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WHO IS AARON BRUSSAT?
Brussat is an author, brewer, and educator. Originally from Maryland, he relocated to Eugene, Oregon, in 2008 after a cross-country trip inspired him to settle in the Pacific Northwest. He began his career in the beer industry in 2010. His professional experience is extensive and varied, including roles as a beer steward, assistant buyer, and event curator at The Bier Stein; a homebrew supply shop employee at Falling Sky Fermentation Supply Shop; and a professional brewer at Plank Town Brewing and Claim 52 Brewing, where he is the head of brewing innovation.
For several years, he served as the managing editor for Northwest Brewing News, a free, bimonthly print newspaper that was a foundational source for beer news and history in the region for nearly two decades. It closed in 2019. The paper covered the entire Pacific Northwest, from Alaska to Northern California, and was widely distributed to breweries, pubs, and homebrew shops.
As a writer and journalist, his work has been published in numerous outlets, including Zymurgy, Northwest Brewing News, New School Beer + Cider, and Eugene Weekly. His writing and professional work are driven by an interest in exploring how beer and its ingredients reflect a unique sense of place.
Brussat holds certifications as a Certified Cicerone and is a beer judge through the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP). His commitment to education is evident in his development of the “Beer Flight School” program and his selection for the American Brewers Guild scholarship from the Glen Falconer Foundation for 2025. He is a member of the Cascade Brewers Society homebrew club.
- Further details on Brussat’s career can be found in his 2018 oral history interview.
WHAT’S IN THE COLLECTION?
The Aaron Brussat Papers document his work as an Oregon-based beer author, photographer, and brewer. The collection is comprised of digital files, including article drafts, administrative records, digital photographs, a small number of audio and video files, and web archives of his professional blog.
A portion of the collection documents Brussat’s work as managing editor for Northwest Brewing News from 2012 to 2019, containing article drafts, columns, and administrative files, as well as photographs for the publication New School Beer + Cider. Also included is an archive of his blog, Beerstone, which focuses on the Eugene, Oregon craft beer scene through news, event coverage, and a guide to local breweries.
The photographs include dozens of Oregon breweries, cideries, and meaderies, capturing facilities, people, special events, and the brewing process. They focus on the Willamette Valley, primarily from 2013 to 2023, with a few digitized historical photographs dating to 1890. The collection’s strength is its in-depth, longitudinal documentation of the craft beverage scene in the Southern Willamette Valley and Central Oregon Coast between 2013 and 2023. Key local producers such as Agrarian, Oakshire, Block 15, and Cold Fire are featured, some over multiple years, providing a rich visual history of their growth.
The collection explores the agricultural side of the industry, with photographs from hop farms like Goschie and Crosby hops, and barley suppliers such as Mecca Grade and Admiral Maltings, in addition to barley research from Oregon State University. Furthermore, the records document Brussat’s participation in national and regional beer events like the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), homebrewing clubs, and beer education classes. The collection includes multiple media formats, such as an audio interview with Yachats Brewing and video files from Block 15 and the GABF.
The digital folders are available upon request.
