The beer-meister

Before Miyagi Pocock can sit down to talk, he has to pour me a beer he just tapped. The Burgers and Brew beer buyer is all smiles and excited energy as he offers a taste of Juicy Melons, an IPA he helped make at the restaurant’s house brewery, Sacrament Brewing Co., in Sacramento.

In addition to his beer duties at the popular downtown Chico restaurant, the jovial married father of five is an assistant brewer at Sacrament (commuting and working seven days a week between the two jobs). He’s proud of the balanced, mildly fruity rendition of the style, and it’s hard to tell what he’s more excited about: having helped make Juicy Melon, or sharing something new with a fellow beer lover.

Brewing is a relatively new development for Pocock, who has worked at the Chico Burgers and Brew (which also has locations in Davis, Sacramento and West Sacramento) for nearly 10 years, and during that time has become one of the more recognizable tastemakers on the Chico craft-beer scene. He worked his way from the kitchen to the front of the house, learning the ropes from co-workers who’ve gone on to some of the most respected breweries in craft beer—e.g., Firestone Walker Brewing Co., Stone Brewing Co.

“He’s a hard-working person who’s always kind to talk to and will help guide anyone to beers they like,” said friend and fellow local craft-beer purveyor Kevin Jaradah (Spike’s Bottle Shop, The Lab Bar and Grill, Brew Kettle Taproom & Bottle Shop). “He pushes reps to get great beers, so we can enjoy the rare beers that wouldn’t normally hit Chico.”

The CN&R recently caught up with Pocock at Burgers and Brew during a break between rushes.

What does a beer buyer do?

Most of it is keeping up with the new stuff that’s coming out. You never want to be playing from behind. My wife jokes, “You get paid to be on social media.” Which is true. You go on and you’re like, “Oh, shit. So-and-so [brewer] is going to this brewery.” That can have a huge impact not only on the brewery that they’re going to, but [also] the brewery that they’re leaving.

On top of that is promoting it to the staff to help sell. Because they need to be able to tell the customers exactly what is so cool about our beer. And then, also, making sure it’s on in a timely fashion. I’ll use Pliny [the Elder double IPA, from Russian River Brewing Co.], for example, because everybody knows what Pliny is. So, say Pliny only came out every three months. You don’t want to be that guy who puts Pliny on seven weeks after that initial release. You want to get that excitement, you want to get it when it’s relevant and people are talking about it.

Do you buy for all Burgers and Brew locations?

Yeah, exactly. Every place is different. In Sacramento, for example, there are so many microbreweries around. I try to support as much local as [I] can get.

And then there are breweries that aren’t necessarily local but we gotta have them, like Revision [Brewing Co., in Sparks, Nev.]. We have that on everywhere. [Brewmaster] Jeremy Warren does a great job at Revision. We want to support them as an awesome brewery, and he repays us by making fantastic beer.

[But] we try to stay as local as we can. Ultimately, what I’m hoping the craft-beer industry will turn into is, like, [something] super-Euro, where everybody’s just making their own beer [in the] back of [the] house.

How has the beer scene evolved in Chico over the last decade?

Before, it was basically us, the Handle Bar, the Winchester Goose, and then Lost Dutchman opened up. And now there’s more and more places with just a badass beer list. What was at first super exciting and new [now] is the norm.

Has Burgers and Brew’s beer portfolio changed since you started?

Oh, yeah. Before, we had a large amount of Belgian beers. Belgian beers aren’t as in demand as they used to be. I mean, Chimay’s been the same beer for 150 years, so the beer hasn’t changed, but people’s palates have and people’s approach to craft beer has changed.

Personally, I’ve gone on what I call “the beer lover’s cycle.” You go from [thinking] Corona was classy beer to discovering IPAs. And then double-IPAs, then stouts and imperial stouts, and barleywines, and grand cru, and then sours, and then saisons, and all this. And then, what I go home and drink right now is a nice clear pilsner. It’s just a good beer. That’s what I call a complete cycle.

That being said, we are super-blessed to have 64 handles. We have something for everybody. If we don’t have something that you like, then we didn’t do a good enough job explaining to you what we have, and sampling you on beers. I keep trying to keep our menu and our rotating beers relevant, and never stop listening to what the public wants.

Is there beer on all the lines at all times?

Oh, yeah. Empty lines give me panic attacks.

What are the hard-to-get beers you’re most proud of having poured?

I think the last really big “we are the champions” moment was [when] I got a couple of cases of Cantillon [brewery in Brussels, Belgium]. It’s not something that you just go to the store and buy anywhere. About five years ago I just started writing them; they’re really cool guys. I’m like, “I do the beer-buying at a little place in Chico,” and they’re like, “Sure, yeah, it’s not ever going to happen, but thanks for reaching out. We’re glad you like our beer.” [Then] slowly but surely they’re like, “Actually, this is how you have to do it.” And they kind of gave me some tips. Lo and behold, I managed to get a couple cases.

Are there beers/styles that just haven’t worked for you?

I think the best example of that for me was pumpkin beers. I thought pumpkin beers were going to be awesome, so I bought a few around October and Thanksgiving, and here comes February and they’re still there!

Is this a fun job?

I feel like I won the lotto. I get paid to drink beer.