Meet the Brewtender: Mary Conrad

The profile behind your pints

Standing behind the bar at Rusty Nickel Brewing Co. are the brewtenders who pour your pints, fill your flights and serve up some stellar recommendations. They earned the title of brewtender because they’re Cicerone Certified Beer Servers who have had a hand in the brewing process and can provide a wealth of information about our beers and beyond.

For most of our brewtenders, serving and brewing beer is a passion that they pursue beyond the call of their nine to five. They work here because they love it, and we’re happy that they do! That’s why we want to introduce each of them to you in our “Meet the Brewtender” series.

Let’s Taco Bout Mary Conrad

If you’ve visited our tasting room, then chances are you’ve seen the grinning face of Mary Conrad standing behind the bar. By day, Mary works as a full time land surveyor and owns a small embroidery business called Greek Chic. After “office” hours, you’ll find her bustling around the brewery serving pints, checking stock or organizing everything in sight.

One of the things that Mary loves about being a brewtender at RNBC is the fluidity of the position. Each day looks a little different, and everyone on staff has a “go with the flow” mentality. This means creating new mixologies or tackling a list of chores on slower days, and staying upbeat when it gets busy.

“As long as you’ve got a smile on your face and you’re at least acknowledging each person at the bar, you can see that they’re happy,” she explained. “Just giving people a sense of joy or education is a big thing of mine.”

You can tell that Mary takes the phrase “learn something new every day” seriously just by looking at the friendly way she interacts with customers. Whether it’s educating them about RNBC’s beers, sharing fun facts, or just engaging in a conversation about anything, Mary’s goal is for everyone to have a fun visit and maybe leave knowing something new.

When she’s not working, you’ll likely catch Mary whipping up some mouthwatering meals. Anyone who has sampled her entry into RNBC’s chili contest can attest to that.

Recently, she made two desserts for a friend’s birthday using products from RNBC. One was a creamsicle cupcake made with Slice O’ Havens Imperial Cream Ale. The other was a chocolate cake made with Chocolate Milk Money Milk Stout and topped with a cherry frosting made with McKenzie’s Black Cherry Hard Cider that mimicked the Chocolate & Cherries mixology.

For fun, Mary likes to plan, cook, and DIY her way into some amazing dinner parties, or relax at home with her husband, Adam, and two miniature dachshunds, Humphry and Bentley.

The next time you see Mary behind the bar, ask her about her pups and get ready for a good time in the tasting room.