Exit Strategy

I have been in Asia for five years, but now my time here has come to an end. It is with mixed feelings that I box up my belongings and my life here in Singapore. I have enjoyed my time in Asia very much. I have met great people and traveled to exotic and interesting place. I have tasted some of the best food on the planet and my share (and a few other peoples share) of good beers. I have had the amazing opportunity to help build a brewery and create a brand. I was lucky to have worked with a fantastic team of people - at every stage. I have been fortunate enough to be welcomed into people's homes and lives and to share their experiences. I have made many good friends here. I have indeed been very fortunate.

I arrived here (14,500 km from home) knowing not a single person, and I am leaving with what I am sure are life long friends. And as many of my friends know my preferred exit strategy is the Mas Selamat (better know outside of Singapore as the French exit) but saying I am going to the jamban & then sneaking out the back seems (for once) inappropriate. So - I want to thank all my friends and colleagues for making my time here so enjoyable, for making my job here so much easier than it might have been, for taking me with you on all those great adventures, and for showing me Asia. I promise you I will be back.

So where to next ?
I am returning to my home in Anderson Valley, Northern California. I will start a new job with my old friends and colleagues at Anderson Valley Brewing Company. I will have to replace my Singlish & Bahasa with Boontling and Spanish. I will have to make the shift from living in one of the most populated places on earth to one of the least populated. There will be no more late night hawker center visits, but there will also be no traffic jams.

I am looking forward to getting reacquainted with old friends and the excitement of pushing some brewing boundaries in the land of hoppy beers. I promise we will be doing some interesting thing in our quiet little corner of NorCal. I hope that you all will take the time (and make the arduous drive) to come visit me in what really is one of California's most beautiful places.

Stay tuned .....