Matthew Barbee is the brewer and owner of Rockmill Brewery, a small brewery outside of Lancaster that makes Belgian-style beers. Rockmill – which has garnered national recognition for its beers -- is located on a former horse farm and has one of the most picturesque brewery settings in Ohio. The brewhouse is in the former horse stables. 

Question: Why did you become a brewer?

Answer: Growing up, I was always more passionate about wine as my grandfather had started two wineries in Ohio and it was a big part of my families culture.  I was living on the West Coast and decided to visit my family back in Ohio.  My parents had purchased an old horse farm and I was immediately compelled to come up with something that would enable me to stay back in Ohio and live on this farm.  I had always dreamed of having a winery one day like my grandfather, but I wasn't interested in growing grapes on this particular piece of land.  Saison was the beer that turned me on to craft beer and beer/food pairing so I started looking into the old world method of brewing Farmhouse Ale. My stepfather is a hydro-geologist and he thought it would be a good idea to analyze the water.  I had just learned that beer was at least 90 percent water so that sounded like a good idea.  Dennis shipped off samples to a lab for analysis and the results were very exciting.  It turned out the minerality in our water was ideal for beers from the Wallonia region in Belgium.  At that point, I started brewing with the intent of opening up a small production, organic, Belgian-style brewery.

Q: Why did you decide to brew Belgian-style ales, as opposed to any other style?

A: Whoops, I think I've already answered this one.

Q: Have there been any challenges in launching a small, Belgian-style brewery in Lancaster? Or has brewing been easier than you thought?

A: Absolutely.  Everything we do is by hand and requires a lot of manual labor.  I had no idea how much work I was taking on.  Thankfully, my mother and stepfather decided to go "all-in" with me on getting this operation up and running.  There is no way I would be able to do this without them.  And now we have hired my brother-in-law Chris who has been a wonderful addition to the team.  It also helps that I've fallen in love with brewing.  I can't imagine doing anything else at this point.

Q: Which beer – any beer in the world – do you wish that you created/invented/brewed and why?

A: I am going to cheat and rephrase the question. Which brewer do I want to be?  Brad Clark of Jackie O's [in Athens].  That guy is fearless.  He can crank out 30-plus beers a year and the quality is tip top. My style is much different. It took me 2 1/2 years to develop the four beers we opened with in September 2010.  Brad brewed a stout where he utilized the coffee bean that had passed through the GI track of a Civet Cat. It was the most exquisite coffee flavor I have ever experienced and I am excited to experiment with the same bean someday soon.