Brewmaster Phil Farrell brings nearly four decades of world class brewing experience to StillFire Brewing. He is a Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Grand Master Level 6 beer judge (one of the top 10 ranked judges in the world), previously served as a member of the Board of Governors for the American Home-brewers Association, and has even been named Beer Drinker of the Year. He calls many of the biggest names in the craft beer community friends and has guest brewed at some of the world’s top breweries including Sierra Nevada and Rogue. His dedication to his craft has earned him and his brewing team hundreds of awards including two medals at the Great American Beer Fest.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED HOME BREWER

In his previous life as a home brewer, Phil won over 500 awards including Mid-South Home Brewer of the Year (twice) and is the only home brewer to win a gold medal at the U.S. Open Beer Championship beating all the pros in his category. In 2011 he competed in and won the prestigious Wynkoop Brewery “Beer Drinker of the Year” earning him beer for life at the Colorado brewery.

ONE OF THE TOP 10 RANKED BEER JUDGES IN THE WORLD

Phil Farrell is a Grand Master Level 6 judge in the BJCP. As one of the top ranked judges in the world, he has judged over ten thousand beers in every preeminent beer contest including: The Great American Beer Festival, The World Beer Cup, Copa Cerveza (Mexican Beer Cup), The Great British Beer Festival and more. He has also served as the Vice President of the BJCP and as a member of the Board of Governors for the American Homebrewers Association.

AIR FORCE FIGHTER PILOT AND INSTRUCTOR

Before manning the tanks at StillFire, Brew Master Phil Farrell had a long career in the USAF as a fighter pilot and instructor, seeing combat several times during his 28 years active duty. In the reserves, Phil worked as a commercial pilot for a major airline for over 30 years allowing him to travel to many of the world’s greatest beer cities to taste beers. He can brag of sampling beers in every state in the Union (including U.S. territories), every country in Europe, and places as far flung as Vatican City and Turkey in his never-ending quest to educate his palate about the precious liquid.

THE “CHICKEN MAN”

Phil is known by many in the beer world as “The Chicken Man” because of his mascot; a rubber chicken he uses to channel the mojo of heavy hitters in the brewniverse he meets during his travels. He calls many of the legends that have posed for pics with the chicken friends: Charlie Papazian, “The Godfather of Homebrewing,” late author, Michael Jackson, and Mitch Steele of Stone Brewing (and now of Atlanta’s New Realm Brewing).