We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danny Borgstrom. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danny below.
Danny, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I get my work ethic from my Dad. He’s my best friend, but more importantly, he taught me how to work. Period. He worked a factory job until I was about 4 years old, and then he struck out on his own doing furnace and air conditioner work. He went to school to learn the trade, and then put in the hours and work to provide. He did 24 hour service (by himself), and I remember the phone ringing in the night and he would be out the door minutes later. He made sure people didn’t go cold in winter, had cold air in the summer, knew his customers and their stories or predicaments. I started working with him as a young kid, getting in the way, and holding a flashlight. By the time I graduated high school, he was relying on me for complete home installations. Its honest work, serving someone else. Helping them in a time of need, or working with them when money is tight. You see families in a different situation, because no one ever calls at 1 am when things are going well. And even though I chose not to enter his trade, I took something from all of that. I realized long ago that when someone chooses to spend their hard earned money on something you believe in, it makes it that much more special. Because their luck can change fast, and they may look to you for that respite, or that hospitality. I like to be there for people, just like my dad did.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After college, I tried the desk job, but did it through Americorps, working for the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin writing grants for their Elder Services Department. But, needing more money, I took a job bussing tables at the local brewery (2010, Titletown Brewing, Green Bay, WI) on nights and weekends. After a maintenance issue was about to go unresolved for a weekend, I offered to take a look. The next week, I was the official brewery assistant, doing everything I possibly could. I loved every, single, second of it. I couldn’t get enough of it! Scrubbing kegs, hauling grain out, the smells and sounds, I could go on and on. Soon after, my wife and I got married and she took a job that moved us to Seattle. And it was there, I finally started looking at Brewing as something that was serious. It was 2014, craft brewing was growing like crazy, and I happened to find myself in the center of the PNW beer scene. I Started at Diamond Knot Brewing and worked as a Brewer for a couple years, and then took the next step and became Head Brewer for a small, non-descript brewery in West Seattle (West Seattle Brewing Co.). It was tiny, I was all alone, but I loved it! We had a small tap room on Alki Beach and I was finally able to make my beer, first time ever. I never homebrewed nor had any interest. So this opportunity was huge!. But after a couple years, I felt like I needed more, and so did my wife at her job. So, on a hope and a prayer, we put everything into storage, and I accepted a position with 49th State brewing in the middle of nowhere Alaska. Well, outside of Denali National Park, but still. We got up there in April and worked a full season until October. It was nothing short of amazing, making beer at a place where some people save their whole life to get to. Its a place and a job I will remember forever. And we wish we could have stayed up there, but Alaska is a hard place to make a fresh start. It was far from everything and everyone we knew. So, in an attempt to find our “Alaska” in the lower 48, we came to find ourselves in Coeur d’Alene Idaho, where my wife and I helped open a small bewpub called Trails End. And I have been making my beer here ever since. We survived the pandemic as a small, new business, and have become a fixture in the community and the go to place in town for some damn good pizza and German-inspired beers. Our brewery turns 4 in May 2024, and its still hard to believe! We have 16 beers on tap, and everything is brewed to German Purity Standards. I love it when we get guests in from Germany, or elsewhere, and they tell me it reminds me of their past. I make simple and straightforward beers that one would find in any Biergarten in Munich or Berlin. I like to make my beer one that you talk over, and not about. If you have 2 or 3 without noticing, then i have done my job. I like to be there for people.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Have actual intention- The world is full of well-wishers and good intentions, and those are fine and stuff. But I was always told, move with purpose/have intention. Do what you’re going to do and stand by it. When you have an idea, ask yourself, what is the intention? When I think about making a beer, I start with what am I trying to achieve? Is it a seasonal feeling you’re trying to capture, or are you trying to impress. I may not hit 100%, but I at least charge forward full speed. If I’m to fail, I fail fast.
Have humility- And when I fail fast, I accept it, but I move on. And I stay humbled by the process. Everyone is a rookie and Rome wasn’t built in a day. Humility serves us well, especially when you’re in a fake-it or make-it scenario. I know it seems counterintuitive, but owning up to yourself is important. We’re often our harshest critics and seldom let ourselves off the hook easily. Humility teaches us that we may not be there yet, and that’s ok. Just makes the journey that much more fun.
and lastly,
Be honest- Honesty never goes out of style, honesty never is a bad look, and honesty is always appreciated from being a kid, to being an adult. But in the world we live in now, honesty is something I think we take for granted. Honesty usually leads to integrity, and integrity directly correlates to work ethic. If you’re honest with yourself, and those around you, it doesn’t matter how the process shakes out. Integrity, humility and intention are always going to be there for you.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I would not be this far in my journey today if I didn’t acknowledge standing on someone else’s shoulders. And that person is my dear friend, and Mentor, Robert Wilber. He is a German-trained Brewmaster, back when you had to graduate from one school in Munich to call yourself such. He’s been making beer for over 40 years, and learned from some of the academics who wrote the books most people have learned from. He took a chance on me as a young lad in 2008, and he still is who I aim to impress. He has taken the time to not only teach me almost everything I know, but has also been the encouraging one the entire time. Apprenticeship is something important to him, and I am forever in his debt for taking me on and teaching me. But, if there is one other person who deserves credit, it’s my wife. She has always been there for me, even back when I was making $12 /hr cleaning kegs, living out some brewing fantasy. She allowed me to thrive, she pushed me, and she has been in my corner since day 1. If Robert showed me how to do it, she made it possible that I could do it. Like I said, we stand on the shoulders of others. That’s how it should be. And when the time comes, I hope I can reciprocate.
Contact Info:
- Other: Sorry, I avoid social media at all costs!
Image Credits
Chelsey Borgstrom Jeanine Raymond
