Meet the Team: Alicia Valenski, Co-Founder at Work For Your Beer
Since you're here on this blog post, chances are you're already aware that the Work For Your Beer blog, Weekly Brewsletter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube channel are go-to resources for entertaining and educational content on the topics of booze, wellness, and travel.
And if you've read our About Us page, you may even already know that co-founder Alicia Valenskiis a travel writer, editor, and content marketer who graduated from Penn State in 2015 with degrees in journalism and Spanish as well as a minor in international studies. She lives in Richmond, VA with her husband Andrew and their Great Pyrenees pup, Luna.
But (insert side-eye emoji here) what else do you really know about Alicia? We turned the tables and interviewed our resident journalist to learn more about her craft beer journey.
Your name: Alicia Valenski
Your Instagram handle: @aliciavalenski
Your city: Richmond, VA
When (and how) did your craft beer journey begin?
In 2011, Tröegs Independent Brewing moved in about a mile away from my childhood home in Hershey, PA. As soon as I turned 21, I started meeting up with all of my friends there because it felt cool and casual to grab a pint of Dreamweaver and share a giant pretzel together.
But I didn’t start really learning or appreciating the nuances between beer styles until my at the time boyfriend (now husband) and I moved to the Hudson Valley area of New York our first year out of college. We spent a lot of time at the teeny tiny taproom at Rushing Duck Brewery, taste-testing flights of beer together to figure out what we did and didn’t like.
What was your “gateway” craft beer, AKA the first one you tried that made you want to get into craft beer? (The brewery and the beer, if you can remember both!)
It was around 2015, and I was still on more of a wine kick.
So, when I tasted the Magnanini Niagara Tripel from Newburgh Brewing Company, I was floored to discover that it tasted almost like a cross between beer and wine — which makes sense, since it was brewed using Niagara grapes from the Magnanini Farm Winery in New York's Hudson Valley (replacing the Belgian Candi sugar that would usually be found in a Belgian Tripel).
I had tried and enjoyed plenty of craft beers before, but tasting this one was like, “Whoa… Beer can taste like this?” I was hooked and ready to start exploring the scene with much more excitement.
What’s your go-to beer style? And what’s one beer in that style that you’d recommend trying?
Ironically, though I started out preferring craft beers that tasted like other things, I now prefer my beer to be distinctly beer-flavored.
I like dem crispy bois — pilsners, lagers, and West Coast IPAs all day.
Is there a beer style out there that you just canNOT get into? If so, what?
Sours. I’M SORRY. I’ve tried so many, you guys. Once in a while I’ll find something that’s brewed with lactose and other non-sour flavors (example: Carolina Cobbler by Divine Barrel Brewing brewed with Madagascar vanilla, graham crackers, cinnamon, and an extra dose of lactose) that offset the sour, which I really enjoy. But otherwise, I’m just not the kind of person who wants to be puckering my lips every time I take a sip of my drink.
Give ‘em to Mel, and I’ll take her hoppy brews, and we’ll call it a day.
What’s your favorite brewery in your area?
This is an impossible question, so I’m giving several answers.
For funky beers & a beautiful bathroom: Tabol Brewing
For solid beers & a gorgeous interior: Väsen Brewing Company
For incredible IPAs & a perfect patio: Triple Crossing - Fulton
For a varied beer selection & a rooftop experience: Starr Hill Beer Hall & Rooftop
For stellar saisons & the city’s best beer garden: Ardent Craft Ales
For river views & classic German beers: Legend Brewing Company
For amazing food while you eat & the longest beer list: The Answer BrewPub
What’s the coolest brewery you’ve ever visited?
Personally, I think the coolness of a brewery tends to be based on the experiences you have while you’re there — so I’d have to say Divine Barrel Brewing (where we had our rehearsal dinner), Resident Culture Brewing Company (where my husband and I were married), and Salud Cerveceria (where we had our wedding reception) are at the top of the list for me.
Just below those would be Urban South Brewery in New Orleans, where they had a bounce castle for adults in their freaking taproom. Is that a good idea to have around for adults consuming beer? Probably not, but we had a blast!
What’s one brewery (or beer) on your bucket list?
Visiting the official Guinness Brewery Tour in Dublin is high on the list for me. I’m also anxiously awaiting the day when Mel and I will finally get to bathe in a tub full of beer together in Prague.
If someone asked you to do a beer share today, what would be the six beers you’d put in your mixed pack to share with them? (Please name the brewery and the beer for each one you’d include!)
I love that I’m sitting here like, “Ugh, what a tough question to answer!” when I’m literally the one who wrote these questions. I’m the worst. Anyway, I’d probably go with:
Who Cinch You by Tabol Brewing
The Velvet Walrus on Hazelnut Coffee by Väsen Brewing Company
Clever Girl by Triple Crossing
Richmond Lager by Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Rail Pass by Bingo Beer Co.
Pineapple Whip by Origin Beer Lab
What’s your preferred way to Work For Your Beer? (Could be yoga, running, biking, dancing, surfing, walking the dog, going to trivia — any interactive event that gets your body or mind working while drinking!)
I love my daily yoga practice. It’s so crazy to think that before I decided on a whim to attend a beer yoga flow at a beer garden in Charlotte, I had never stepped foot on a mat. It truly was the most non-intimidating way to approach trying yoga out for the first time — and now, I can’t imagine my life without the practice!
Since you’ve been a part of the craft beer community, how have you seen it change (for better or for worse)?
I feel like when I was first getting into craft beer, there were only men with beards and flannels in the room — and as the girl in the room (also in a flannel, but that’s besides the point), it was often assumed that I knew nothing about beer, or that I was just there for fruited wheat ales. No shade if those are your thing! But I hated getting a skeptical side-eye when I ordered a dark ale or an IPA.
I’m not sure if it’s because we moved to a more progressive city or because times are changing (slowly but surely), but I feel much less disrespected by bartenders and other beer-drinkers these days. Instead of feeling defensive and like I have to prove that I know what I’m drinking, I feel excited to geek out with others about their preferences and swap stories about our favorite beer experiences.
What advice would you give to someone considering getting involved in the craft beer community?
At least try the thing before you turn your nose up at it. Maybe you hate IPAs the first time you try them. But by at least giving ‘em a sip when they’re in a flight or tasting them when you’re making your beer selection at the bar, your palate gets a bit more used to them… and eventually, maybe you’ll find that you actually really enjoy them.
But on the flip side of that, don’t force yourself to like something that’s not for you just because others in the craft beer community like it! If sours aren’t for you, they aren’t for you. If IPAs make you gag, don’t drink them.
There’s a balance between these two pieces of advice but I’m too many beers in to figure out what it is.
Cheers, y’all.
We're glad we got to share about more about Alicia here on the Work For Your Beer blog — and we're looking forward to more opportunities to chat with other incredible members of the craft beer community, too!
Want to be considered for an upcoming feature? Email cheers@workforyourbeer.com to set up an interview!