Yep, I realize this is old news (check out Michael Agnew's blog post if you haven't heard). It's just been eating away at me, so I figured I'd put my thoughts out there.
Jeff founded Flat Earth and made a lot of friends (customers, brewers, etc.) along the way. Over the years, I've chatted with Jeff on several occasions and can definitely understand why. Knowing the friendly man behind the beer helped people appreciate his products for more than just their flavor. They knew the local head brewer on a first name basis, which was pretty sweet.
Another thing that was so cool about Jeff and Flat Earth - he opened the brewery long before the current Minnesota craft brewery explosion took place, which makes him something of a beer pioneer in the Twin Cities. He was ahead of the curve.
Somewhat recently, Flat Earth was in dire financial straights and needed to be saved by an investor. When this happened, many people were relieved when they found out that Jeff would remain head brewer. Apparently, our relief was short-lived.
There's no way for me to know everything that took place behind the scenes in this situation. I can't explain all the details of why Jeff is no longer working for Flat Earth. What I do know is this: if he was forced out under negative circumstances (which seems to be the case at the moment), Flat Earth's sales will almost surely drop. Jeff's fans and friends are loyal, and I don't think they'll support a brewery that fired him.
I wish Jeff good luck in the future and I hope he'll make his way back into the beer business again. I know he'll have a lot of people willing to help him out.
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