Beer History Week is a celebration beginning with the Beer Culture Summit, continuing with daily programming from colleagues around the country, and concluding with Ales Through The Ages, presented by our friends at Colonial Williamsburg.

BEER HISTORY WEEK: DAY 4

Structure, routine, and regimen are standard issue aspects of life for anyone serving in the military. Expectations run high, serving the country is priority one. And life after the military is no different. Veterans are often perceived as forever having to serve their country but, for many, there’s more.

Today on Veterans Day, we invite you to join us for a conversation with three military veterans, Dedrick McFadden, Carey Kight, and Tim Parker, about pursuing a career outside of what is expected of military veterans. In the brewing industry where, crunchy white guys have long had a perceived monopoly on craft beer, brewers Tim and Dedrick are breaking down both the racial barriers in the industry and the perception of military veterans as entrepreneurs. Carey Kight, another entrepreneur, leads this discussion.

This free virtual program takes place via Zoom at 6pm Central Standard Time.

This program is presented in collaboration with the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, founded by Garrett Oliver.

Carey Kight is a Columbus, Ohio native and the executive producer at Circus Maximus, a creative agency that builds mega niche brands, where he leads integrated and content production. A US Air Force veteran, Carey served for four years from 2006 - 2010 loading bombs, missiles, and gun ammunition on F-15E fighter jets, deploying all over the world in support of close air support and NATO training operations. Carey hosts the podcast, Veteran Made, where he connects with other veterans to equip the community with skills to successfully transition from service to civilian.

Dedrick McFadden served in the United States Army as a supervisor and cannon gunner for six years. He began his brewing career in 2017 and, just this past October, he received a brewing scholarship from the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling which he is using to earn an AA in Brewing, Distillation, and Fermentology at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.

Tim Parker is the co-founder and co-owner of Chula Vista Brewery. A Chicago Southside born and raised native who grew up in the projects, he moved to San Diego to pursue a career in the U.S. Navy where he met his lovely wife, Dali, in 2002, and was introduced to Chula Vista by her. Since then, he fell in love with Chula Vista, and the small town feel it offers while in the big city. Tim and Dali own and operate the brewery with the aim to provide exceptional service that leaves an impression with their core customers from the very first point of contact, a consistent engaging atmosphere using high quality products and knowledge base of craft beer and services, and integrity and commitment to their product and community. Tim served for twenty years in the US Navy deploying all over the world as a door gunner on search and rescue operations. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling.