Von Ebert’s Dashawn Agbonze on Failing in Safe Spaces and the Importance of Brewing Education

Von Ebert Brewing brewer Dashawn Agbonze sees himself as the “fun police” – a badge he wears proudly, much like the German brewers that he admires.

“I’m always like, ‘Why are we doing this?’” Agbonze said on the latest edition of the Brewbound Podcast. “Ultimately, like the Germans, I don’t believe in magic. I need an explanation. Let’s talk it out. Part of that is, let’s train people so that everyone can see the same vision and we have the same goal because we know exactly how to get there.”

Agbonze, a two-time Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing and Distilling (MJF) scholarship awardee, shares his journey climbing the ranks of the brewing industry and why he believes education is critical for up-and-coming brewers. 

“The education is important because it enables you to be in a controlled space to fail,” he explained. “You’re not putting a business on the line. You don’t have employees with families that you have to risk in order to learn that ‘Hey, a clean tank would make the beer that you want,’ or ‘Hey, contamination via your canning line can happen,’ or how to solve these problems in a safe space.”

Failures in a learning environment become key lessons in training the next generation of brewers, Agbonze shares. 

Before the interview, the Brewbound team discusses the latest news, including a major departure from Whole Foods’ bev-alc team, an update on Pabst’s stolen beer, the Beer Institute’s latest beer supply data and FIFCO USA’s new owner and new/old name. 

Brewbound managing editor Jessica Infante also shares highlights from her trip to Asheville for the annual business planning meetings at Highland Brewing and Sierra Nevada. 

Listen here.