Meet Laura Bruns | Craft Beer Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Bruns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I grew up in the midwest in a family that held tight to our German heritage, including the normalization of serving beer with meals and demystifying it for curious young minds. In a similar realm I am employing a lot of those philosophies today through craft beer education

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Craft Beer Uncovered is the marriage of two spheres; education and craft beer. I have been in education for over 16 years, even garnering a MA degree in Instruction and Curriculum Design. I also owned a local craft brewery for nearly 8 years. Couple that with a few craft beer certifications including a Certificate in Applied Craft Brewing from Regis University and that creates the perfect blend of what makes Craft Beer Uncovered successful. The journey to get here has had many bumps, twists and turns in the road, but life has a funny way of eventually pointing you in the right direction and determining that match between your skillset and your passions. Craft Beer Uncovered is “that match” for me.

I want the world to know that with any aspect of education, you have to start somewhere, and sometimes taking that first step is the most anxious one. When it comes to craft beer, I want to kick down the mysterious door of an industry that has traditionally marketed to white cis men in their 30s, especially here in Denver, which is often dubbed “The Napa Valley of Craft Beer”. I feel that residents should have the opportunity to be educated ambassadors and imbibers of such a large and defining facet of our community. Plus it’s a lot of fun to learn about the history and quirks of craft beer while trying them on for [palate] size.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I will be doing just this thing in early June when a friend from Germany will be visiting me for 4 days. The big, obvious answers are a trip to visit Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a swing through Boulder to visit the University of Colorado campus en route to the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park. In town, I always like to support local and small businesses. We will ride bikes around Denver and visit local breweries such as Raices, Banded Oak and Baere and I always love the cute taproom of Bear Creek Distillery too. While not deemed as “hyper local” anymore, a trip to Colorado is not complete without a spin through Illegal Pete’s to grab a tasty burrito. Denver is such an easy place to visit with its 300 days of sunshine each year.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have surrounded myself with a lot of support over the years, making sure that I follow my own ethos of, “You are who you surround yourself with”. Friends and family are the obvious cheerleaders, but I also have been active in regional and craft beer networking groups that have provided a lot of mentorship and guidance. Ultimately, the driving force behind the creation of Craft Beer Uncovered, are all of the people who are openly curious about gaining more craft beer knowledge. They drive my impetus to create events and partner with entities for these experiences.

Website: www.craftbeeruncovered.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/craftbeer_uncovered

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-bruns/

Image Credits
Photography: Juniper Ink and Samantha Hines