Bartley Blume
Owner/President/Head Distiller/Lord of Brews & Booze
Starting the only brewery-distillery in Minnesota is the latest in a long line of adventures for Bartley Blume. After attending Auburn University, Bartley began working for NASA’s destructive testing department, where he tested the durability of equipment and materials, sometimes with explosives. After NASA, Bartley joined a St. Paul–based aerospace engineering firm and spent 18 months in Australia building a transonic wind tunnel. Next, Bartley worked for the firm’s Business Development group, traveling throughout Australia, Southeast Asia, and South America before shedding the shackles of corporate bondage to make tasty adult beverages for a living.
Bartley started home brewing in 2007 after receiving a Mr. Beer kit from Brenda. The hobby quickly attracted a cult following among friends and family around the BBQ pit. With this encouragement, Bartley decided to go all the way and began to develop the Bent Brewstillery brand image and company vision. The plan was to start with a very small operation, using the 40-gallon homebrew system to brew for a small taproom while a local microbrewer brewed larger batches for distribution to bars and liquor stores. That plan changed when Bent Brewstillery merged with Pour Decisions in 2013. Now there’s a fully functional microbrewery in operation, pumping out brutal barley beverages for the public to enjoy.
