Manchester. Home of the Happy Mondays, some really big shopping centres, Les Dawson and now, a BrewDog bar. Exposed steel beams, recycled furniture and vintage board games created the epicentre for our Manchester-based craft beer revolution and within days it had become one of our busiest locations. People of Manchester we salute your love of craft beer!

We also salute our Manchester General Manager – Dean – who (when he’s not dressed as Spiderman or arm wrestling) is leading the charge and preaching about craft beer.

So, Dean, how did you find yourself in the beer industry and more importantly, aboard the good ship BrewDog?

“I first worked my first shift beind a bar with a raging hangover the day after my 18^th birthday, and it’s pretty much all I have done since!

“I got into beer after moving to Leeds, where a duty manager I worked for at the time taught me about beer styles and cellar management. I discovered American beers such as Brooklyn and Sierra Nevada not long after and it snowballed from there.

We like character, both in the beers we create and the people we hire. Persistence, dedication, odd haircuts, a questionable love of 90s techno…are just some of the criteria our crew meet. We’ll let you make your mind up which of these Dean possesses:

“When it came to working for BrewDog, I never really had an interview as such. I’d worked hard in previous job building up a reputation for myself and then just bugged the hell out of James until he gave me a job. Luckily it paid off and now I get to meet loads of awesome people while enriching their lives to the wonders of craft beer.

So if you find yourself wandering the streets of Manchester in search of a proper drink, what can you expect from the Manchurian BrewDog?

“A laid back, friendly atmosphere and staff who get their kicks from seeing your eyes light up when you try a new beer for the first time or even  just enjoying an old favourite.”

And just like the rest of our dysfunctional BrewDog bar family, BrewDog Manchester doesn’t exist without its fair share of scandal:

“Yeah, there’s a rumour going round that A LOT of arm wrestling happens at the bar. Of course, we’re not admitting or denying this."

Pretty hardcore huh? Guess again. Like all good bar managers, Dean has had his share of kick-ass, rock’n’roll moments:

“Um, rock’ n’ roll moment? I was once on TV with Matthew Kelly. That counts as rock’ n’ roll right? Right? No? OK.”

No Dean, we’re not sure whether hanging out with Matthew Kelly on air makes for a rock ’n’ roll moment. What we will agree on is to talk no more about it. 

Want to say hello to Dean? Just email dean@brewdog.com