Mike LaCroix is the head brewer at Amicas wood fired pizza and microbrews in Salida, Colo., a post he’s held since June 2002. LaCroix followed his love of beer around the country, wit h a resume including three years at Tommyknocker Brewing in Idaho Springs, Colo., two years at Golden City Brewing in Golden, Colo., and stops at Gentle Ben’s Brewing Co. in Tuscon, Ariz. and Lighthouse Brewery in Michigan. You can read more about his beers on the Amica’s website here.
How did you find yourself here?
I grew up in northern New Hampshire. My dad was in the military, and we lived in Colorado Springs until I was seven, when we moved back to New Hampshire. I just has a real affinity for the area, and as soon as we moved there I was trying to figure out how to get back to Colorado.
How did you get started in brewing?
I guess it was while I was in culinary school in Portland. It was right when a lot of things were happening there with the different breweries; Bridgeport, Widmer, Full Sail were all just exploding. I ran into (brewer) John Harris at Full Sail and was just fascinated. I started talking to him about it and it was like a light went off. I got into it as soon as an opportunity became available, and that was Tommyknocker.
What keeps it interesting?
Just the industry as a whole – it is never predictable. Tastes and styles continue to evolve; I’m always finding new beers that are exciting and send my mind in different directions.
It’s great to have the opportunity to try things in a brewpub setting. I can experiment with new beers and even play a little bit with the old ones we’ve had on the menu for years.
Why do you feel Colorado has been such a successful market for brewpubs and craft brewers?
I think a lot of it has to do with the people who live here. People live here and move here for the quality of life. And for a lot of us, quality of life is quality of beer – that’s the biggest thing.
If you could let other brewers learn from your mistakes, what would you say?
Don’t assume you know it all. Try to be open to 100 ways of doing something. At the different breweries I worked at, I had a very linear way of thinking about how things should be done. I didn’t take advantage of the biggest resource out there – other brewers.
Don’t isolate yourself. Don’t stop trying other people’s beers, don’t stop talking to other people about beer. You can really learn a lot, quickly.
