Interview by Abernathy Cochran interns and Gainesville High School seniors John Jessup and Anna Kate Embry
Meet Andrew Greene! Andrew is the head brewer at NoFo Brew Co-Gainesville, which is now under construction but should be open sometime this summer. Andrew has loads of experience being a brewer, most notably being the brewer at the NoFo location in Cumming for two years.
NoFo Brewery will be located right off the Midland Greenway and within a five minute walk from the Gainesville Square at 434 High Street. The building itself will have plenty of space for events and gatherings to accommodate large parties, a giant patio with direct access to the Midland Greenway, and a members-only lounge for all of NoFo’s most loyal customers.
Founded by Joe Garcia, Shannon Miles and Bryan Miles, NoFo Brewery opened its original location in Cumming in September 2019. NoFo’s goal is to provide an upscale, family-friendly environment centered around great craft beer, hand-crafted cocktails and amazing hospitality.
We want to thank Andrew for spending time with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Q: Tell us about your background in beer?
A: “I started doing part-time packaging at Jekyll Brewing in Alpharetta. Then worked for Abbey of the Holy Goats Brewery for about a year, which was in Roswell and unfortunately went out of business. Then, I spent three years brewing at Monday Night Brewing in Atlanta. And from there, I’ve been at NoFo for almost two years.”
Q: Please tell us a little bit about your family.
A: “I’m the youngest of three, I have two older brothers, so I’m the baby of the family. I pretty much lived in Atlanta my entire life, was born there, moved around a little bit when I was young because my dad worked for UPS…so that kind of took us around, but we ended up back in Atlanta. I lived most of my adult life in the Johns Creek/Roswell area.”
Q: Please tell us about your current career. What do you love most about what you do?
A: “I’m the head brewer for NoFo Brew Co here in Gainesville, and I was previously the head brewer for the Cumming location. Personally, I love the creative output of it and the sense of community. Sharing a beer and talking with someone and sharing and enjoying that moment is super special; I’ve always loved that aspect of it. Also it’s fun to see how much work goes on behind the scenes to get the beer from the barrel in the back, to your.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, where would it be?
A: “There’s so many places I could say, but I’ve always thought about going through the Mediterranean coast of Europe, like Southern Spain, France, Italy. Also, I think Switzerland would be a good one. Being up in the Swiss Alps would be really cool.”
Q: What are some of your favorite movies and TV shows?
A: “I’ve watched a lot of ‘Seinfeld,’ and ‘Arrested Development’ is one of my all-time favorites. Those are older shows, but those are some of my all-time favorites. I was a big fan of ‘Ozark’ when that was on. I also like ‘The Mandalorian,’ and ‘Star Wars.’ For movies, ‘The Big Lebowski’ is definitely one of my favorites.”
Q: What’s some advice that you want to give or leave with people?
A: “It’s important to know who you are, and don’t be afraid to be yourself. I am a believer that if there’s something you want to do and you have a passion for it, do it.”
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “Switzerland… traveling a little more. I’d also love to see a round at the Masters and see a Premier League game”
Q: What is something that you have been proud to check off your bucket?
A: “I’ve never really had a bucket list. I don’t know if it counts as something on my bucket list, but I did graduate from college, which was important and I took that as an accomplishment. I took a kind of unorthodox route to get to that point so that was good. And I’ve gotten to travel a little bit to different places, and do some cool things.”
Q: What are a couple of your favorite restaurants in our community?
A: “I’m a big fan of Consuelo, their Lengua Taco is awesome and their margaritas are great. Another one of my favorites is The Inked Pig. Also, I think Peyton’s Pies is really good. Those are probably my top three right now.”
Q: Where do you see yourself and NoFO Brewery in 5 to 10 years?
A: “In five to 10 years, I hope NoFo continues to grow and continues to make an impact and is involved in the community as much as possible. For myself, I don’t think about my five year plan. I’m more of a right here and right now kinda guy.”
Q: What is your go to music when you can’t decide what to listen to?
A: “Grateful Dead and Outkast, those are probably my favorite.”
Q: What is the most beautiful place you have ever been?
A: “Ireland’s countryside. Dublin was cool and some of the other cities I saw were cool, but driving through the Irish Countryside was just crazy, it’s really beautiful.”
Q: What is your favorite holiday?
A: “This is a selfish one, Fourth of July. My birthday is on July 3rd, so the fourth is always so much fun. Being by a body of water, grilling, and setting off fireworks is always awesome.”
Q: Who would you want to play you in a movie about your life?
A: “Someone who’s like a sex symbol, a hot actor. Matthew McConaughey, ha-ha.”
Q: Who inspires you to be better?
A: “My daughter. She is almost five years old, and she’s my inspiration for a lot.”
