THE STORY OF OUR TEAM
Our team is truly where the passion behind BierKraft begins. Our dedication to brewing brings us together to produce great continental beers and to promote traditional beer culture.
Come in for a tour to hear more about our story.
BJ Howell
BJ was raised in McAlester and attended McAlester public schools where he met his wife (Tabetha) his senior year. He co-founded BierKraft after spending 14 years with Krebs Brewing Company where he learned to brew. While at Krebs, he helped brew and execute multiple award-winning beers medaling in competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival, European Beer Star, and the World Beer Cup. In his career at Krebs Brewing Company, he also had the opportunity to work with multiple contract/gypsy brew projects. He also had the opportunity to travel and experience beer culture across the country and Europe. His travels led to a desire to open a brewery, bringing this experience to his hometown. In 2019, he and his wife Tabetha a had a baby boy, William Parker Howell.
William Shawn Scott (aka “Scotty”)
Born and raised in the upper Midwest, our Braumeister’s fascination with beer began at a tender age. A tour in the Marine Corps and subsequent career with the federal government served to facilitate his research and travels, enabling him to explore the local beers in 26 different countries. He started homebrewing in 1987, eventually winning awards in homebrew competitions in all 50 States and the District of Columbia, including 3 Gold medals at the National Homebrew Competition. Scotty is probably best known for his work in helping to resurrect the historic Pivo Grodziskie beer style, even retrieving the original yeast strain from Poland. His articles have been published in both Zymurgy magazine and The New Brewer. He is also an active member of the Beer Judge Certification Program with a National ranking.