EP-210 Whit Baker and Sean McKinney of Ancillary Fermentation

When it comes to running a business, partnerships are key. In the beer
industry, that often shows up in leadership where one person may handle the
books or operational responsibilities, and another focuses on the liquid
itself. In all cases, finding the balance between people and personalities
is importance of yin and yang that can make breweries succeed.

Lucky for me, I recently had the chance to sit down with some perfect
examples of left and right brain come to life. In this pairing, Whit Baker
is the former and Sean McKinney the latter. Whit’s scientific “left”
focuses on recipes, while Sean’s creative “right” brings aspects of
artistry to the act of drinking beer. Together, they’re part of a set of
owners and brewers behind Ancillary Fermentation, a sort of brewery/event
company in the Triangle region of North Carolina.

With thousands of breweries scattered across the country, including nearly
300 in the Tar Heel State, it’s not uncommon to hear conversations that
mention how quality beer alone isn’t enough to exist in a competitive
industry.

This is where Ancillary flips the script. Both Whit and Sean have “day
jobs” at Cary, North Carolina’s Bond Brothers Beer Company, and once a
month, create pop-up events for this side project. These are situations you
do not find in beer, with one-off releases held at what are essentially
theme parties. There was the holiday office party in an actual office. And
a motivation-themed gathering at a CrossFit gym, complete with Hazy IPA
served in clear, plastic water bottles. Their latest was held in a church.
Each example an opportunity to push drinkers into new and weird spaces to
share this incredibly common experience of drinking beer with friends in a
new way.

We’ll delve into all of this in our conversation, including how Whit thinks
about recipes and setting Ancillary’s beer apart, but it’s clear this
effort is about way more than what goes into a glass. If anything, this
chat feels like an important glimpse into the way today’s breweries need to
think when a taproom experience—no matter how wonderful—can sometimes get a
little repetitive.

This is Whit Baker and Sean McKinney of Ancillary Fermentation. Listen in.