But we are not looking to be the Jones Soda of beer, so it is important for us to balance flavors. When people read the descriptions of our beers, they can sometimes get scared. For example, when hearing about Love is evoL, our strawberry jalapeno brown ale, I hear people say, “I don’t like fruit beers” or “I’m not a fan of chili beer.” I sometimes have to coax them to try it. When they do, their eyes light up and most say the beer is amazing and not at all what they were expecting. So, I’d have to say I’ve learned to balance the line between providing something unique without being too gimmicky.
DD: You have your MBA and have worked as an EMT, a photojournalist and as a tech nerd. What made you decide to focus your career on brewing beer?
DeMaria: I decided to focus on craft beer because it is the first creative outlet I have had in a long time. I believe my prior experiences in a Fortune 100 company and securing my MBA enable me to run the business side of things. Working in emergency medical services gave me the ability to make quick decisions and work well under pressure. My photojournalism background helps me with brand imaging and the tech nerd in me helped create the website. But the heart of my brewing career is the creative outlet and being in charge of my future. Unlike working for big business, owning a brewery shows me there is a direct correlation between what I do and the impact it has on my company’s success.
DD: Your Insana Stout is brewed with chocolate and vegetarian bacon. Love is evoL is brewed with strawberries and jalapenos. Your beers are a little left of center and highly enjoyable. How do you come up with new beers for the brewery that are interesting and accessible?
DeMaria: I wouldn’t say they are left of center, nor are they right of center. We are creating a new line under the motto “creating a whole new spectrum of beer”. I know that I am not the only brewer that uses adjuncts to add flavor, but I am one that refuses to blend in. I doubt I will ever brew a true classic style beer. I refuse to be generic in my personal life and I think I have that same mindset when it comes to brewing. When it comes to making beer, I am trying to brew something in a way that is both approachable and affordable while growing the craft beer market. Our beer is for the people.
DD: We heard through the grapevine that there is a funny story behind the name Flying Magic Zebras, which is Prism’s version of a black and tan. Can you fill us in on the story?
DeMaria: Every week, the Philadelphia Eagles post an animated short on their website about the upcoming game. When we played at home against the NY Giants this past season, the animation featured Eli Manning and Payton Manning as young children. They were sitting in their bedroom getting ready to go to sleep when Eli asked Payton if there really are giant green monsters at Lincoln Financial Field. Payton tells Eli that there are giant green monsters and how afraid he was that he wasn’t going to make it out, but explains that there were flying magic zebras throwing flags and blowing whistles at the green monsters. I laughed hysterically at that! Every week when there would be ridiculous flags in the game, I’d post on Facebook that I saw flying magic zebras. Someone asked one day if that was the name of a new beer. It hit me that it should be. I went back to the brewery, blended some of our pale ale with some of our hop-less porter and Flying Magic Zebras was born!
DD: Hilarious! A beer with an Eagles-related name is very appropriate for Philly. Where can we get it? Right now, you are serving growlers from the brewery and supplying kegs for distribution to local bars. Do you have plans to expand the brewery and perhaps install a bottling line?
DeMaria: We just bought a bottling line and expect to have bottles available in the spring! We are also putting the finishing touches on our taproom and will open that up in the coming months.
DD: Congrats! Why is it important to you to participate in events like The Brewer’s Plate, coming up on March 13, 2011. What will you be bringing with you for everyone to enjoy?
DeMaria: We love beer events as much as our customers do! Getting out and meeting our customers gives us the opportunity to connect with them directly. It’s tough to get feedback sometimes and if someone comes back to our booth telling us we have the best beer at the event, we’ll know we are doing something right. We love answering questions and giving customers the opportunity to meet the people behind the beer. As for our line-up for the Brewer’s Plate, we haven’t decided what we will be bringing. Of all of the festivals this is one of my favorites because of the paring of food and beer and our beer really does make for some awesome food pairings. I expect it will most likely be our Bitto Honey IPA and Love is evoL, but some of that depends on who we get paired up with.
DD: I guess we will have to stay tuned and find you at Brewer’s Plate. So, what are you most looking forward to? Any new beers on the horizon that we all should be getting jazzed about?
DeMaria: I’m looking forward to this year as it is really the first year our beer will be on the market as I meant it to be. When the General Lafayette was brewing our beer, there were guidelines limiting my ability to have the beer taste exactly as I intended. Currently we are conducting R&D on a few beers including a session beer with Blood Oranges and a Double IPA with 10 hop varieties!
DD: We can’t wait! One last question. If you weren’t working in the beer industry, what would you choose as your career?
DeMaria: I guess I’d still be stuck in my old corporate 9-5 gig, but I think eventually the artist within would break free and I’d most likely be telling stories through music and film. I’ve had a film concept in my head ever since I worked in the industry and told myself I’d find a way to finance it myself, so don’t be surprised if you hear about that one day.
For more information about Prism Brewing Company, visit www.prismbeer.com.
