Rise Up On the Tide

with Chef Rick Gallego

We are going to try something a little different for this one: instead of doing a recipe we are going to get the "tea" on one of Maine top craft breweries - Mast Landing Brewing Company.  In my real life, I'm the General Manager of Operations for a restaurant group in Boston.  Within that, I am also the beer buyer for our 3 restaurants.  This job has given me the opportunity to build relationships with some really cool people within the craft beer community (and huge Goose fans) like Devin Pieroni (Marketing Sales Manager) and Parker Olen (Owner, Creative Guru, Label Artist, Beer Namer Guy and many other things). I had the chance to chat with these guys about all things Goose, art and beer. I hope you enjoy and please Support Local Breweries.

Can you tell us about Mast Landing? 

Since opening in 2016, we have showcased our beers at festivals across the country and internationally, shared them with new fans here in the Northeast, and poured them for countless locals and visitors at our taprooms in Maine. We pride ourselves in being approachable for all beer fans, regardless if you are a level 4 Cicerone or just had your first New England IPA. We want everyone to feel welcome at Mast Landing.

We focus on brewing the highest quality beers while also using our independence and socially conscious mindset to support our local community and industry. Our goal is to make sure that each Mast Landing beer that you drink is amazing.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself, when you started at mast landing, what your job is there, etc.

I’m one of the owners of Mast Landing and lead everything on the creative side of the company. My favorite part of my job is designing the can labels, as well as naming each beer. I pretty much have full creative freedom to do what I want, so it’s fun to be able to let music influence my creative process. We actually just took a tally and Mast Landing currently has 33 beers that are named after songs or lyrics. That’s pretty crazy.

I have 8 years experience working in beer and got my start in Distribution and worked my way through a few breweries before ending up with Mast Landing (Harpoon, Mill House Brewing, Singlecut). In the past few years, I moved up from NYC and currently live in the woods of Rhode Island with my wife (Cassie) and 2 dogs (Fee and Chance; yes, "Fee," as in the Phish song). I've always had a passion for Craft Beer since my early restaurant/bar days but also have equal love for live music. I've seen so many different bands throughout the years but always enjoy seeing Jam Bands the best. The atmosphere is what got me on the bus (as they say) and haven't looked back since. Live performances are where I'm at my happiest and I love the connections made through the music and the people you meet each time. Goose has been a band that reinvigorated that spark for me and it's always a pleasure when I get a chance to see them.

Do you remember the first time you heard Goose and what was your first show?

I first heard Goose during the summer of 2019. It was at a cookout in the backyard of a friend’s house who is a massive Phish fan and Time to Flee (from Peach Festival 2019) came on. During the jam, I immediately stood up and went over to the iPhone that was playing to see what band playing. It was game over from there. I had been in somewhat of a music rut for a few years and Goose couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. Unfortunately, like a lot of “newer” Goose fans, the pandemic started before Goose could make it up to my area for a show and after having to miss 2 shows in a row due to COVID, I was able to seem them live for the first time during the TABOOSE Tour. However, I’ve been an almost nightly member of the couch tour crew since 2020.

The first time I heard Goose was on a road trip back from Peach Festival in 2018. I just happened to find them on Bandcamp (I believe it was a show from Kentucky) and once I heard "Madhuvan" for the time, I was hooked. My first show was at the Yarmouth Drive-In on the Cape on 9/12/20. It was such an odd time to see a concert but I thoroughly enjoyed myself through the balmy cold night. I recommend a listen because it's by far the best "Your Ocean"> "Fish in the Sea" I've heard.

What was your first beer named after a Goose song? What gave you the inspiration to name it that?

We’ve had many beers named after jam band references and lyrics, but our first Goose beer was “Chasing Satellites” from "Hot Tea" of course. "Hot Tea" is one of my favorite songs and I love the line “…been chasing satellites since we landed on the moon.” So I jumped at the opportunity once I had an idea for the label design. I think the name has a cool ring to it even if you have no idea who Goose is as well.

When you design a label, what comes first.  The beer? An idea? The Name? How does it all come together?

Every beer is different. I would have to say it’s probably a pretty even split between all three. Sometimes I’m trying to match a beer name and label to accurately represent the liquid inside the can, but other times I have a label design in my head that I’m waiting for the right opportunity to use on a beer. However, I do have a list of about 200 possible beer names on my phone, half of which are probably music references. 

How much do the music, the art and the beer work together for you personally?

I often tell people I have the best job in the world because I get to combine my love of art and beer together and get paid for it. When music is added into that equation it’s really hard to imagine being happier doing anything else for a career. At Mast Landing, we’ve done a few collaborations beers that happened organically with other bands like Young The Giant and Guster and those experiences were incredible not only on professional level, but a personal level as well.

What other references do you have lined up down the pipe?

We’ve got another Goose themed beer releasing in July to celebrate their show at Thompson’s Point in Portland on July 6th. Selfishly, I’m hoping it will persuade them to play my favorite song, "Factory Fiction," during the show.

Favorite Mast Landing Beer?

DDH Tell Tale Pale Ale.

Oh man! It’s hard to pick just one. I would have to say right now I’m loving our Session IPA “Little Victories” but my favorite beer changes frequently throughout the year.

Favorite Mast Landing Label?

33 (collab with Vitamin Sea) *Big Celtics Fan

This is obviously a tough one for me and I’m not sure I could ever pick just one, but the label for “Beachfront Property” is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I think it’s one of those labels that represents the taste and vibe that we were going for in that pilsner. 

For all things cool and craft beer in the NE area and beyond you can follow me @thecuratedcraftma