Airman Takes Flight, Joins Garden Path
It’s no big secret that Jeffrey Airman is moving to the Pacific Northwest after a nine-year tenure at Paradox Beer Company in Divide. He’ll join an all-star team at Garden Path Fermentation where he can expound on his creative pursuits to help craft beer, wine, cider, and even mead. His culinary curiosity will serve him well in a company that champions the abundance of the natural world.
Garden Path, for those who may not recognize the name, is a brewery in Northern Washington state that brews hyper-local beverages (90+% of their ingredients come from within 10-20 miles), with an emphasis on old-world processes—reinterpreted and adapted for brewing today. Their commitment to locally-grown ingredients provides what we would consider a “snapshot” of the Skagit Valley as the seasons change and harvests ebb and flow. Each product is truly unique, which we believe fits Airman’s creative style perfectly.
From the occasional online snark to providing a friendly face for Paradox in public, his friendly demeanor and constructive criticisms have most certainly helped elevate our local beer scene. We’re better off because of his time here, and he will surely be missed.
Congratulations Airman, we’re excited to see the journey awaiting you at Garden Path. We’ve included a few photos from our archives of Airman, so you can re-live some fun moments!
Here’s Garden Path’s Press Release announcing Airman’s arrival:
Jeffrey Airman to Join Garden Path Fermentation
Burlington, Wash., August 9, 2021— Garden Path Fermentation is delighted to announce that industry veteran Jeffrey Airman will soon be joining our team!
Airman, known for making highly nuanced, delicately balanced, foudre-fermented, mixed culture beers at Paradox Beer Company in Divide, Colorado, will be relocating with his family to Skagit Valley, Washington in early September.
He’ll join Garden Path’s current production team of Renee Evans and Shawn Vail, and Co-Creators Ron Extract and Amber Watts, in making oak-fermented beer, wine, cider, and mead, using all local ingredients and 100% native Skagit Valley yeast. Airman is exhilarated by the copious natural resources of our local area.
“I’m inspired by the abundance of nature and agriculture in the Skagit Valley and look forward to blending my love of fermentation with its exceptional local ingredients.”
Prior to his becoming a brewer, Airman’s background was as a restaurant manager and culinarian, which is evident in his focus on flavor and balance in the beers he makes. We look forward to having him bring those same creative sensibilities to Garden Path as he explores the amazing range of local ingredients that can be found in our area and the various ways in which they interact with our native microflora.
In addition to brewing, however, Airman has also assisted with virtually every other aspect of operations over the course of his nine year tenure at Paradox, and will be taking on a similarly multifaceted role at Garden Path, where every member of our small team is often called upon to wear a number of different hats.
We’re all very excited to welcome him aboard!
About Garden Path Fermentation
Located in the beautiful rural Skagit Valley in Northwest Washington, Garden Path Fermentation makes hyperlocal beer, mead, cider, and wine only using ingredients sourced from our own backyard. We exclusively use Skagit-grown grain, fruit and honey, Pacific Northwest hops, and ferment all of our products in oak with 100% native Skagit yeast. Our process draws on old-world brewing and winemaking techniques from a variety of traditions, which we reinterpret and adapt to take maximum advantage of the Skagit Valley’s abundant resources and temperate climate. Visit http://gardenpathwa.com for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @gardenpathwa
