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It's called Better Know Your Brewers. And it's pretty self-explanatory. It's a series of 10 questions I'll be asking the brewers of the Cayuga County area in order to tell you a little more about their passion for beer, and for making it. They're the type of questions I can't ask in the course of my regular beer reporting, whether it's because they're too esoteric or just too silly.

And to start this feature, I figured there was no more appropriate candidate than Garrett Shepherd, brewer and president of Auburn's first brewery since Prohibition, The Good Shepherds Brewing Co. I sat down with Shepherd Friday at his 132 Genesee St. taproom. Here's what he had to say:

Q. When did you know you wanted to brew beer for a living?

A. That takes place so long ago. It was probably in 2004, 2005, when I first moved to Auburn. I was in between jobs, looking for something interesting to get into. I was in my early 20s. And I'd been brewing for five or six years at that point, brewing hard cider, my Scotch ale, my Irish red and a pale ale. (India pale ales) hadn't really come on the scene yet. A couple people were doing IPAs, but of course they weren't like today. So I found this distance learning program through the American Brewers Guild. It was a year program. It probably was in 2005 when I said, "This seems like something I would really enjoy." It's a perfect mix for me between science, sociology, psychology and really just basic alchemy. It's the old turning water into beer, or wine. And then I went to the American Brewers Guild, graduated from there, then started working at Custom Brewcrafters (CB Craft Brewers) in (Honeoye Falls, near Rochester). At that point, there was Ithaca (Beer Co.). They wanted to hire me to work on the production line, but I was a brewer. I was trained as a brewer. Then there was Middle Ages (in Syracuse), and they weren't looking for help. And nothing else was around. So I went to work for (CB) for nine months or a year, and after that I said, "Yeah, this is what I'd like to do." And it took seven years after that to get our boat together to finally open our first location. That's why I named one of my first beers after my dad. Because it was he and I talking about this over one of my Scotch ales — it was an or a wee heavy — and that was the beer to him, his flashpoint, where he said, "I think we can make a business out of this."

Q. What brewers, breweries or beers have been your biggest inspirations?

A. In terms of New England-style IPA, I think it was Grimm's Tesseract. When I first tried that one — I think it was two years ago? — it made me say, "Holy s--t." And ever since then, I've been trying to chase it. To me, it was perfection, absolute perfection when it came to the New England-style IPA. There hasn't been a beer that I've come across in the two or three years since then that I've said, "This is the beer I'd love for my (There is No Spoon New England-style IPA) to be." And that's what I'm going to keep doing. I'm now screwing with my water chemistry, my hop times. That's why I have version two of my No Spoon up, and tonight I hope to release my normal one and let folks try both and see which one they like better, and see what flavor profiles they get. And keep working on it from there.

Q. If you were stuck on a desert island and could only have one beer, which would it be? (Editor's note: For the sake of the question, the beer would always be in peak condition and not subject to temperature, age or other concerns)

A. Again, that Tesseract. That thing woke me up in a lot of different ways. People had been talking about how good that beer was, and I couldn't imagine it being that great. And to me, it was. It made me say, "This is what we need to be chasing in terms of the New England-style IPA." In terms of the fruit-forward, smooth mouthfeel, smooth bitterness and all late hop additions. If it was one of mine, I'm really enjoying my Pan Pan Pale Ale. It's a smooth pale ale, a little bit of fruit to it, a little more bitter than I would have liked. But it was my first time building it, so it's still a work in progress.

Q. What do you think is the next big thing in craft beer?

A. That is so hard to say. I'm not really a trend guy. I don't know if I have the brain space to think about what I think will be trendy next. I just go by what I think tastes good. I really enjoy a nice pale ale. I'm drinking a lot of my stouts, I have a nice, roasty stout I'm enjoying. It could be because of the winter. People love sours, maybe a blend of some sort. Maybe a blend of wine and beer. I see a lot of folks drinking a lot of sparkling waters that have alcohol in them, that aren't necessarily beer but I believe they are made with malt products. That's where I think things could be going. But that's kind of crappy to me because there's no flavor to them. All you're drinking is some fruit flavor, and there's no creativity. And I don't think I'd ever do that.

Q. What's your favorite beer name that you've come up with?

A. Probably There is No Spoon. I have so much fun brewing that beer and just kind of letting go. Those New England IPAs are brewed so nontraditionally, they take everything I learned as a classic brewer and throw it out the window. That's the "Matrix"-y theme. Like, "There is no beer." This thing's a beer, but it's like the bent spoon.

Q. Which of your beers do you recommend to people who are new to craft?

A. It depends on what they like. If they're a Guinness drinker, I'd recommend our Ostoutipus Rex, which is a light, roasty-style ale. I recommend the Irish Red because most folks have only tried Killian's. Except Killian's is brewed now as a lager, which is disappointing. That thing is an ale. There's no way the guys in Ireland were able to make a lager back then. (Coors) bought it and turned it into a lager. But I brew it in the Irish tradition that it was first meant to be, back to the 1400s. Also, my Scotch ale, if you're looking for something with a little gas. And the folks who like lighter beers, I show them Hurricane Hailey Blonde.

Q. What's the most frequently asked question you get at your brewery?

A. A lot of folks love to know where the ingredients come from. Just last night I had three people ask me where I get my apples for my ciders. Those come from Elderberry Pond, right down the street. I'm a farm brewery: All my products all have more than 60-percent New York state ingredients. That means 60 percent of it comes from Auburn, Fulton for the grain, and Skaneateles for the hops. Everything comes from within 50 miles. Fermentation time, they ask about that a lot too. How long does it take to make a beer? And where does "Good Shepherds" come from? Is it religious? We wanted to be The Shepherds Brewing Co., but unfortunately there's a company called Shepherd Neame. So we were concerned they'd send us a cease-and-desist. So we went with Good Shepherds Brewing. We didn't think about the religious part of it. It was only after we opened that folks were like, "Are you guys religious?"

Q. What kind of music do you like to listen to when you're brewing?

A. I'm a Howard Stern guy when I brew. I'm alone for 12 hours a day. And rather than putting earphones in and listening to a podcast, I listen to Howard Stern. I turn my speakers off outside because I don't want to offend anybody, but I keep it inside because it's nice to have someone who's talking so I don't feel like I'm by myself.

Q. If you could collaborate with any brewer or brewery in the world, which would you pick?

A. Everybody's doing IPAs right now, so I would go to England or somewhere. Everyone goes locally. I'd think about going to Belhaven, Bass Brewery. That hasn't really been done. There's a million IPAs out there, but if you could do a cool version of a nice pale ale or Scotch ale. It wouldn't have the impact that an IPA does, and I understand that. But if I was going to do an IPA, it would be Grimm, hands down.

What's on tap

Aurora Ale & Lager Co.

Joe Shelton and Mark Grimaldi recently held a can release for four of their beers, which went really well, they said. More releases are planned for April, including two IPAs and more fruited sours in the style of Party at the Moontower, Bluebonic Chronic and Strawbonic Chronic. Another sour IPA will be based on one of the brewers' favorite cocktails. Shelton and Grimaldi are also expanding their fermentation space and adding two more 10-barrel fermenters, which will allow them to focus on larger batches of cans, as well as lagering. Cans will mostly be sold at the brewery, but small amounts will continue to be sent to beer retailers in Auburn, Ithaca, Syracuse and Rochester.

The Good Shepherds Brewing Co.

Two versions of There is No Spoon New England-style IPA are available as of Friday, each dry-hopped differently. Also available are new stouts Ostoutipus Rex and a coconut version, Coconutz Rex. Garrett Shepherd's brewery will host a First Firkin Friday green beer release with live music by A Cast of Thousands from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 1, and a St. Patrick's Day party with green beer, corned beef and other Irish fare, and live music by Tim Herron Trio from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 16.

Next Chapter Brewpub

New beers at Scott and Michelle DeLap's Genesee Center brewpub include Chapter Cherry Vanilla Porter and Chapter Haze As Well, with Chapter Cherry Wheat and a milkshake IPA on the way. By spring, the DeLaps plan to install a wood-fired pizza oven, add four more taps (to get to 20) and secure a canning machine. Live music now takes place at the brewpub Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the last day dedicated to jazz.

Prison City Pub & Brewery

Back at the downtown Auburn brewpub is the Cocoa Puff-flavored brown ale Puff Puff Shiv and New England double IPA Double Doink, featuring Enigma, Simcoe and Citra hops. Coming to Prison City's taps in the next few weeks will be IPAs Mass Riot and Riot in Vermont, Work Work Work pilsner, Guavatanamo Bay (sour with guava fruit), Phantom Zone (sour aged in red wine barrels) and, according to co-owner Marc Schulz, "local craft beer fan boy favorite" Crispy Boys, an American light lager. There may even be a limited edition dosed with limes, Schulz said.

Marc and Dawn Schulz will also head to Lake Placid Pub & Brewery Feb. 28 to brew a collaboration New England IPA called Unicorns! Show Ponies!! "This is particularly exciting for us as Lake Placid is where Dawn and I met and our journey into the world of craft beer began," said Schulz, who was living in Lake Placid in 1995 when Chris Ericson opened the brewery. Schulz also worked with Ericson for several years, making the collaboration "long overdue." The beer will be on tap at Prison City in a few weeks.

On March 7, Dawn and more than 30 other women will work with Prison City's brewing staff to make the second annual batch of beer for the Pink Boots Society's Collaboration Brew Day. The beer style is TBD, but a portion of its sales will support Pink Boots scholarships that promote the advancement of women in the craft beer industry.

Prison City's Hitman dry Irish stout will return in time for St. Patrick's Day. That weekend, the brewpub will have a cask version with additions of Simple Roast coffee and Jameson-soaked oak spirals. And on the 17th, there will be live, traditional Irish music by In Harmony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and HomeSlice from 2 to 5 p.m. Traditional Irish breakfast, beer-braised corned beef sandwiches and other Ireland-inspired dishes will be available all weekend. 

Also coming up: Prison City will attend the state Craft Brewers Festival in Albany March 9, and will participate in a tap takeover with Bissell Brothers at the High Roller Lobster Co. in Maine April 4.