Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/84343
live in a man's world Otto Dilba Thinking outside the bottle By Mollie Busby Propagandist: This one word represents Otto Dilba's role with Madison's Ale Asylum Brewery. While his business partner, Dean Coffey, sticks to the brewing, Dilba deals with everything "outside the bottle." In the span of a day, he may find himself fueling the creative direction of all external visual and verbal communications, managing the brewery's tasting room, and crunching numbers as the accountant. Truly a study in left- and right-brain balance, Dilba does it all with humor, humility and an appreciation for the simple things in life. Near the end of October, Dilba and Coffey will officially open the doors to a 45,000 square-foot facility on Madison's east side, where the brewery's renowned beers, including the famous Ho- palicious, Contorter Porter and others will be brewed and bottled to perfection. We sat down with Dilba to discuss the big move, his diverse role with the company, and beer floats. Yes, you heard us: Beer floats. We've heard you're behind the unique look and attitude Ale Asylum is known for. Where did you get your experience in graphic design? Luck! [Laughs] I used to work at Planet Propaganda, formerly Planet Design—a respected graphic design and marketing firm in Madison. I was an account manager, but I got a good sense of what graphic design is. When Dean and I started Ale Asylum, we couldn't afford to hire anyone to do it, so I taught myself. What's it like going back and forth from creative design to finance? Switching back and forth from left-brain to right-brain can get really tiring. A lot of days, I can't do it! I'll be working on account- ing, and I'll have some graphic design to do and my brain just won't switch over. It can be hard to get to that creative spot. Sounds like you need a nice, cold Hopalicious during times like that. What do you think is the best aspect of Ale Asylum brews? They each pass the four-pint test. The four-pint test is when you sit down and have three of the same beer and truly desire a fourth. That's a good beer. That's a very good beer. Your wife, Hathaway, is Ale Asylum's director of promotions. What's it like working alongside your other half? It's fantastic. I get to see her! In the first few years of the business, I worked such long hours that I didn't get to see her as often as I'd want to. Now, we see each other every day. Quick Questions with Dilba What's your favorite way to enjoy a brew? I make beer floats with Contorter Porter and vanilla ice cream. 26 BRAVA Magazine Where is your favorite place to enjoy the fruits of your labor? Hopalicious on my patio. What are your other hobbies? Golf, relaxing with famiy and friends (which usually involves a beer), and poker. October 2012 What do you love most about the Madison community? Curiosity— our community has a passion for life. They want to try new things. Let's talk expansion. What are you looking forward to at the new location? The biggest thrill is that we won't be artificially limited in our distribution. We have wanted to expand to other areas of the state, but we have been so hampered in our location that we could only serve the Madison and Milwaukee areas. Unlimited space to grow— that's the most exciting thing. We hear you'll have a larger tasting room? Yes—it actually opened in mid-September. In regards to our food offerings, we try and make sure everyone knows that a primary concern for us is supporting local restaurants. We would prefer to see our tasting room dead, and every bar in Madison filled to the gills with people drinking Hopalicious. Even with the expansion, Ale Asylum will stick to its roots of only brewing with water, hops, barley and yeast—no additives. Why? We have a straightforward approach to brewing. With those four ingredients, you can come up with so many different flavor pro- files that there's no need to stray from it. We find it superfluous to add other things like blueberries or Twinkies, or whatever the hell other people are using. So no Twinkie Beer in the near future? No! [Laughs] Although someone had the idea of using Ding- Dongs…I liked that one. ••• Photo by Amber Arnold